In the Afghanistan desert, a group of mercenaries and U.S. soldiers are trapped in a Taliban cave after an explosion seals the opening. They have to find out how to work together to make their way through the system of caves and tunnels to find their way to the surface. What doesn’t help matters at all is that they’re not alone.

They’re about to meet Karnoctus.

If you head into this movie hoping for it to be a Danny Trejo film, you’ll be disappointed. He has a cameo role. But if you come in wanting a homage to Predator, good news. You’re going to be pretty happy.

Directors Cire Hensman and Matthew Hensman do a great job of getting their budget on the screen and making the film look way more expensive than the budget. The caves and tunnels make a great dark location. And the effects look great too!

Between Tagger (Nick Chinlund) and his right hand Reid (Kevin Grevioux), two CIA-employed agents who must move some secretive crates, and the frightened men and one woman under the command of Sgt. Griffin (Justin Arnold), the monster has plenty of targets to go after.

There’s also a nice cameo for Adrian Paul from Highlander: The Series.

While I wish this movie wasn’t so blatant about the sequel it sets up, it’s still a blast. Dead bodies everywhere, secretive drug labs, monstrous spiders — there’s something for every horror fan to love here.

The Prey: Legend of Karnoctus opens in Los Angeles June 3, 2022 at the Regency Theatres Van Nuys Plant 16 for a weeklong run. On June 7, it’s available nationwide on all major Cable VOD platforms, including Comcast, Charter, DirecTV, Cox, and Verizon Fios and will be on all digital platforms, including iTunes, Prime Video, Vudu and Google Play, on July 7.