Hunter Vanelson, a homeless man with a mysterious past, confronts the supernatural figures that haunt the frozen streets of Chicago, and rises from victim to Hunter.
David produced and directed this supernatural thriller feature, shot in the punishing cold of a Chicago winter that became part of the film's frozen, haunted look. It is written by and stars Jason Kellerman, with the villain played by Nick Searcy (The Shape of Water, Justified, Cast Away). David's wife and creative partner, Adria Dawn, served as casting director and appears as Sybil.
A genre hybrid and, at heart, a love story, Hunter follows a former MMA fighter, now homeless, taking on loss, mental illness, homelessness and class, with its vampires standing in for a predatory strain of toxic masculinity. It won Best Horror Feature at the Manhattan Film Festival, Best Feature Film at the Freakshow Horror Festival, and several other awards. It is distributed by Random Media, available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Redbox and many more.
Awards & Recognition
- 2018Best Horror Feature · Manhattan Film Festival
- 2018Best Feature Film · Freak Show Film Festival
- 2018Best Mystery / Thriller, Silver Award · Queen Palm International Film Festival
- 2018October Winner, Lift-Off Sessions · Pinewood Studios, London
- 2018Best Feature, nominated · Chicago Horror Film Festival
Stills
From the Set
What the Critics Said
"Director Tarleton favors a kinetic, rapid-cut pace that produces chills… Hunter maintains a sense of feverish intensity throughout."
Richard Roeper — Chicago Sun-Times
"A central performance of note… pulsing with primal energy. A real sense of loss, a real sense of self, and a strong thread of emotional realism that runs through Hunter, worth witnessing."
Martin Carr — Flickering Myth
"A top-shelf urban tale of tortured souls versus the legions of the night that features superb acting, street-level grit, and realistic action… one to set your eerie eyeballs on immediately."
DanXIII — Horror Fuel
"What M. Night Shyamalan might have dreamed up if Unbreakable had been about a vampire hunter instead of a superhero."
Isaac Thorne — Tennessee Horror
"The filmmakers have crafted a convincing atmosphere with sound, polished editing techniques and shadowy lighting… a gritty eyeful of the darker corners of the city."
Paul Parcellin — Film Threat
"One of the film's strengths is the visual execution, used to accentuate the emotional tone of the scene… Hunter has a lot more to offer than just another action-packed thriller."
Philip Rogers — Blazing Minds
"City-themed, edgy as hell, and delivers a brutal takedown of the undead. Hunter brings the heat."
Loron Hays — Reel Reviews
Selected Press
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Chicago Sun-Times↗"'Hunter' sets its gritty thrills in the icy chill of a Chicago winter"
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ScreenCraft↗"How to Make a Cross-Genre Supernatural Thriller Indie Film"
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Flickering Myth↗"Movie Review: Hunter"
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Film Threat↗"Hunter"
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Quad City Times↗"'Hunter' slashes through a modern-day tale inspired by a Bram Stoker classic"
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The Geekiary↗"Hunter · An Enjoyable Supernatural Thriller"
A fuller archive of reviews, interviews and features lives on the Awards & Press page.
