Following are just a small sample of some of the messages received over The Hunted's lifetime. They've been reproduced here to either answer a question that might interest others, or just because they're extremely complimentary!
Remember I don't always have time for a personal response, so don't feel inferior if a reply is late or non-existant - but if an email is worthy of reproduction or if it asks a common question, it may appear in this spot!
So feel free to send an email, or you can just post a message in the Feedback section if you prefer. And of course you can visit The Hunted Messageboard forum! Now, onto the messages.
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Here's the latest email to reach The Hunted mailbag, a message from Kartik who brings some kind words and a couple of photos...
"Hi Joker,
I'm writing from India to let you know that you have an awesome Yautja website. Not only is it comprehensive in information, it is also unbeatable in design (love the skins, something in it for everyone). The many hours of work that you have put into it are truly inspirational. The Yautja race deserves the only the best, and am glad you put it together for them :)
Attached are a couple of photos I stumbled across in 2005 on a photo gallery site called stillvapor.com (apparently its down now). There are from some party in the US, that's all I know. You may or may not want to upload them to the 'Fan Costumes' section, but who better to share them with than an enthusiast like you!
Good luck and keep up the great work. Cheers,
Kartik"
__________
Hi Kartik,
First of all, glad you like the skins. It was a hard decision to revise the code of every page on the site (and maybe harm the 'soul' of the original by altering its layout) but I'm glad you think the final effect was worth it, and I agree that it's a cool touch being able to choose your personal style. I still keep switching back to the original skin, though! ;)
Thanks also for the photos, which now reside in the Fan Costumes area of the Gallery -- I'm still amazed to see the movie-prop-quality costumes these folks come up with -- and good luck with your blog, Survival of the Craziest, all the best to you in the future.
There's still quite a lot of Predator culture questions which are left unanswered by the movies, like this one from Dylan...
"Hello,
I have been a long time admirer of your site! I must say it is a great source of awesome. But I digress, I am writing to ask you a question that has been bugging me as of late.
I just finished watching Predator, and I'm now watchin Predator 2. I've seen that, in both films, when we see people hung up and skinned, their heads are still there. Does the Predator consider skin to be a trophy? If not, then why did it not take the skulls?"
__________
Hi Dylan,
Interesting question! I've wondered about it myself, and I have a few theories.
It is never explained fully... but in both this film and the original, the corpses are left hanging out in the open for all to see. This could be a warning or message to others that the Predator is hunting them, taunting its prey.
It can also be surmised that as a hunter, a Predator may skin some of his catches similar to human hunters, using the skin (or pelt) as a trophy. Important prey is usually targeted specifically to collect the skull, so other victims wouldn't be treated with such importance. Perhaps those unworthy of hunting, or unintentional casualties, are skinned instead of decapitated.
Another theory is that Predators feed on their victims, since skinning and hanging corpses is part of the process of curing the meat for consumption. It was stated that the Predator visits the slaughterhouse to eat beef, which was seen hanging in this fashion. Although, the corpses we've seen have no bite marks or missing pieces, so unless the Predator only eats the victims' skin, this points away from use as food.
And finally, we hardly know anything about Predator culture in terms of religous or metaphysical beliefs, so this process it could simply be an important part of a religous or hunting ritual.
In closing, thank you muchly for your compliments on the site! It's not always been easy keeping it alive, maintained and fresh; but comments like yours always give me reason to endure!
Thanks for your email, and best regards.
There are people out there that only get boring things like clothes or aftershave for their birthday. Then there's other people like Vicente...
"Hello I'm Spanish fan of Predator and the horror movies ... For my birthday my parents gave me the bust scale 1:1 of Sideshow of the Predator and them command the photos so that put them in its stupendous one web.
serious happy to see the photos in this page... I am 30 years old, I'm from Valencia (Spain) and I call me Vicente Dasi L.
I serious collector of model kits, bust and merchandising.
A greeting and luck with it paginates... Many thanks and sorry for My English."
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Hey Vicente,
First let me say that you have some very cool parents! For them to take such interest in your hobbies is great, and your Father looks as happy as you are -- but your Mother doesn't look like she loves the Predator very much...
But what an excellent birthday present! You must have been overjoyed when you saw how big and detailed the bust actually is, and I can see how it takes a prized place in your collection.
'Muchos gracias' for your email, Vincente, be sure to let us know when you add more Predator items to your collection!
Predators hunting in the Star Wars universe? Well not really, but wouldn't it make a cool story! Anyway, here's an interesting snippet from Karly...
