Manhunt

A group of people find themselves in the woods and pursued by a killer.

Tommy (Behan) is a young man who is depressed and an alcoholic and is living a solitary life. He is invited to a house party for a boy's birthday and reluctantly agrees to attend. The boy's mother is Sarah (Coombes) and things between her and Tommy are unstable due to their past. Other guests include some of Tommy's old friends and they get together during the party and have a few drinks. The next morning, Tommy, Sarah and a few other party guests wake up, only to discover that they are in a forest. None of them knows how they got there and it is not long before an unknown person begins killing them off.

This is quite a tense horror slasher survival movie that also comes with a surprise revelation. It begins with a terrifying pursuit that ends in bloodshed, then goes on to introduce the characters and their situations, before ending up in the woods, where the carnage begins. None of the protagonists know why someone is after them and they get eliminated one by one as they try to get to safety and argue with one another.

The feature works pretty well as a slasher, with a group of people in an isolated location and a masked person killing them, primarily by stabbing them. There is a great deal of arguing going on, a lot of nail-biting moments and plenty of gore. However, this is more than just a slasher, as it also contains a fair amount of drama. It is a story that explores friendship, morality, infidelity, regrets, alcoholism and depression.

Regarding the characters, Tommy makes an interesting protagonist and Behan effectively portrays him as an unmotivated, sad person who avoids socialising. McClean also does a good job as Tommy's friend Adam, who appears to be lacking courage.

As the director of photography, Joe Reid develops cinematography that creates a downbeat atmosphere. The music by Oisin Mac Giolla Bhride is tense and sinister and goes very well with the scenes.

This is an enjoyable slasher film that has suspense, nail-biting moments and dramatic plot twists. With this feature and The Lads, Adams is proving himself to be a filmmaker worthy of recognition and it is exciting to think about what he will achieve in the future.