Open Season (1974) User Reviews

One of Fonda's favorites..

[stepperwalsh · 6/10 · 18 August 2022]

What can we say about Ken, Greg and Arty? Fine upstanding citizens, respectable family men, hard workers who enjoy blowing off steam with a little bit of adultery, kidnapping and murder!

Once a year these wonderful human beings leave their families behind for a few days and head into the arms of Mother Nature. Fast flowing rivers and endless empty forests are just what the doctor ordered, the perfect place to unwind and more importantly, the perfect place to muffle the screams of their latest victims.

This year they stumble across a couple with car trouble and take them to their isolated cabin in the woods. It's a crime that is committed with such ease and bravado there's no doubt these men have done this before. In the cabin the man is handcuffed and humiliated, forced to cook and clean. His girlfriend, on the other hand, is subjected to horrors of a different kind. When the fun is over the next day the couple are told they will be set free, however, this is no cause for celebration, as they soon realize the true nightmare has only just begun.

The three men are played by Peter Fonda, Richard Lynch and John Philip Law. Apart from being war vets, little is known about the characters they play, but judging by their pastime of kidnap and murder we can guess they are struggling somewhat to settle into normal life.

Released in 1974, smack-bang in the middle of the exploitation era, Open Season is both low budget and violence heavy. Think of it as cross between a spaghetti westerns and Deliverance. It is certainly not a movie for everyone but Peter Fonda calmed it was one of his favorite. "I had a good time on that one. That was my first chance to play a really evil guy. "

Low budget 70s drive-in classic.

[hamanncrosscreek · 7/10 · 29 March 2003]

I saw this strange film on late night cable way back in 1983 and found it oddly appealing.Obviously not filmed in the USA with dubbed dialog, weird atmosphere and the eventual appearance of William Holden as an added bonus. After searching on the internet recently I found an uncut version VHS tape for sale.* SPOILER *William Holdens character is arrested at the end which didn't occur in the edited version. The stark direction,unconventional editing techniques and haunting music make this one a seldom seen gem. I usually don't indulge in films of this type( like the repulsive, house by the lake ) but open season has enough

going for it to elevate it above other films of this genre. For Fonda/ Holden fans this film is highly recommended,others beware!

Movie With A Hidden Message

[tomsclassics · 7/10 · 15 November 2004]

I have seen this movie but it was back in the seventies when it was made; it seems like it was a "Made For TV Movie".

A group of former "Vietnam combat" buddies develop a very unusual weekend hunting pastime. They hunt a most unusual rabbit; but there is a third party who has intruded; a shadowy figure who thinks this hobby is really a very bad habit and has decided to make the odds more even.

There are two characteristics of this movie that stand out in my mind. The first is that it had an almost hidden message, revealed by the William Holden line stated very dramatically and sadly at the end of the movie.This makes the movie for me.

It should be easy to guess what that message is considering that this time was post Vietnam. It can be posed as a question also in our current time. just what effect DOES wartime combat have on the human mind? What are the effects of the pressure of being in almost constant danger, being required to kill other human beings and, perhaps the most revealing description, doing this AS A GROUP? This movie may suggest an answer.

The other characteristic is its macabre sense of humor in how they describe a possible victim when they spot him at a gasoline station; "does he look like a rabbit to you?" And the little, old "Nursery Rhyme" type song they sing or hum. "RUN, RABBIT RUN, RABBIT, RUN RUN RUN." "dumb, dumde dumb, dumde dumb dumb dumb."

When I tried to remember the name of this movie, I actually thought it could be called "Rabbit Run" and be written by John Updike. It would have matched his distasteful "facts of life" style. But I found out that's a different story.

The third player, William Holden (I think we see his face now), at the end, looking over the bodies of the murderers he himself has killed, says: "Boys, somebody should have told you... when the war ended, the killing stopped."

Hunt down this 1970s exploitation classic!

