 Vicious Oz outback horror thriller with serious bite Hardcore horror fans will be familiar with the subgenre ‘Hillbilly Horror’ pioneered by films such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Deliverance and The Hills Have Eyes where unsuspecting tourists or those who have wandered off the beaten track are menaced by nutters or inbred locals. This subgenre has also spawned many novels such as Jack Ketchum’s masterpiece Off Season, although they are predominately set in America, once in a while one does pop up set elsewhere, and Gabriel Bergmoser’s, Australian set, The Hunted is a truly stellar example. There is another subgenre, discussed much less frequently, called ‘Outback Horror’ in which the violent Australian serial killer film Wolf Creek is probably the best-known modern example. However, The Hunted is most definitely the new player in town, and I recommend this book very, very highly. First up, it’s not particularly genre fiction and for most of the time you might not realise you are reading a horror novel and hats off to Faber for getting behind such a brutal book. As it seems to be the type of book much more likely to end up on an independent press. After setting the scene, The Hunted moves quickly into thriller, with some outstanding action sequences, before moving full throttle into horror. But if the nutter serial killer from Wolf Creek passed by for gas, I would not have been surprised at all! In Hillbilly Horror we all know what waits for those dumb enough to venture into the backwaters of Louisiana, but Australia does not quite have the same reputation when it comes to the genre. This novel scratches that idea entirely and I guarantee it will not be used by the Australian tourism industry anytime soon. But for non-Australians it asks some interesting questions: for backpackers there are very popular (and approved) tourist trails for travelling from town to town, but is there a ‘real’ Australia we never hear about? Are there tiny backwater places, like in The Hunted, which do carry genuine levels of threat and menace? As in the famous 1980s film Crocodile Dundee they seemed harmless enough! Although the novel is nothing like it, it still makes me think of the cult 1971 film, Wake in Fright, about a young teacher who finds himself stranded in a violent Outback town. This film also explores the idea of masculinity, which is also a major background theme to The Hunted. Do city dwellers have any right to explore the Outback if they do not have the tools to defend themselves? If this book is accurate, like in America, everybody has guns and knows how to use them. Threat soaks through much of this novel and the city slickers who feels it most. The story is presented as a ‘now’ and ‘then’ narrative of two different stories which eventually explosively meet, but it cleverly takes its time revealing the true direction of the plot. I knew very little about the novel in advance and I would suggest avoiding spoilers; a very big penny dropped at 49% on the Kindle and until then everything was nicely shrouded. The ‘now’ story involves a guy called Frank, probably in his fifties, who has been badgered by his son (who he hardly ever sees) to take his granddaughter Allie for the summer. Frank and Allie have hardly ever met, she has been having problems at school and suspects her parents might be getting a divorce. Frank owns a gas station and fast food eatery, which is the only one for miles, and in the middle of nowhere. He has no friends and struggles to connect with Allie. The book is written in the third person and seen from the point of view from both characters.  The ‘then’ story firstly introduces us to Simon, who is Australian, but is aimlessly driving around the country trying to find the ‘real’ Australia, the problem is he has little cash and is not sure what he is looking for. He has read Jack Kerouac and dreams of exploring the empty landscapes but has been shocked by the vastness and bleakness of the areas he has been driving through. When he is nursing a beer in a remote pub a beautiful young woman walks in and after they hit it off, start to travel together. However, Maggie has her own agenda, her own plans, but for a while she is happy to travel with Simon. This story strand concerns where the two end-up. Is it a wrong turn or not? You’ll have to read to find out, but if I ever went to Australia I would be heading in the opposite direction! Early in the novel a shot and broken woman stops at the gas station which Frank and some customers decide to help. However, this is just the beginning of an unrelenting thriller which grabs by the throat and just does not let go, spiralling to a hair-raising finish. I do not want to say too much more about the plot to avoid spoilers. Frank, who has a history, is a tough as nails character who would not be out of place in an American hard-boiled thriller and seeks redemption of his own. It might not be the most original story, but in the end of the day, it’s how you tell it that matters. I loved The Hunted which was perfectly pitched between thriller and horror which I found incredibly difficult to put down and read it in a couple of days. Highly recommended. 5/5 Tony Jones   the heart and soul of horror review websitesComments are closed.
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