"I have to say, you have a well-made website, and I quite enjoy it.
I'm a fan of Predator, but I'm a bigger Star Wars Fan myself, for some reason I prefer the Mandalorians over the Yautja.
But... a little tidbit I learned, the Mandaloran's ancestors, the Taung, look like mandible-less Yautja. Even their armor look similar. Here's a picture: (http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/c/c1/Mandalorian_on_dxun.jpg)
Oh, just something I think you should do, if you haven't already -- A Yautja dictionary. "
__________
Hello Karly,
And as you say, the resemblance is striking! The only real difference is that instead of the mandibles, they have... what is that, some kind of beak? I haven't come across them before, but the Taung could definately be related to the Predators.
And I'm sure that if there was ever an option to cross-over Fox (or Dark Horse) characters with Lucasfilm characters, Predator vs Jedi would be right up there on everyone's wish-list!
The Yautja dictionary is a good idea too... if I didn't already have one, I'd make it immediately :) Thanks for your email, Karly!
This discussion about the not-often-talked-about Predator II soundtrack was started by Monsieur Fred...
"Hi, my name is Fred, I live in France. Just to tell you, you made a great site about Predator.
I'm a weird fan too, I watched Predator in 1989 for the first time, I was only nine, and since I did watch this movie at least each week, somtimes more, this habit make my friends calling me a wacko... And girls disappear...
I really like Predator 2, too, and I'm still searching for the non-Silvestri song, the Spanish rap in the front precinct scene, and the theme song in the Sea Toast night club.
Maybe you know the artists and titles, oh by the way I'm fond of Silvestri's themes, who could forget Back to the Future songs, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and so many more...
So feel free to email me, or contact me via messenger, hopping you'll help me for those songs.
Thanks for reading, see ya
Fred"
__________
Hey Fred,
Nice to meet another die-hard Predator fan! And never fear, I thought I was wacko too... but I'm now both happily married, and STILL a Predator freak :)
As for the songs of Predator II, you might try this link from IMDb:
I'm not familiar with any of the titles or artists, but not doubt a quick visit to some file-sharing servers will help you discover the songs you're after!
As for movie scores, Alan Silvestri would have to be my favourite soundtrack composer also... he's got an unmistakable style! He just seems to be able to make his music blend into movies, becoming a part of them, instead of just background music. Excellent :)
Best of luck with your song discoveries, and thanks for your email!
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This next message from Liam covers one of Billy's tracker terms:
"Hello,
I've been trying to find out what a ROW DIG DOW is.
The scene is just after the gun fight in the camp Dutch says to billy find us a way out of here Billy says the only out way out is through there but i wouldn't wish that on a row dig dow.
I have asked many predator fans and no one seems to know can you help?
Regards, Liam"
__________
Hi Liam,
Well, a fair enough question -- Billy's accent might have given you some trouble!
What he actually says is "I wouldn't wish that on a broke-dick dog!" which apparently is a fairly common American expression... 'broke-dick' means helpless or useless. In other words, it was some pretty nasty terrain they were forced to go through!
Glad I could answer your question at least, and I hope you enjoy the site!
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This email was from Peter Wissing, with an alternate view on the ending of AvP:
"Hi Joker!
First of all, great site! Have been a big fan ever since I saw the first movie..
How do you interpret the ending of AvP? Does the alien popping out of the predator mean that the predators are trying to breed a more powerful adversary, or are they not aware of it's presence? If it's the latter, then there is a flaw in the movie, as they would have noticed the heartbeat of the alien, as it happens earlier in the film..
Would just love to see a Predator 3, but with the way they make action-movies in Hollywood these days, it will never equal the feel of the original..
Peter from Denmark"
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Hey Peter,
Thanks for the compliments. And also thanks for a very interesting idea, that's one I hadn't heard before!
I was always inclined to think that the 'PredBurster' was just another stupid typical Hollywood ending (done by Anderson for the sake of it) - and, as you pointed out, the other Predators would easily realise that Scar was carrying an alien!
But the idea that the other Predators are trying to breed a more powerful adversary is very interesting, and would explain some things. Perhaps a well-explained AvP2 wouldn't be so bad after all - and I'd prefer to see another below-average AvP movie than a terrible new Predator movie!
Thanks for your email, Peter... always good to hear from another loyal Predator fan.
Some interesting correspondence here from Jim, hot on the trail of a possible identity theft:
"Hello.