[Infofreak · 9 January 2002]

As has been pointed out 'Open Season's basic premise takes inspiration from Richard Connell's classic suspense story 'The Most Dangerous Game', first filmed back in the 30s with 'King Kong's Fay Wray, and continually used ever since. Many a trash classic has been indebted to it, not least of which the ultra-cheesy 'Turkey Shoot' (with Steve Railsback), and John Woo's 'Hard Target' starring Van Damme and Lance Henriksen. The reason it gets reused over and over? Because it bloody well works every time!

'Open Season' isn't just another rip off in my opinion. The actual "game" only takes up a small segment of the movie, and the focus is more on the relationship between the three hunters and their guests. Some complain it's boring or two slow movie. Not me, I loved every minute of it. The main reason being the three leads are played by Peter Fonda, John Phillip Law and Richard Lynch, three cult film legends. Even one of these guys being in a movie is enough to get me viewing, but having all three is manna from heaven!

Peter Fonda was going through his strange post-'Easy Rider' period where he was starring in lots of b-grade Drive In fare like 'Dirty Mary Crazy Larry', 'Race With The Devil' and 'Futureworld', and wearing orange shades a lot. John Phillip Law will never be forgotten for his roles in 60s camp classics 'Barbarella' and Mario Bava's 'Diabolik'. At this time he was about to reach his commercial peak playing Sinbad in 'The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad' before slowly descending into video hell. Richard Lynch had recently had a small but memorable role in the excellent Gene Hackman/Al Pacino road movie 'Scarecrow', but would go on to appear in Larry Cohen's 'God Told Me To', William Peter Blatty's cult classic 'The Ninth Configuration', and innumerable z-grade action, horror and sci fi flicks.

Fonda, Law and Lynch play Ken, Greg and Art, three middle class family men and war buddies who go on their annual hunting trip. Along the way they meet a couple having an affair and "invite" them to be guests in their cabin on a small island. The couple think it's a kidnap attempt and are puzzled why no ransom is discussed. The guys attempt to show them a booze fuelled "good time" with mixed results. Eventually the holiday is over and the "guests" are free to leave. However there is a slight catch...Yup, you guessed it! What nobody realizes though is that they aren't alone on the island, and things may not go exactly to plan this year.

Movies like 'Open Season' are what I live for! A 1970s exploitation classic ripe for rediscovery.

The cast is game in this raw revenge flick .............

[merklekranz · 7/10 · 27 July 2010]

Richard Lynch often plays the villain, but seeing hero types Peter Fonda, and John Philip Law as Lynch's comrades in crime is what really makes "Recon Game" a winner. It appears the three leads had a long leash as far as improvisation goes, and their constant bantering probably strays somewhat from what might have been scripted. The film is not perfect, and there are at least a bunch of tedious moments, especially inside the hunting lodge, including a truly boring sequence involving a Monopoly game. Once the "prey" are turned loose and the hunt begins, this raw revenge flick kicks into gear. "Recon Game" compares favorably with another rarely seen hunted in the woods film, "Hunter's Blood". If you can find it, see it, and along with "Recon Game" they would make a terrific double feature. - MERK

Human Hunting - Wild and Bizarre!

[Gypsybelle · 5/10 · 24 May 2008]

