The Most Dangerous Game: 7 Movies Where Humans Hunt Other Humans

“In a totalitarian state, citizens can be sent away to re-education camps for just about any perceived offense to the ruling class.”

Magic Symbol: Moon Phases updated on
Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz seek to escape from human hunters in dystopian comedy The Lobster (2015).

Very few things in the wild actively hunt humans. The African crowned eagle, crocodiles, and polar bears all seek human prey. Can humans be added to this list? In 1924 Richard Connell released “The Most Dangerous Game,” a short story that turns the hunter into the hunted. Used to hunting big game animals, the predator becomes the prey after falling from a yacht and swimming to a mysterious island. “The Most Dangerous Game,” as it turns out, is humankind. 

Within this horrifying fiction lies the true history of humanity. Humans have enjoyed bloodsport for millennia. People killing and dueling to the death has been a spectator sport since the time of gladiators. Hundreds of years later, we are still putting people in arenas to watch a bloody battle that occasionally turns deadly. This seemingly inherent love for violence leads to the desire to conquer the most dangerous game. To hunt humans. The films in this list should not be confused with cannibalism horror. Even scarier, these hunters do not seek to feast on the flesh of their prey. So, what is the point of this hunt? Keep reading to find out.

Turkey Shoot (1982)

Olivia Hussey in Turkey Shoot (1982).
Olivia Hussey costars as a woman unjustly imprisoned and subsequently hunted by her captors.

In a totalitarian state, citizens can be sent away to re-education camps for just about any perceived offense to the ruling class. Once locked away, these “social deviants” are subjected to abuses ostensibly meant for their own self-improvement, but in reality are largely for the amusement of their captors. At a particular camp, a yearly “turkey shoot” occurs in which a few prisoners are selected to be hunted by the camp’s warden and his friends.

The Running Man (1987)

Arnold Schwarzenegger played the role in 1987, Glenn Powell plays the running man in the 2025 version.

Professional killers hunt convicts in this fictional TV show. Escaping the killers means freedom, being captured earns them a brutal death. The Running Man has been remade with Glen Powell and Josh Brolin as the leads and will hit theaters on November 14, 2025.

Battle Royale (2000)

Aki Maeda and Tatsuya Fujiwara as Noriko and Shuya in Battle Royale (2000).
Battle Royale is based on the 1999 novel by Koushun Takami. An ultra-violent manga adaptation of the novel was also created, released between 2000 and 2005. (pictured: Aki Maeda and Tatsuya Fujiwara as Noriko and Shuya)

A random group of ninth-graders is selected to play a deadly game: “Battle Royale.” Only one kid will leave the island a victor. Only one kid will leave the island at all. The annual Battle Royale entails a fight to the death designed for only one champion to survive. The director of the film took inspiration from his personal history of horror. “My class had been drafted and was working in a munitions factory,” says director Kinji Fukasaku. “In July 1945, we were caught up in artillery fire. . .We survived by diving for cover under our friends. After the attacks, my class had to dispose of the corpses.” 

The Hunger Games (2012)

All five Hunger Games movies involve humans hunting other humans.

In a dystopian future, the twelve districts of Panem must choose two young people from among its population to compete in the yearly Hunger Games. These twenty-four “tributes” are placed together and forced to hunt each other until one one survives. The game is broadcast for the entertainment of the masses, but it is also a punishment stemming from an attempted uprising in the past. But the continued punishment threatens to spark a new rebellion.

Ready or Not (2019)

Samara Weaving in Ready or Not (2019).
Ready or Not directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin went on to direct Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023), and Samara Weaving (pictured here as Grace in Ready or Not) is featured in the Scream VI opening scene. There is also a background actor in Scream VI who is dressed as Grace.

Some think that marriage ties you to a person for all eternity. But, it also ties you to their family. This is unfortunate for Grace, who marries into a mysterious dynasty. The wedding night is full of terror rather than tenderness. Grace spends the night trying to survive a wedding night ritual, which involves being hunted by her devil-worshiping in-laws. Amid the hunt, this darkly comedic satire takes audiences to the heights of familial dysfunction. 

The Lobster (2015)

Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz in The Lobster.

The Lobster is a black comedy drama about a dystopian future where singles are obligated to find a partner. If unable to find a romantic partner within 45 days, the singles are permanently turned into animals. Singles can prolong the amount of time they have to find a partner by hunting other humans in the woods.

The Hunt (2020)

To make an obvious understatement, The Hunt (2020) is a divisive movie.

A group of working-class strangers wake up in the forest. They quickly become prey to rich hunters who use the land for their favorite bloodsport. A conspiracy theory unravels as the human prey tries to survive the many traps set by the wealthy hunters. Perhaps adding even more comedy to this satirical film, around the time of the film’s initial test screenings, then-president Donald Trump tweeted: “The movie coming out is made in order…to inflame and cause chaos. They create their own violence, and then try to blame others. They are the true Racists, and are very bad for our Country!”

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Meet The Author

Kasey Rae is an artist, writer, and filmmaker, residing in the mountains of New York. Her favorite horror films are Nightmare on Elm Street and The Descent.