I recently read about Calvin Lane who claims to be one of the tallest bouncers in the world, and who also claims to have been in the first two Predator movies. Per IMDB.com, he is not listed and only has two movies to his credit. Do you know if his claims are true?
I've done a bit of research on Calvin, but so far I've found no 'concrete' proof that he's been in ANY Predator movie.
The closest I could find was some statement that "he will appear in Predator 3", but that hasn't even been confirmed as far as I know.
I'll do a bit more research... but at the moment I'm not convinced he was in Predator. I'll let you know if I find out anything else.
__________
"Thanks Joker.
It struck me as some what strange that he claims to have been in both Predator movies, yet Kevin Peter Hall is the only actor listed to have played the Predator. I actually think this is a case of fraud.
Cheers! -Jim"
__________
So there we have it... nice bit of detective work there, Jim. Not wanting to upset Mr. Lane (perhaps he was an un-credited extra on both movies?) but otherwise it's just wrong to let people confuse him with the wonderful Kevin Peter Hall (RIP).
This latest email was from Sivitrii, offering some views on Predator literature, and giving many kind words - some of them slurred perhaps:
"Hey Joker,
I just found your Predator site tonight (be aware, this is likely to be a drunken, rambling email, I've been drinking Sangria all night) and I LOVE it !!!
I always loved what I read of the Yautja in the Predator books (Prey, Hunters Plant, Concrete Jungle, War etc) and it's great to see a dedicated person maintaining a website about what I consider to be the most interesting part of their identity ... the alien culture. The language, ethics, biology etc as well as the actualy "culture" regarding mating and such, it's all so interesting (yes, I KNOW it's fictional, but that doesn't make it less fun to read about !!!) I was disappointed when I read the next few books with Machiko Noguchi, to find that the "honourable" creedo they all claimed to live by was not necessarily true, but that also made them more real.
Loki and I have devoured every Alien, Predator, and Alien vs Predator book available in our area, though I've never read any of the comics, I understand that's where alot of your own information orginates? So, from the comments on your website, am I to take it that the movies are the original concept of the Predator? This was a question we asked many years ago, and it seems difficult to find a conclusive answer. We usually consider whatever the origin of the idea to be the 'truth' or "canon" as you put it, but we could never work out what came first, the books, comics or movie. Thanks for providing some illumination :)
Incidentally, I was searching for the sound of a predator breathing (I'm not sure if they're breathing or attempting to communicate, but you know that purring rattle they have?) for my PC theme sounds, any ideas where I can look next?
Anyway, thankyou for the wonderful site and I'll be sure to check back regularly.
Regards, Sivitrii."
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Hey Sivitrii,
Sounds like you were having a great night, fuelled by Sangria and Yautja... I'm very pleased to have helped make an interesting evening for ya! And don't worry, it wasn't too rambling :)
You know, it's not uncommon to come across dedicated fans like yourself (and me) but it's rewarding and humbling when it happens. Seems we all share the same interests in the ol Predator, whether it be for the culture, beliefs or honor. And perhaps the fact that they're like ourselves, but so 'basic' in their ways of life - and with more honor than most humans, to boot!
I haven't actually had the pleasure of reading many of the books, but I'm hoping to get my hands on one (or two) of them soon. And the comics, well I have a few - but not as many as I'd like. And yes, the movies were the 'creators' of the Predator, but just lump all the movie and literary information together, I say... from what I've seen, most of the comics and books are very faithful to the character (more so than the AvP movie if you ask me), and they expand the mythos in different areas. There's only so much info you can glean from the movies anyways.
Oh and before I start rambling myself (and I haven't even been drinking) there might be some sites on the Links Page that have the Predator sounds. Like 'Eyes of the Hunter' for example. I'd like to host some high quality sound files on my site, but there's a size issue... it's almost full as it is! Perhaps one day I'll get my own domain.
It's always a pleasure to hear from fans like yourself, and I'm more than pleased to have been able to present my little Predator tribute to you. I'm always trying to update it and keep it fresh, so re-visit when you can. Oh and if you're into online Forums, join The Hunted Messageboard - we'll all be happy to meet you.
This fun little story was from Dale, with a question that's more common than you'd think:
"Hello,
First off i have to say your site is without a doubt the best predator
site out there i am a huge pred fan, i have a fair sized collection (perhaps
a little to enthusiastic and obsessed at times) but anyway question is how
do you pronounce 'Yautja' i'd prefer to say it right as i know different
cultures pronounce words differently from what they seem. I had a bad
experince with meeting my girlfreinds mom, being as she's chinese i thought
i'd impress her by learning some, and said the chinese word for mom wrong
and ended up calling her a horse.
