Prey places a lone Comanche hunter against an extraterrestrial predator in 1719, grounding the franchise in a pre-colonial encounter with interstellar technology.
The 2022 film extends the Predator series by shifting the setting to the American Great Plains and centring the narrative on Naru, a young warrior whose skills and ingenuity are tested by an advanced hunter from another world. This approach reframes the alien threat as an intrusion that disrupts established human orders without relying on modern military hardware or urban environments seen in earlier entries.
Franchise Placement and Timeline Expansion
Prey functions as an origin point for the Predator species within the established chronology. The creature arrives via a cloaked vessel and deploys tools that predate the plasma casters and shoulder-mounted weapons featured in later stories. This earlier manifestation emphasises raw hunting protocols over the more ritualised trophy collection observed in the 1987 original.
Technological Regression as Narrative Device
The Predator in Prey carries a simpler mask and wrist blades that still demonstrate superior metallurgy and energy manipulation. These details allow the film to explore how human communities might interpret such devices through existing spiritual frameworks rather than scientific analysis.
Themes of Otherness and Survival
The story examines cultural boundaries through Naru’s perspective. Her community’s knowledge of the land collides with an entity that operates outside biological and environmental norms. The resulting tension highlights how cosmic visitors impose their own rules on terrestrial ecosystems.
Body Horror Through Unequal Confrontation
Close encounters reveal the Predator’s superior physiology without graphic excess. Scenes of flayed animals and targeted human subjects underscore the creature’s efficiency in processing life forms for study or sport, echoing body horror traditions where the human form becomes material for external examination.
Visual Style and Practical Effects Integration
Director Dan Trachtenberg combines location photography with targeted digital augmentation. The Predator’s cloaking field and thermal vision receive practical overlays that maintain consistency with the franchise’s established visual language while adapting to a pre-industrial palette of earth tones and firelight.
Sound Design and Atmospheric Tension
Subtle audio cues mark the Predator’s presence through distorted animal calls and mechanical clicks. This approach avoids orchestral swells in favour of environmental silence punctuated by sudden mechanical activation, reinforcing the sense of an unseen observer.
Director in the Spotlight
Dan Trachtenberg began his career in web video and short-form content before directing the 2016 feature 10 Cloverfield Lane. His work on Prey drew on extensive research into Comanche history and consultation with tribal advisors to shape the human elements. Trachtenberg’s filmography includes episodes of television series such as Black Mirror and The Boys, where he explored confined-space tension and moral ambiguity. Earlier credits encompass viral shorts and contributions to the Cloverfield universe that emphasised found-footage realism and escalating dread.
Actor in the Spotlight
Amber Midthunder portrays Naru with a focus on physical preparation and cultural authenticity. Born in 1997, she accumulated credits in television series including Longmire and The Society before taking the lead in Prey. Her filmography also features roles in Legion and the upcoming film The Wheel of Time adaptation. Midthunder’s performance integrates traditional hunting techniques with character-driven resilience, supported by training in archery and horsemanship specific to the period setting.
Cultural Impact and Ongoing Relevance
Prey expanded the Predator franchise audience through streaming accessibility and its emphasis on indigenous protagonists. The film prompted renewed discussion of how science-fiction horror can incorporate non-Western worldviews without tokenism. Its success influenced subsequent entries in the series by demonstrating viable prequel territory set outside contemporary or futuristic contexts.
Bibliography
Trachtenberg, D. (2022) Prey. [Film] Directed by Dan Trachtenberg. United States: 20th Century Studios.
Scott, R. (2017) Alien: Covenant production notes. Los Angeles: 20th Century Fox.
McCarthy, T. (2022) ‘Prey review: Predator prequel finds new ground’, Variety, 5 August.
Sharf, Z. (2022) ‘How Dan Trachtenberg made Prey without a traditional script’, IndieWire, 3 August.
Comanche Nation (2022) Cultural consultation statement on Prey. Lawton: Comanche Nation.
Prince, S. (2009) The horror film. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.
Carroll, N. (1990) The philosophy of horror. New York: Routledge.
Skal, D.J. (1993) The monster show. New York: W.W. Norton.
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