| The Human Race | |
| Director: | Paul Hough |
| Producer: | Bryan Coyne |
| Starring: |
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| Music: | Marinho Nobre |
| Cinematography: | Matt Fore |
| Editing: | Paul Hough |
| Studio: | Paul Hough Entertainment |
| Runtime: | 87 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
The Human Race is an American science fiction action thriller film[1] directed and written by Paul Hough.[2] It stars Paul McCarthy-Boyington, Eddie McGee and Trista Robinson as a group of people who find themselves forced to race or die. A work-in-progress copy was screened at the 2012 Fantasia Film Festival and the finished copy had its world premiere on April 11, 2013 at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival.
Eighty people are horrified to wake in a strange institutional setting, with the only common factors between them the knowledge that prior to their abductions they witnessed a sudden flash of white light, and that they were all on a certain block in Los Angeles.
The eighty are a diverse bunch from all walks of life, including young and old, athletic and disabled, a deaf couple, a cripple, a priest, a pregnant woman. Each of the eighty hears her or his own voice in their heads, stating that they are all participants in a race which only one can survive. Rules: all must participate, all must stay on the paths and off the grass, and anyone who is lapped twice will die. Many die almost instantly; others are killed or forced to their deaths by other racers. As the numbers thin, counting off inside their heads, the survivors become more and more desperate to stay alive.
Variety wrote that "Although haphazardly assembled, Paul Hough's low-budget survival thriller is not without intrigue",[3] while the Los Angeles Times called it an "eerie, violent sci-fi survival tale".[4] Twitch Film commented that "while the film never quite transcends the genre in the ways that it could have, it's still an exciting, well-acted and extremely bloody slice of survivalist action with some nice surprises up its sleeve".[5]
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes found that 42% of 12 critical reviews were positive, with an average rating of 2.4/10.[6]