Theme: Human Bloodsports

Human Bloodsports refers to games whereby people are forced to fight for their lives (usually with their bare hands). There is the popular Most Dangerous Game scenario where unarmed people are pursued by armed hunter(s) only to end up turning the tables.

This also covers gladiatorial combat where armed combatants are required to fight to the death in an arena for the sporting pleasure of others. Central to treatments of the theme is the idea of humans treated as game and hunted usually by bored aesthetes and elites.

There have been a reasonable number of films set in futures where to-the-death games are staged for televised masses, most recently with the hit of The Hunger Games (2012). Another variant is where people are forced to compete by aliens often where the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance.

For a more detailed overview of the topic see my essay Films About Human Bloodsports and Death Games.