The Hunt 2020 [upd] -

However, the film quickly sheds conventional horror tropes by killing off its presumed protagonists in the opening acts. The narrative shifts focus entirely to Crystal Creasey (played in a breakout performance by Betty Gilpin), a fierce and cynical Afghanistan War veteran.

The ultimate irony of the film is that the hunt itself was originally a joke. The elites had merely joked about hunting conservatives in a private group chat. When those texts were leaked, internet conspiracy theorists took them literally and ruined the elites' careers. Ruined and bitter, the elites decided to turn the conspiracy theory into a reality. Betty Gilpin’s Star-Making Performance The Hunt 2020

When "The Hunt" finally reached theaters, it was met with the ultimate unforeseen obstacle: . The film was released on March 13, 2020, just as the United States began to shut down in response to the spreading virus. Within a week, most cinemas were closed, dealing a fatal blow to its box office performance. However, the film quickly sheds conventional horror tropes

The film pointedly mocks both extremes. The "deplorable" prey are shown spouting nonsensical conspiracy theories about "crisis actors" and the "deep state," while the liberal elites are depicted as preening hypocrites who worry about diversity quotas for their murder lists and obsess over social media approval. In the middle stands the protagonist, Crystal, who remains largely apolitical and simply wants to survive. This framing led some to read the film as a celebration of the weary, non-ideological moderate. The elites had merely joked about hunting conservatives