This is one bizarre film!. I actually saw this movie in 1976 at a drive-in theater in Orlando - with my own mother! I was young, in the Navy and home on leave. Mom wanted a girl's night out so we went shopping and decided to go to the drive-in. It was Peter Fonda night so we got a double feature of Open Season and Easy Rider. Open Season was rather shocking for me to see with Mom. My mother was rather cool so it wasn't too bad. I had always loved Peter Fonda, but his role in Open Season was as a bad guy - a really psycho-pervert. I guess that is why this film has been hard to find mention of on the internet until the last couple of years. I don't know why because Peter Fonda did another rather wacko flick called 'Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry' which was even more bizarre. After this length of time, I would actually like to see Open Season again and compare it with my memories. The theme is very haunting – that of three Vietnam War Veterans who are best friends – in some sense of the word. They get together on an annual 'hunting trip', complete with a family style station wagon and traditional hunting attire! They seem harmless enough in the beginning – very middle class dedicated family men. As the movie progresses, we find out that they are not out for venison. It must be some kind of post-traumatic Vietnam type anguish. They crave the 'human hunt'! They find the perfect quarries in an older man with his younger mistress. Okay, so it was rather hard to feel sympathy for the couple the men chose for this year's hunt….the guy was cheating on his wife. However, the brutality inflicted on the victims was totally vicious. I ended up feeling slightly sorry for the two. The woman did what she thought she needed to do to survive – her boyfriend was a total wuss. I did have a lot of problem seeing Peter Fonda playing such a maniac – but he was very effective at the part – he made me hate him and want him to die a miserable death! The greatest conflict in this film comes from an earlier victim of their 'hunts' – they had raped a young woman years before and as a result she had a baby (no idea on which one was the father). The young woman ended up in a mental institution as a result of the torture they put her through. Her parents raised the son she bore. Her father finally figured out who had done this to his beloved child and was bound for revenge. He follows our fearsome threesome on this particular journey with his own kind of retaliation in mind. You have to see the film to appreciate the circle of life/revenge. This film shows credence to the old saying that 'What Goes Around – Comes Around'!

Quirky, original and underrated film

[emclean9 · 7/10 · 24 April 2006]

This film was "big" news in 1974 when first released and got some bad press ostensibly because of the supposed excessive violence ,which is not the case. The real reason this film was "bagged" by the critics is the same reason Clint Eastwood (for his Dirty Harry movies) and Charles Bronson (for the Death Wish movies)were rubbished. That is because film critics tend to be left wing, bleeding heart liberals who have for decades put down any film that tends to support a person taking law and order into their own hands, irrespective of the provocation and the circumstances. "Open Season" is not overly violent but the violence is cleverly constructed and has real impact. The characters in the film are well drawn and believable (except perhaps the male victim who is abducted and held captive)particularly Peter Fonda who, like his Dad, can really come across as sleazy on-screen. The film is gripping and builds consistently towards the end and it really packs a punch in the final 30 minutes. I bought the VHS video many years ago and it is still worth watching.Try and see it.

The Most Dangerous Game meets Deliverance in a Spanish shot cheapo

[barnabyrudge · 2/10 · 26 December 2002]

Open Season is a terribly unpleasant melange of The Most Dangerous Game and Deliverance. It was a critical and commercial flop in its day, and was further criticised for wasting the talents of some usually reliable actors like Peter Fonda, William Holden and John Philip Law. I'm a fan of William Holden, and as a completist I was eager to seek out the film. However, having finally tracked it down and watched it, I can honestly say that it was not worth the effort. This is a poor movie indeed.

The wafer thin plot has three ex Vietnam vets heading off in the autumn to their remote hunting lodge. En route, they kidnap a young, romantic couple and imprison them once they reach the lodge. After fattening them up and sexually degrading them, the delightful trio turn their prisoners loose and pursue them to their death.

The plot is such a nasty concoction of themes that it needed sensitive handling to avoid becoming an exploitation piece. Peter Collinson directs with a sledgehammer, stripping the film of any dignity that it may have had and making it a truly horrid little item. The arrival of William Holden at the end, in a half-decent climactic shootout, is the only moment that the film comes to life, but by then most discerning viewers will have bolted for the exits (if in a cinema) or pressed the stop button (if watching a video or DVD). Open Season is a bad, bad film, offensive and unpersuasive throughout and utterly deserving of all the negative reviews it has received over the years.

