[FrightFest 2026] FILM REVIEW: Hungry

Hungry - FrightFest English Premiere Review

Director: James Nunn

Starring: Madison Davenport, Olivia Bernstone, Michel Curiel, Amantha Coughlan, Jim Meskimen

Written by: James Nunn

Produced by: Ben Jacques

Cinematography by: Job Reineke

Original Score by: Austin Wintory

Synopsis:

After becoming lost in the Louisiana swamplands, a group of holidaymakers must fight for their lives against a rampaging hippo on the loose.

Thoughts:

Who doesn't love a good old fashioned killer animal attack movie. We've had giant killer sharks, giant killer snakes, giant killer alligators, giant killer whales, giant killer spiders, boars, sheep and even...slugs? And now, finally, what we've all been waiting for. We have the giant killer hippo film called 'Hungry' and it's surprisingly good.

Sistine (Madison Davenport) and her best pal Hannah (Olivia Bernstone) are on vacation somewhere in New Orleans, knocking back shots for fun at a bar when a phone call from Sistine's boss throws a spanner in the works. She's just been fired and naturally isn't feeling too good. But her bestie has got her back and books them both on a alligator tour the next day with good guy tour guide Rodrigo, whom she's just met at the same bar. Nursing bad hangovers, Sistine and Hannah reluctantly make it to the pickup point the next morning and meet Rodrigo and the others who will be joining them. They all exchange pleasantries and get to know each other a bit on the journey to the bayou.

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When the group arrive, they meet Walker, the man in charge of the tour, who humours them on the dangers of the swamp and the gators he has caught over the years. But one trophy stands out amongst the rest. The skull of a hippo which Walker claims is one of the most dangerous animals on the planet. The group get on their boat and head out onto the swamp, excited and maybe a bit nervous but ready to see some gators. But Rodrigo drifts off course into unsavoury waters to catch sight of a legendary giant gator, only to soon realise that gators are the least of their worries.

'Hungry' is very much set up like any standard animal attack horror film and there's enough hints dropped early on to let us know exactly what might happen later in the film. We're introduced to Walker (Jaoquim de Almeida) who is giving Quint vibes here so you can guess where his fate lies. And we also get to know the other people on the boat. Jim Meskimen plays Tim who is joined by his daughter Sally and grandson Mikey. All three are likeable enough. And then there's Dionne, a business woman who is only here because she has some time to kill before her red eye back home and she's determined to get a great picture of the biggest gator in the swamp for her kid. Dionne is a bitch who immediately comes across as self centered and merciless. Traits that rear their ugly head later on too.

James Nunn is a very competent director and he handles the set pieces well. He wrote the script too and I think it's pretty good. Some of the dialogue is a little on the nose and the characters are a tad stereotypical but it never falls into the terrible B-movie realm. There's a fair amount of tension built up before the shit truly hits the fan and Nunn does a decent job of making us care about the characters. Except Dionne. We don't care about Dionne.

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I'm almost certain that the hippo itself is practical. I was half expecting some dodgy CGI but the film is elevated instantly by having a physical threat that interacts with the characters. Although they did use some CG for the wider shots and the finale I believe. I'm guessing Nunn's idea was to not show the hippo that much and that sort of works but at times there was a need for more action and chaos. And I did feel dissatisfied with some of the kills, in that most of them happen off screen. Like characters just fall into the water and they're gone. Maybe a bit more creativity wouldn't have gone amiss.

The cast were all good, especially Jim and Madison. And the tone of the film remains fairly serious with elements of humour dropped in sporadically. Nunn never gets too silly with it and I think that was a bold choice but he manages to keep a nice balance there. And for Dionne...karma!

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Gavin Logan

'Hungry' received its English Premiere at FrightFest '26 on August 28th