Tag: Consuelos

Modern role-playing games are nearly whimsical in their depictions of magical powers and playable fantasy races, but the origins of the genre are much darker than most folks realize. More often than not, the books and myths that inspired RPG developers like Gary Gygax veered into terrifying territory (just think of all the times that Conan faced down cosmic horrors), with some of these influences needing to be watered down so that the hobby could eventually be accepted in the mainstream.

These days, even adult-oriented RPG-adjacent productions like Prime Video’s Vox Machina series are still mostly playful in tone, but that’s not to say that no creator has ever dared to explore the darker side of their favorite hobby.

We’ve already covered dark fantasy flicks like Solomon Kane and The Beastmaster on previous editions of Horror Adjacent, but today I’d like to discuss something a little more meta. Back in 2009, a young French-Canadian filmmaker decided to turn his interest in extreme role-playing into the basis for a story about how make-believe conflict can have very real consequences, with the ensuing project becoming the criminally underseen indie thriller The Wild Hunt.

Inspired by the Norse sagas that still thrive amongst the Nordic immigrants of Canada, filmmaker Alexandre Franchifelt came up with the idea for his debut feature when he realized that these ancient narratives were often accidentally re-enacted by dedicated Live-Action Role-Players (hobbyists engaging in a gamified form of collective storytelling where players physically play out characters without the need for abstract tools like dice and character sheets). And with Franchifelt’s home-province of Quebec being home to one of the largest LARP communities in the world, it stands to reason that the director would want to take advantage of the existing Tolkienesque backdrop of elves and Vikings roaming the enchanted backwoods of Canada.

In the finished film, we follow the son of Icelandic immigrants Erik Magnusson (Ricky Mabe) as his jealous nature gets the better of him and he crashes a LARP event in order to win back his role-playing girlfriend Lyn (Kaniehtiio Horn). With the help of his mythology-obsessed older brother Bjorn (Mark Antony Krupa), Erik unwittingly incites chaos among the various factions of the game, with the film slowly devolving into a very real tragedy about the dark side of role-playing and the unpredictable power of narrative itself.

SO WHY IS IT WORTH WATCHING?

I’ve had a lifelong fascination with everything related to role-playing games, which is likely why I spent years seeking out all forms of RPG-adjacent media like Dead Gentlemen Production’s The Gamers franchise and even indie documentaries like Monster Camp. However, while there are a handful of similar productions out there, The Wild Hunt stands out by being one of very few “gamer” movies that still stands on its own even if you have no knowledge (or even interest) in the RPG scene.

Despite the feature’s shoestring budget and questionable production value, there’s an undeniable thoughtfulness to the filmmaking here, with Franchifelt effortless transitioning between the intimate conversations of the real world to the Peter-Jackson-inspired extravagance of seeing dozens of costumed fanatics putting on silly accents and threatening each other with foam swords.

In fact, one of the film’s biggest draws is its believable cast of weekend warriors, with recognizable gaming folk like high-and-mighty rules lawyers and even racial minorities that feel slightly out of place turning the experience into a fascinating character study about the kind of person that engages in such a niche hobby. I also appreciate how characters on all sides present hints of toxic masculinity (which is something of a big issue in the gaming scene), with even our protagonist failing to realize that his quest was ultimately rooted in selfishness.

Of course, the delusional weirdo Bjorn is the real star of the show here despite initially coming off as comic-relief, with Krupa giving a deceptively nuanced double performance as both a fearless vessel of Thor (complete with a crummy theater kid accent) as well as a genuinely vulnerable young man desperate to flee from his painful family life.

None of this would matter if there wasn’t an interesting story putting these characters in motion, and that’s where The Wild Hunt’s mythological roots really shine. The age-old premise of a desperate man venturing into the unknown in order to reclaim his beloved from a villainous captor recalls the most memorable Norse Sagas, though the film’s somber final act is almost certainly indebted to Greek tragedies. Hell, Lyn’s in-game kidnapping and the ensuing “war” even feels like an intentionally ironic retelling of Troy.

To be honest, I feel like The Wild Hunt’s lack of a cult following has a lot more to do with its subpar distribution (it’s actually quite difficult to track down a copy of the film internationally) than the film’s overall quality. Sure, the photography stumbles a bit during night scenes and there are some serious pacing issues before we reach the climactic tonal shift of the third act, but the fact remains that this movie deserves more fans.

AND WHAT MAKES IT HORROR ADJACENT?

You might be surprised to hear that a down-to-earth indie flick about nerdy warriors wearing rubber elf ears contains some unsettling genre elements, but The Wild Hunt is actually a much darker movie than its premise might lead you to believe.

We’ve all met (and possibly made fun of) overly competitive gamers who take their hobbies way too seriously, but when you add in isolation and the social pressures of a communal narrative, you may come to realize that groups like this have a lot in common with cults due to their willingness to spur others into violent action for the sake of a “story.” The Wild Hunt may have a central antagonist in the form of the dark shaman Murtagh (Trevor Hayes), but the real “villain” of the film is the idea that real acts of cruelty can be inspired by mere narratives.

Of course, it’s the film’s third act that really cements it as a tense thriller, with characters forgoing foam swords for fists and torches as the violent spirit that inspired the old sagas claims real world victims. And while I won’t go into detail in order to avoid spoiling the experience for newcomers – suffice to say that there’s some brutal imagery on display towards the final moments of the picture.

The morally ambiguous ensemble, low production value and eventual tonal whiplash are clear signs that The Wild Hunt was never meant to be a crowd-pleaser, but I can’t help but keep coming back to this one whenever I see hardcore fans of any niche hobby engaging in questionable behavior online. Part indie drama, part Lord of the Rings fan-film and all Shakespearean tragedy, I’d recommend this flick to anyone who can appreciate the emotional roller-coaster that is fantasy role-playing.

I also think it would also make for a great double-feature with Joe Lynch’s much more light-hearted Knights of Badassdom!

There’s no understating the importance of a balanced media diet, and since bloody and disgusting entertainment isn’t exclusive to the horror genre, we’ve come up with Horror Adjacent – a recurring column where we recommend non-horror movies that horror fans might enjoy.