Upper-class entertainment

[karlericsson · 10/10 · 22 October 2002]

Again I have to put things right. This film is really 'just' an 'eight' but, in order to raise the medium, I give it a 'ten'. Yes, it's something like 'The Most Dangerous Game' but with a twist. Here, it's pretty obvious that it is about some spoiled, upper-class brats doing what they most like to do. You know, evil just stops short to opportunity and there's really not much difference in using factory-workers as slaves and hunting them down as prey. So far the upper-class-twits. Then there is the prey which, in this case, let themselves get fooled, at least the woman. Why does William Holden not intervene earlier? Does he know? Nevertheless, it's not your brainless Hollywood-entertainment and Fonda is excellent! It would have been even better if it was more clear that these boys get away with anything because they are rich and that only a private vigilante therefor can put things right. But I guess You can't have everything.

The Most Exploitative Game

[Coventry · 6/10 · 15 December 2009]

Obscure but reasonably solid exploitation effort from the early 70's with a plot and character drawings that actually qualify as disturbing. Undeniably influenced by a number of gritty contemporary survivalist- thrillers, such as for example "Deliverance" and "Straw Dogs", the film narrates the compelling plot about three seemingly ideal and loving family men and their rather unusual annual tradition. Once a year Ken, Greg and Art – three college football buddies and Vietnam veterans – go on a "camping trip"; basically only to do all the nasty stuff their wives and fellow community members would never see them capable of doing. We're talking rape, kidnapping, humiliation, vandalism, extortion and a virulent game of hunting-humans. In the opening sequences already, some college accused the trio of gang-rape, but the school principal made it clear to the girl's mother that the reputation of the trio is stainless and undisputed. During this year's trip, they abducted an adulterous couple and got rid of their car. The unsuspecting victims are subsequently taken to an island in the middle of giant lake, toyed with for some more time, and then 'released' for the hunt. Although influenced by the aforementioned backwoods-survivalist thrillers, "Open Season" is primarily another re-working of the classic and legendary film "The Most Dangerous Game". It's a tense and disturbing film, for sure, but I'm under the impression that it could have been even better. The middle section is slow and even somewhat dull, only because director Peter Collinson insists on emphasizing the anxiety and troublesome position of the hostages. There's also quite a lot of pointless footage of the three anti-heroes boozing and hunting, apparently just to state clear once more that they're mean and ruthless guys. Okay, we get it now! Luckily enough, the wholesome is saved by the virulent climax (hooray for William Holden, as he shows up as one of the previous victims' father out for revenge) and the outstanding acting performances from the entire cast. Peter Fonda, John Phillip Law, Richard Lynch, Alberto de Mendoza and William Holden together in one and the same film makes it absolute priority viewing for every self-respecting cult cinema fanatic.

Barf

[svenandole · 1/10 · 4 August 2006]

We threw out the Television and broke its picture tube in the middle of this film.

I'm not kidding.

In my life I have only been fully repulsed by the theme, story, acting and directing of a movie a couple of times. Orca, the Killer Whale comes to mind....

Not just bad, but disgusting and disturbing. The mixture of sexual violence and mayhem/murder, a combination I have reported on before, is below any line any film-goer can draw.

Coprophagia and cannibalism are all that's left to sink to, and there's no bottom to hit.

I'd like to see this come out on DVD!!

[lonewolf82000 · 10/10 · 2 August 2002]

This film was actually not bad, for it's genre! A group of hunters abduct a couple, (A young female and middle-aged guy) They take them up into the wilderness and subject them both to humiliations and abuse. The girl is coerced into having a night of sex with the men. She becomes a sexual toy for them as she tries using her womanly charms to avert what she slowly begins to realize is a deadly game unfolding. Before too long, the men turn the couple loose in the woods and tell them they will be hunted like animals. Seems the men, all Vietnam vets who having returned from the war, no longer get a thrill hunting animals after hunting "The real thing!" The plot has been done before, but it works here, the film is enjoyable, suspenseful and at times titillating! I am really hoping this comes out on DVD. I watched this on late night TV years ago, and later found a badly done pre-recorded copy. It's not a classic film! But it's well worth a look if you like this genre!

