Prey

"Don't close your eyes."

2019 1h 25m EN

💀

4.7

SKIP

★4.7TMDB · 88

HorrorThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After being put on a supposedly uninhabited island as a form of behavioral rehabilitation, a high school senior finds that he's not alone on the island, and that getting discovered could be deadly.

“Don't close your eyes.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Logan Miller
Toby Burns
Kristine Froseth
Madeleine
Jolene Anderson
Madeleine's Mother
Phodiso Dintwe
Cameron
Jerrica Xufei Lai
Kay
Anthony Jensen
David Burns
Jody Mortara
Karen Burns
Vela Cluff
Young Madeleine

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Franck Khalfoun
Writers: David Coggeshall, Franck Khalfoun
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 7 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Franck Khalfoun, shot by Eric Robbins. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Richard Breakspear. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Josiah Thiesen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Logan Miller and Kristine Froseth and Jolene Anderson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Don't close your eyes.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt5699928 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Franck Khalfoun directs. Eric Robbins behind the camera. Richard Breakspear scores. Josiah Thiesen cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 7 years ago.
3Directed by Franck Khalfoun, shot by Eric Robbins. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Richard Breakspear. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Josiah Thiesen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Logan Miller and Kristine Froseth and Jolene Anderson carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Don't close your eyes.".
8IMDB entry: tt5699928 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 88 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "island", "father murder", "possession", "lighthouse".

The technical file

Cinematography: Eric Robbins
Original score: Richard Breakspear
Editing: Josiah Thiesen
Production design: Max Martinez
Sound: Matt Miller
Stunt coordinator: Tony Snegoff
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Prey (2019)

Also by

Franck Khalfoun

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Gimly2019-12-18
★ 5/10
True survival horror is not a thing we see a lot of these days, and it's even rarer to see it done truly well. Prey an example of the former, but not so much the latter. It is okay, and reading some audience reviews of Prey it seems like I did enjoy it more than most, but I can definitely see those complaints being made as valid. Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole.
The Movie Diorama2020-01-16
★ 2/10
Prey stalks its victims by offering a suspense-free horror flick that seems more idyllic than terrifying. Y’know, when I temporarily go insane or witness a traumatic incident, I openly discuss my feelings with a therapist or spend the day watching films involving eternal happiness. Had I been referred to a behavioural rehabilitation programme that sends its clients to a supposedly uninhabited island for three days for the purpose of “finding myself”, with only your survival instincts equipped, well I’d probably be a much different person than I am now. These are psychologically disturbed characters, granted the freedom of an entire island, to do whatever the heck they want. Build a campsite, create some intricate traps, slaughter the local wildlife and even murder each other. The insurance costs must’ve been catastrophic! Khalfoun conceives a ridiculously contrived premise and, essentially, serves it to the demonic beast entity thing that prowls the luscious jungles of the island. What is a horror film without suspense? What is a psychological thriller without character development? What is a film without entertainment? Khalfoun irrefutably understands no element into adequate filmmaking. None! Cheap mundane jump scares that were predictable right down to the very second. More plot holes than a washed up sponge from the nearby capsized boat. Enough foreshadowing to plunge the island into everlasting darkness. Aside from Miller who atleast attempted to bypass the shoddy script he was given, the acting was weaker than a coconut branch surviving a monsoon. Expositional flashbacks, that resembled advertisements for a “hot rod” vehicle, clumsily spliced into the main narrative through inexplicably basic editing. However, what truly makes Prey a bloodthirsty piece of life drainage, are the details. We are to believe that a young girl and her mother, have lived on the island for over a decade. That’s fine and all, but when she looks fresher than a speared fish, something’s not right. Eyebrows plucked, makeup on point, hair pristinely straight as she conditions using TRESemmé. You sure she didn’t reside in a salon for a decade? Not to mention Toby transforms into Bear Grylls in a matter of days. Where the hell did that come from!? Khalfoun attempts to fool audiences by leading viewers down the path of imagination. Inferring that the protagonist is in fact fabricating all this nonsense. The five minute self-conversational scene explicitly hypothesised that his lunacy was profound. Yet whilst that would’ve been clichéd and typically dull, that scenario would’ve fared better than the one devised by Khalfoun. Cult rituals. Voodoo shenanigans. Cave full of multi-coloured paintings. All culminating into an ending that made me want to squish some numbing berries onto the disc and serve it to the beast itself. What was that? Seriously! I loathe endings that make the whole ordeal pointless. Detest them. Especially when there was a perfectly available boat in the middle of the film! Where did the rescue raft go that was beached by the programme manager? The CGI demonic swine could obviously swim, considering that atrocious conclusion. Urgh. No more. Atleast Robbins’ cinematography made the idyllic island endurable. Prey exercises all of the worst traits found in uninspired low-budget horrors, and doesn’t even attempt to hide from its predatory allurement, consequently cementing this as one of the worst of the year.