Imagine if the Predator came to Earth hundreds of years ago. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Glover’s characters barely survived their close encounters of the lethal kind during the first two Predator movies…and they had modern weapons!

The Templar Knights are not as lucky in the impressive new fan film, Predator: Dark Ages. Adrian Bouchet (Aliens vs. Predator) leads the cast as Thomas, a man returning from the Crusades alongside his companions Freya (Sabine Crossen), Damien (Ben Lloyd-Holmes), and Richard (Jon Campling). Although Thomas wants to leave the Knights Templar and their war behind him, he has one last mission to fulfill. A monster lurks in the nearby woods, and it’s something not of this Earth.

Amed Hashimi costars as Sied, a man who witnessed the Predator (Philip Lane) half a world away before being coerced into assisting the Templar Knights in their quest.

Predator: Dark Ages was written and directed by James Bushe, with music by Juan Iglesias and cinematography by Simon Rowling. The film raised a shoestring budget of £5,525 on Kickstarter, but the production values are very high in this short.

There are a few moments where the performances don’t entirely hold together, but this is an enjoyable short that was clearly made with a lot of skill. The Predator movies suggested that the title characters had been coming to Earth for centuries. Predator: Dark Ages has the benefit of being the first story to put the Predators in this particular time frame. And at roughly 24 minutes in length, Predator: Dark Ages is over before the novelty wears off.

What did you think of Predator: Dark Ages? Decloak your thoughts and let us know in the comment section below!