Season of death

[videorama-759-859391 · 7/10 · 19 August 2023]

The first thing which knocks me out, about Open Season is the score. Which quite grew on me. The first scene too is an attention grabber, a disheartening verdict, at the mentioning of our three ex-vets turned thrill hunter/killers, responsible for the nightmarish rape of this young girl. When the opening credits rolled, and that beautiful score returns, which features our helpless victim, looking sorrowful, I could connect the dots straight away, with her and Holden's part. The three evil trio murder team, are wonderfully acted, Lynch standing out as a fan character to watch, but Fonda's sincere and eye grabbing performance must be acknowledged too, as is the other player. The 3 acting forces in this hunt down thriller, bring life to the movie, and I must be honest, I really enjoyed Fonda's performance the most. Their latest victims are a cheating couple, a middle aged guy who's really a resilient scumbag, his young lover, a beautiful long blonde haired sweetie, who plays Fonda, who falls for her. I can't really tell you much more about the film, but I will admit, it's a guilty pleasure, golden oldie, of a film, with beautiful wood, lake surroundings. I liked too, the communicating aspects of our three vile vets and the couple. I kind of thought the Lynch chewing gum scene, where our male captive is forced to eat his gum, was stupid. A great moment I really liked, was the 'male captive, clutching bottle, anger building kitchen scene'. Open Season isn't great, but it is an indulgent reccommended view. Keep your calender open for this one.

It's October 2017, and this is STILL the WORST movie I have EVER seen.

[CatRufus5591 · 1/10 · 7 October 2017]

Let me start by thanking my buddy John for insisting on dragging me to this utter trash of a movie in 1974. The (numerous) unpleasant scenes are still seared into my memory.

Never before-or since-has an assemblage of unsavory characters and cruelty to fellow human beings'graced'the big screen. (Okay, I should give honorable mention to 'Goodfellas', but that's for another One- Star review I'll submit later.)

Now here we are in 2017 and, as we all know,the world is a much more peaceful and brighter place than the one portrayed in this putrid 1974 film. Ya right.

Is society shaped-or desensitized- by violence in films and on television? Who's to say? I used to laugh when our teachers and preachers suggested that rock music was "destroying the youth of today". But I will say I'm disturbed by the number of people who give this film a positive review as a must-see 'message'movie. There is no message here but mean-spirited cruelty and violence.

amazing editing and photography

[clauss · 9 October 2002]

This film is a revelation in terms of editing technique, the use of stills right in the middle of the action (this is 1974, a long time pre-John Woo)and several passages of pretty associative editing. The photography is stunning with spectacularly framed images. There is a very thought-out way of using sound, with a change of perspective (from clos up to a wide shot and vice versa) that is counteracted by the sound - a lot of close-up conversation takes place on wide shots. and finally, because some folks think this is boring - the way the topic of the movie - the use of humans as living targets - is introduced is pretty compelling - the audience is not given a clue, or a well-worded plan - we are kept just as informed as the victims, and when seeing the movie for the first time, stuff like putting the chain on the woman in the kitchen really comes as an awful surprise - yet Fonda delivers this as if it was routine as usual (which it obviously is for his character) - thrilling stuff. They did a lot of experimenting with editing and imaging in the 70s which should not be lost. this movie should be put on dvd!

A fairly mediocre example of a super familiar formula

[rdoyle29 · 6/10 · 3 January 2023]

Peter Fonda, John Philip Law and Richard Lynch are family men who go on an annual hunting trip together. On the way up, they abduct Alberto de Mendoza and Cornelia Sharpe, a couple cheating on their respective spouses, and bring them to their fairly impressive cabin. They hold them for several days, acting like they are guests but also abusing them (somewhat) mildly. What are they up to?

