Hunter Hunter: What The Wolf Really Means (Was Joe Actually Hunting One?)

WARNING: Major spoilers ahead for Hunter Hunter

In Shawn Linden’s 2020 thriller, Hunter Hunter, Joseph (Devon Sawa) vows to protect his family from a rogue wolf, but was he ever hunting a wolf, or was his target something far more dangerous?

Joseph and his family live in the remote wilderness, where they are largely disconnected from society. While Joe has taken his daughter, Renee (Summer H. Howell) under his wing as a protege, teaching her the ins and outs of the fur trapping trade, his wife Anne (Camille Sullivan) grows increasingly skeptical that such a secluded life is a good idea. This sets the stage for Joe’s growing concern about a rogue wolf that could be hunting his family; he urges Anne and Renee to take extra precautions, then sets out to kill the beast himself. However, clever sleight of hand later reveals that there’s another hunter in the forest, one that does resemble more of a beast than a man. Joe discovers a grisly crime scene, and the audience realizes that there’s a potential serial killer who is using the forest for shelter, a dumping ground, hunting grounds, or all of the above.

What isn’t made apparent by the end of Hunter Hunter is whether Joe was always hunting a rogue wolf in the literal sense. Could he have instead been referring to the other predator who poses a substantial threat to his family? There’s some confusion here, as at one point in the movie Anne and Renee do encounter a real wolf. Anne bravely bears her teeth and stands her ground, causing the beast to take its leave, but not without casualty. The family’s beloved pet dog falls prey to the beast; Joe eventually falls prey to the serial killer, Lou (Nick Stahl). Anne and Renee end up inadvertently inviting Lou into their home after discovering him injured in the woods. Hunter Hunter is laced with metaphor and symbolism even in its title alone — the concept of two hunters at odds. As the plot unravels, the concept of a man vs. a animal threat turns more sinister when the concept of a human monster being the true hunter—and perhaps the better one—takes root.

There’s plenty to suggest Joe wasn’t always hunting a wolf before Lou even comes into the picture. In fact, Hunter Hunter counts on audiences coming to this conclusion after Joe discovers Lou’s crime scene, where bodies are staged in a gruesome tableau that recalls some of Dr. Lecter’s work in Bryan Fuller’s NBC show, Hannibal. Joe’s shock and horror is palpable, but he immediately sets a plan—and numerous bear traps—to attempt to take down yet another beast. Or, at least, that’s what the viewer is guided to think. Given this misdirection, it’s easy to believe that Joe was hunting a real wolf in the beginning of the movie, perhaps even the one that Anne and Renee come face-to-face with. However, after Lou ends up under Anne and Renee’s care, he makes a comment that’s bone-chilling and forces into question everything that seemed previously known and logical.

Lou suggests, in a casual way, that Joe might have been hunting him the whole time. This, combined with Renee’s prolonged staring at his leg injury—which resembles the wound one might get from being caught in a bear trap—is enough to rouse audience suspicion that he is the serial killer Joe was staying out all night to hunt. As it turns out, this line of thinking is correct. However, after Anne learns that Joe is dead and comes home to discover that Lou has also killed her daughter, she loses her mind and exacts bloody, gory revenge. Simply put, she skins Lou alive. While Anne ended up being the one to effectively kill “the wolf” in one sense, it’s never made apparent who or what Joe was actually hunting in Hunter Hunter — he never returned home to tell the tale, and in the end, this reveal doesn’t ultimately matter. Linden allows the audience to sit with the silence of their new knowledge when the credits roll, leaving them to decide what the true answer was for themselves.

About The Author

Jack Wilhelmi
(581 Articles Published)

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Jack Wilhelmi is the horror features editor at Screen Rant, and has been with the site since 2019. He is a lifelong fan of the horror genre, and loves any excuse to discuss genre-related topics, since none of his friends dare challenge him in horror trivia. He has been published on the independent horror blog Morbidly Beautiful, and has covered major genre film festivals such as Cinepocalypse in Chicago. He has also served as a judge for the Ax Wound Film Festival.

In his free time, he is a devoted dog dad to a high-spirited rescue pup named Peter Quill and enjoys volunteering with various animal rescue organizations. Jack likes to travel and explore dark tourism-related and other various haunted locations. He enjoys studying psychology, the paranormal, and will watch literally any schlocky B-movie on the planet for a laugh.

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