From Shane Conto

Who doesn’t love a good old fashioned genre mixing a bunch of fun? Film is so flexible and dynamic that you can mix a variety of stories and concepts together and deliver something that feels cohesive but still delivers on all the elements it is trying to balance. Being able to take pieces of different genres to create something new and interesting is a great way to expand the world of film. You have creators like John Mc Tiernan who have taken this idea and ran without. That is how we got the action/horror film, Predator. 

How do you balance big action elements and still make something scary? There is an important key to that…tension. There are plenty of thrills in both action and horror. But they are just approaching it from different directions. If you can find the right creator and keep up the tension and pay it off in equal but different ways, then you have a special film on your hands. McTiernan is able to set up an entertaining and bombastic 80s action flick in the opening act of Predator and then is able to slowly morph it into a terrifying horror film centered around “the hunt” and survival. 

What makes Predator feel so unique? It delivers elements never before seen on screen. McTiernan’s film and the Thomas’ Brothers script deliver a crew of the baddest and strongest men around to be a hired mercenary team. They are a full team of alphas drenched in testosterone and masculinity. But then they meet an alien species so advanced that they make these badasses look like a bunch of chumps. If they can make Arnold Schwarzenegger afraid…we should be terrified. McTiernan is arguably one of the greatest action directors of all time and his approach is big and visceral. That is all present in Predator but it is his building of tension and delivering of thrills that stands out more here. 

Why is Predator so great and worth watching as a horror film? The first element is the fun crew that we connect with and enjoy easily. Schwarezenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, Bill Duke, and others create instantly memorable and fun characters. The stakes are built in with admiration. The mystery and brutality of how they die…that is what is so haunting. You have never seen such brutality and savagery in film before. The heat vision and cloaking effects of the titular alien are so impressive from a technical standpoint that they create an authenticity that feels so uncomfortable. Then just think about the premise. You have an ultimate killing machine with advanced weaponry beyond ours and they are invisible. That is terrifying. 

What makes Predator a film you should seek out? This is peak high concept filmmaking while delivering subversive writing for genres we expect to know easily. McTiernan has crafted a wonderful film that delivers in every action and horror way you could want. The music from composer Alan Silvestri is pitch perfect while the inventive visual effects create an experience that is totally unexpected. If you haven’t seen it yet, this is a film that will surprise you and deliver a unique cinematic experience worth taking. 

You can find Predator (1987) streaming on Hulu.

Follow Shane