Delving into themes of survival, morality, and the darker side of human nature, Richard Connell’s The Most Dangerous Game has been celebrated as a cornerstone of the suspense genre since its release in 1924. Despite the story’s serious themes, many people may be more familiar with the story through the countless parodies and comedies it has inspired.
In their 2005 Halloween Special, The Simpsons included the segment Survival Of The Fattest. Mr Burns predictably stood in for Zaroff, luring the men of Springfield to the grounds of his mansion to be hunted. In another animated spoof, American Dad saw an episode closely paralleling the film, with a scene mirroring that of the lead characters cowering in a cave.
In live-action comedy, the Get Smart episode Island of the Damned, Max and Agent 99 become trapped on an island, their Zaroff literally named ‘Hunter.’ On Gilligan’s Island, with the cast permanently shipwrecked and stranded on and island, the hunter comes to them in the episode The Hunter. When the hunter realises that there are no animals on the eponymous island, he turns his sight on the cast for sport.
On the big screen, 1997’s film The Pest by television comedy director Paul Miller featured John Leguizamo as a bumbling con-artist mistaken by the crazed hunter Gustav Shank for a world class athlete. The film earned little more than nominations in the Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, it did find fans when it had its video release.
The first film adaptation of The Most Dangerous Game is available now.
The Most Dangerous Game
Directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack and Irving Pichel
Starring Joel McCrea, Fay Wray and Leslie Banks.