The Hunted (2015 film)

The Hunted is a 2015 American feature film based on the action comedy web series The Hunted (2001) created by Robert Chapin. It tells the story of a struggling actor who leads a group of misfit slayers against an army of vampires. The film is one of the first features produced under SAG’s New Media contract and takes advantage of the latest in online distribution through Vimeo VOD (which includes Apple TV, Roku, Xbox, and smart TVs).

Plot
Bob (Robert Chapin) is coming to terms with his unsuccessful attempts at becoming an actor when he is bitten by a vampire named Susan - the daughter of a crazed vigilante slayer. Consequently, Bob becomes one of the Hunted. The Hunted are a small group of humans, bitten but not turned, who use cold steel and fighting technique to fend off vampires. The vampires, however, have developed an immunity to everything over the years, and the only way they can be killed is with a sword. Luckily, Bob knows how to use a sword, mostly due to his starring role in a cheesy 80’s action flick called “Vampslayer”.

Cast

 * Robert Chapin as Bob
 * Monique Ganderton as Susan
 * David Lain Baker as Harry
 * Gary Kasper as Dragos
 * Tex Wall as Lore Master
 * Andrew Helm as Kevin
 * Anthony Delongis as Vincent

Conception and writing
The Hunted began in 2001 as a long-standing Internet series, created by Robert Chapin in an effort to train his credentials as a stuntman and VFX-artist. Embracing his skills with a sword and his technical abilities behind the camera, he brought together friends and colleagues to combine their talents and undertake an underdog story of LA-based vampire hunters. The fact that user-generated content created by fans becoming the main content source for the online series is reflected in the theme of the film, where soccer moms learn to become vampire slayers, just like fans learning to become filmmakers. Everyone gets the chance to live up to their true potential. In its script, the film also uses copious lines from well-known movies and poems ranging from Scarface, Independence Day to Shakespeare.

Filming
The film received financial support in June 2011 via a Kickstarter campaign. The film was shot in Hollywood, California in 2012 and is co-produced by New Deal Studios, the Academy Award-winning effects studio behind numerous blockbuster films, including Interstellar and Inception. Post-production was completed in March 2015. Most of the cast are stunt people. The film features performances from one of the exceptionally skilled women in the stunt industry Monique Ganderton and recognized swordmaster Anthony DeLongis.