058 Predator (1987)

Retro Grade Podcast

“GET TO THE CHOPPER!“

On this week’s episode, we revisit the 1987 action/horror classic, Predator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by John McTiernan. This was an interesting film to revisit since both Austin and Jorge don’t really have a deep connection to the film, having only seen it a few times each. But it seems that they are both in the minority, with everyone else saying that this is an absolute classic piece of cinema, going down with the some of the best action and horror films, alongside Alien, Halloween, Friday the 13th, and many more. But those the film actually hold up? Does the film deliver on all these promises and how well does it stack to other films of the same genre and decade. That’s what we go over in this episode.

We go over the similarities between this film and other great horror films, and how closely this movie uses those tropes to create an atmosphere of dread that soon the characters feel. And look at each of the characters, from Jesse Ventura’s Blaine to Carl Weather’s Dillon, and how they take up the role of classic horror archetypes, and how our favorite action hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is actually this film’s version of the “Final Girl” trope, placing right up there with Jamie Lee Curtis, Neve Campbell, and Sigourney Weaver. But we also take about the action tropes that it uses, and how well does the film balance these genres out and whether the film masters both of them equally, or if it a bit one sided. Specifically, we look into the deaths of each character and whether we think those deaths are on par with classic horror kills, like to Johnny Depp’s death in A Nightmare of Elm Street, and whether the deaths hold up.

We talk about how difficult the production was on the entire cast and crew, including on the actors playing the title villain. Originally played by someone who would become very famous in the future, the actor would go on and talk about how difficult it was to play the villain in such a difficult environment that brough in extreme heat, difficult terrain to maneuver in, and a filming schedule that was brutal. We breakdown how difficult it was to place and operate a camera in this environment, just to give you an idea of how just aspect of filming was worsened by filming in the brutal jungle. From there we talk about how that actor was fired and replaced by Kevin Peter Hall, or as many people are familiar with him, Harry and the famous NBC show Harry and the Hendersons. Standing at over 7 feet tall, this change in actor and costume proved to be one of the best changes for the film, creating a creature that has stood the test of time and placed among the great villains in cinema history.

We end the episode talking about the portrayal of the country the film takes place in, and how even though it might not have been intended, reflected the real history of the United State’s involvement in Central American’s politics during the cold war, and how that may have potentially been part of the inspiration for the 2022 Hulu film, Prey. Lastly, we talk about John McTiernan and the controversies he was wrapped in concerning and ex-wife and a producer on a future project. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s episode on Predator
Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o