Climate of the Hunter is a surreal and campy retro-style horror feature from Oklahoma filmmaker Mickey Reece that explores bad blood, of the emotional and possibly literal variety, that can only exist between family - and vampires. The film centres around two very different middle-aged sisters, hippie Alma and uptight Elizabeth, competing for the affections of an old family friend, the dark, elegant and seductive writer Wesley, who has drifted back into town after 20 years abroad. 

 

According to a Q&A with the director, the film was conceived in reverse, with the story developed around a pre-determined location and cast. From an indie-filmmaking perspective, this seems like a logical way to work within constraints, especially when you care as much about the visuals as Reece evidently does. The greatest strength of Climate of the Hunter is its to die for ‘70s set dressings and costumes, gorgeous cinematography made camp through loveably corny punch in zooms and star filters, as well as it’s hyper-stylized and homage-laden dream sequences. The characters are well-realized and though the lead actors lay it on thick, it’s done in a way that’s fun to watch and feels right for the staginess of the script. 

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What may fall short for some viewers is the story, but thematically, there are still plenty of timely themes to dig into. At its core, this movie is about the horrors of aging and how often-times this process can leave us feeling estranged from our own lives and from reality. Climate of the Hunter is a fun, weird and well-crafted throwback film that is certainly worth a watch. The film is currently available for on-demand streaming through the Fantasia Film Festival until September 2nd.