Regards, Dale
P.s i feel so impressed by your site i would like to make a donation to you
to help keep the site up can you accept paypal."
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Thanks for your message, Dale... especially for the Donation comment. It might be worthwhile setting up an Account, if I thought actually get a donation or two! :)
But onto the question. As you said, it's not easy to get non-English word pronunciations correct, especially oriental languages - the same word sounds very different, depending on which province, which accent, and which speaker! And I'd assume the Predator language would have the same difficulties.
There have been many different pronunciations put out there, amongst them are:
Yoo-jah, Your-jar, Yoot-Cha, Yaw-Ja, You-Char, Yot-cha ... and the list goes on.
Personally I've always pronounced it Yaught-Jah (to ryhyme with Caught Ya) but being Australian, I'd even pronounce that differently to an American! So I guess there's no 'definate' way to say it - whichever way feels more comfortable and authentic to you.
So good luck with any future chats with your girlfriend's mom, and thanks for your feedback!
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This little item was from CrabbyMatt, asking a simple question that required a detailed answer:
Look, I consider myself a bit of an expert on all things Yautja, but... there's something I don't get. On your site, you keep mentioning some 'Weyland-Yutani Empire'. Just what is that?"
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The Weyland-Yutani Empire refers to the exploits of the Weyland-Yutani corporation, otherwise known as The Company. This is the company that created the base-settlement LV426 in Alien among others, and build the androids used in all Alien movies... and it is also the driving force behind wanting to capture an Alien to use for military experiments.
The first name in the company (Weyland) refers to Charles Bishop Weyland from the Aliens Vs Predator movie, and it's this man who was said to be the pioneer, and founding father, of android technology. Proof of his achiements is the android "Bishop" in Aliens. This movie was set hundreds of years after Weyland's death, and this model of Android was made with Weyland's image (and name) as a sign of respect for the great man.
Another Bishop model android also appeared in Alien3, posing as the real Weyland, trying to convince Ripley to let the Alien be taken by the Company - they used him to appeal to Ripley in the hope she would go to someone she remembered and trusted. This failed of course. And before Alien vs Predator, people thought it might have been the real Weyland, as it bled red blood instead of white fluid - but it's since been shown that the new Androids have a red fluid to appear more human-like.
Anyway, hope this answers your question, and thanks for your feedback!
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This email was from Rampag3,
with kind words of praise:
"Hi! I just finished watching Alien
Vs. Predator, and although I thought it could have been better,
being a die hard Aliens and Predator fan, it still had me cheering
and roaring. Anyhow, immediately after watching it I had an urge
to learn more about the predator species. I was lucky to find
such an informative site as yours upon my first search! I wanted
to inform you that I have the original arcade Aliens Vs. Predator
game in arcade emulation file format if you'd like to add it
to your collection of downloads. Just let me know and i'll e-mail
it to you right away as thanks and encouragement for such a great
site. Bye!"
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Thank you for your message, Rampag3! And while
it would be cool to host the AvP arcade game, I think it would
be too large to fit on my current webhost. And there's copyright
issues too, bah. But thanks, all the same!
Another email was from Dj of the Netherlands,
who writes:
"First of all, great site. But I got
a mistake from the first movie, well, at least I think so. When
the predator shoots Mac from pointblank range underneath the
tree, shouldn't his head be toasted like a crisp. But when Dillon
goes to take a look, his head looks just fine. Is this incorrect
or am I missing something..."
__________
Thanx for the email, Dj! This mistake has
been included in the Predator
Mistakes / Bloopers section, with my (possible) explanation:
"Well presumably, Mac wouldn't have
much left of the back of his skull. And if I remember right,
you couldn't see much of his forehead either. As far as I can
tell, Preds can set the intensity of their Plasma Cannons, and
there was no need to hit him with full power... just enough to
de-brain him. Poor ol' Mac."
Enjoy Predator: The Hunted? Want to see it keep expanding, with new info and downloads added more often? Then please consider a donation - no amount is too small. Your help will ensure the growth and survival of the site, and you'll enter the Donator Hall of Fame, forever known as a true Yautja follower. Thank you!!
Last modified 20th February 2011. Best viewed at a screen resolution 1024x768 or higher.
Questions? Check out Joker's
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"Hi Joker,