This flick has two major twists that I'm withholding in the interest of not spoiling them, but I'd suggest they are fairly obvious. One of them in particular is suggested by the fact that a film is not likely to have a completely irrelevant first scene and that if a star like William Holden appears for 30 seconds mid-film, he's pretty likely to show up again.

That's not really my problem with the film. My issue is that it takes a very long time to get to the twists, so the majority of the film is spent watching the three leads dick around. A combination of weak performances (especially on Law's part) and bad dialogue makes this a bit of a chore. Still, if you want to see these three together this is really your only opportunity and it's otherwise an okay version of a very very familiar genre.

You aren't likely to find it easily though. This British/Spanish co-production seems to only exist in pretty poor quality VHS rips.

A Spanish MADE FILM MADE TO MIMIC AN American ONE

[rijim2001 · 3/10 · 4 October 2009]

Get some decent Americn actors on the cheap, film in the mountains outside of Madrid to cut expenses, play it for the U.S. market and you end up with this film. I think that is the main reason so many male reviewers on this site think this is a terrific film. Because of the European sleaze factor of one pretty single woman in a mountain cabin with men with guns. The plot has been explained by many others but (Spoiler alert) most missed the fact that Fonda had fathered a child years earlier when he and his "clean-cut" pals gang raped Holden's daughter and got away Scot-free. That's why Holden shows up at the end to exact revenge and to stop these guys. I just watched a tape of it and am selling it fast and cheap so it won't contaminate my library of films.

Deliverance Season

[saint_brett · 6/10 · 20 May 2023]

"Open Season" claims that it's an update of The Most Dangerous Game. That was a book, right?

Filmed in the 1970s and released in 1974.

This wouldn't be riding off the back of "Deliverance," would it?

I hope it wasn't inspired by The Zodiac.

This is the movie where he says, "Let's see some identification," in a smooth tone, right?

After an annoying hippy song played on repeat, the movie finally starts with a bunch of trick-or-treaters playing rough house at a cookout in celebration for three Zodiac types in training who are heading off up north the next day. (Pay attention to the start of the movie, or else you'll be confused at the end like me when it all jigsaws together.) What looks like Elvis, Bill Clinton, and some other two-faced sly dog, drive the Walley World family truckster out of the rat race and into the wilderness.

Already, the trio of predators has started scouting for potential targets.

The Bill Clinton lookalike does his best John Wayne when delivering that identification line.

The family truckster has fallen into the wrong hands and been used for evil purposes to taxi about the trio of baddies who abduct the T-X and her sugar daddy, Gabriel Byrne, who just tried to make a run for it but only managed to run around in circles.

Chained like dogs and held captive, the two victims are fattened up for the big game and broken down in an attempt to make them conform to the Stockholm Syndrome. There's a calm before the storm, with all this buttering up to lull them into a false sense of security. Look at Gabirel Byrne here, who's become a regular housewife, arms deep in soapy water, apron and all. There's not much hunting going on, only humiliation to degrade them. They're using some tactic other than what I stated-I can't put a name to it-to break them down.

I've been doing some thinking about that Zodiac fella lately. What if he met his match in an attempt to replicate the Lake Berryessa scene with someone else, was overpowered, and killed himself? It might be worth it to check records of who died in California after 1969.

Finally, the two captives are cut free, and the hunt is on.

Is that Teddy Duchamp holding that rifle?

The rabbits are given a 30-minute head start and squander 90 seconds trying to reason with the trio.

I think the only good option in this scenario would be to do the unthinkable and hide under the house if accessible. It's a huge gamble, but it would be worth the risk if it were me.

Gabriel Byrne only lasts about an hour before being easily picked off by Duchamp.

In a surprise move, a phantom guest shows up and starts picking off the trio of hunters. Yep, the tables are turned.

But who it actually is, I'm not entirely sure.

(At first I thought it was Fonda turning on his two buds.) Ohhhh, it's the professor from the original "Evil Dead," who buried his wife in the fruit cellar, who's the mysterious hunter. Him!

Well, obviously, as he's still talking on the tape reel. He should have left the damn thing alone, and no one would have gotten killed in either movie.

For a moment there, I thought it was Jim Jones narrating a taped bon voyage message before everything went south.

Three obnoxious clowns with guns in the backwoods

[Wuchakk · 5/10 · 26 October 2021]

A couple (Cornelia Sharpe & Alberto de Mendoza) is apprehended by three sadistic goofballs (Peter Fonda, John Phillip Law & Richard Lynch) and taken to the wilderness in northern Michigan for some depraved 'fun.' William Holden is on hand in a peripheral role.

Based on the book by David Osborn, "Open Season" (1974) is a wilderness crime thriller/survival flick that riffs on "The Most Dangerous Game" mixed with elements of "Straw Dogs" (1971) and "Deliverance" (1972). It's similar to later movies like "Nightmare at Bittercreek" (1988), "Black Rock" (2012) and "Rust City" (2018).

But it's the least of these IMHO because the clownish antagonists are too annoying in a pompous, nonchalant manner on top of little sympathy being worked up for the victims. As such, the first hour is dramatically tedious but, thankfully, the last act is pretty compelling with an interesting surprise at the end. Meanwhile Sharpe is an exquisite beauty.

At the end of the day, it's not about redemption, but rather universal justice (beyond human courts).

The movie runs 1 hour, 44 minutes. The interiors were shot at Pinewood Studios in England on a life-sized set while the exterior scenes of the wilderness cabin & surrounding area were all filmed in Spain, outside Madrid. Additional scenes were done at the Mackinac Bridge, etc. In Michigan.

GRADE: C.

Memorable for its disturbing imprint

[rodericko · 8/10 · 3 January 2007]

This was one of the first really well "designed-to-disturb" movies that I ever watched. The impact to the viewer is not achieved through overly-graphic violence, although it is violent in nature, but by craftily inducing empathy for the desperate situation of the hunted, juxtaposed with the bleak portrayal of raw and unrelenting evil exhibited by the group-thinking hunters. This is well done through a meandering sequence of action shots and brilliantly framed by the contrasting peaceful and beautiful North American scenery and a curious and intriguing score. This is not a movie of memorable dialogue but one of highly disturbing action sequence in a sustained act of cruelty. Unfortunately the evil and its impact are far too believable for comfort. The Vietnam allusion and vigilante character (Holden) are peripheral to the essence of the movie and if anything detract, seemingly there to provide an excuse for the exposure of the evil and some end resolution for good, respectively. Whilst this may have been at one point central to the message in the creator's mind, as it worked out neither is warranted given the core impact of the film.

Passable version of "The Most Dangerous Game"

[gridoon2024 · 5/10 · 9 February 2019]

The first hour is exceptionally boring, but the film improves when the "game" finally commences, and Peter Fonda, John Phillip Law, and Richard Lynch certainly make a convincing trio of cold-blooded psychopaths (has Lynch ever played anything else? He does it well, though). But if you can't guess the identity of the Mystery Man near the end, get a new hobby. ** out of 4.

Visceral Reaction Does Not A Bad Movie Make

[worldsofdarkblue · 8/10 · 5 December 2007]

I often like to read the comments from the back pages first and those here at IMDb are very, very disparaging of this film - much like the original critical reviews (and the still rather dismissive all-movie-guide blurb). The common reason is that these viewers were much offended by this movie. I can relate because I was offended as well when I saw it in 1974. And that horrified, sickened sensation stayed with me all the next day - so much so that I had to tell a co-worker about it, not in an enthusiastic way, but in an almost confessional way - as if I'd done something very wrong myself in having watched it. The comments at the back, I believe, are written from that emotional viewpoint. It's visceral hatred of what they've been unwillingly exposed to and I believe that may hinder appreciation for the actual quality of the film-making. They can't bring themselves to praise in any way something by which they feel so affronted.

This is testament to just how good this movie is. And by good, I mean effective. It's been three decades and counting since this nasty was sprung upon the viewing public, and though many far nastier (in graphic content and visuals) have avalanched down upon us since, few, if any, have been more gripping. You see, this is the type of movie that makes you ponder the 'nature of evil'. It's this seemingly bland, irredeemable, sociopathic evil that seems to disturb the most. No mental illness explanations ala 'Psycho' to take comfort in; no painfully, disfiguring past that has caused sadistic, homicidal madness as with 'The Hypnotic Eye' and it's ilk; no over-the-top camp sadism as with 'Blood And Black Lace' that can be watched and instantly dismissed, so ludicrously cinematic is the horror there.

No, at the risk of plagiarizing another commenter, the violence here feels too real. The acting is too good. The slowly unfolding scenarios too disturbingly believable. The final twenty minutes of the film are immeasurably welcomed by the viewer, as the film takes on an eerie but strangely satisfying turn. It provides much-needed catharsis, a relief from the tension and sadness of the first hour.

The ending ties up some loose ends nicely, leaving one with a kind of 'understanding' of what it was about. A message about what inhumane attitudes can be developed in those who have been a little too privileged, perhaps. I recently became aware that the film has an alternate ending (included in the version known as 'The Recon Game') that serves to undermine our sense of justice when compared to the version that was shown here in Canada. Perhaps tacked on as a sop to the protestations of liberal critics, it is nowhere near as satisfying a conclusion as that of 'Open Season'.

Not that this movie is available other than as a very pricey European import (some with non-removable foreign-language subtitles yet), but the North American version of 'Open Season' is the one to see first.

Hooray for Richard Lynch.

[PWNYCNY · 10/10 · 18 August 2010]

This movie is great. Richard Lynch's performance is superb. He carries this movie. He makes this movie happen. The other members of the cast are fine, but without Richard Lynch, this movie would be okay but not great. The movie offers a compelling story, strong acting, high tension and fast-paced action. There is nothing subtle about this movie. It dramatizes the sadistic cruelty of some people and how depravity can go undetected. This movie also features William Holden in one of his better roles. It's surprising that this movie has not received more attention because it offers what today's audience seem to want: gratuitous violence and sadistic depravity, presented in a neat cinematic package. After watching this movie, you will think twice before sharing a cabin with a bunch of guys who seem like the nicest guys in the world.

A rare cinematic gem

[irarubinson · 10/10 · 18 March 2005]

This movie is great. I just wish the picture quality was better. I saw this in the theater in 1978 and again on TV in 1985 and the film quality was marginal both times. Technical considerations aside, this movie rocks. Ken, Greg, and Artie take a break from successful suburban lifestyles for some good old American big boy fun. Every year they abduct a couple and take them to their lodge in the north woods for a few days of fun and games. They crack jokes and laugh it continuously they force the male captive to clean their lodge while the girl is used for cooking and sex. An especially compelling scene is when the girl clings to Ken's leg begging and sobbing that "I'll do anything". Ken shakes her off like a leg humping dog. Excellent performances by Peter Fonda (Ken) and John Phillip Law (Greg) I forgot who played Artie but he was pretty good too.

Violent and exciting survival thriller.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 9/10 · 23 September 2008]

Three Vietnam war buddies have been given a taste for violence and make a game of torture,rape and hunting humans.They abduct a couple and imprison them in the lodge.After sexual degradation of the woman both victims are set free and hunted down.A father of one of their victims decides to take revenge."Open Season" is a taut and disturbing survival thriller with enough nastiness to satisfy fans of early 70's exploitation cinema.The screenplay was adapted by author David D. Osborn from his own novel of the same name.The film is exciting,brutal and suspenseful.The characters are well-developed and the scenes of violence are pretty hard hitting.Why this cult classic is not on DVD is beyond me.The same can be said about criminally underrated "Wolf Lake".8 out of 10.