10 Movies That Definitely "Influenced" The Hunger Games

6. Series 7: The Contenders

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKM5Qq-ZuLM Dystopian Future: No Reality TV Aspects: Yes Battle Arena: Yes Captive Fighters: Yes Children As Fighters: Maybe Series 7: The Contenders plays up the reality TV aspects of its deadly game to the maximum, as the entire film is essentially presented as what the powers-that-be who run The Contenders want you to see. The main similarity with The Hunger Games in this film is how the contestants are selected. Rather than volunteering to take part in the game, contestants are selected from a National Lottery and are simply expected to participate. There are no other options and the last person standing is the winner and goes on to participate in the next series. Survive three times and they are free from the game. The film doesn't explain a whole lot about how The Contenders came to be, but it is clearly a powerful enough show to have free reign to choose anybody from the US population to take part. Each series takes place within the limits of a town or city - providing a battle arena of sorts - and it is never explained whether children are entered in the draw or not, though the fact that one of the participants is heavily pregnant suggest they could be. It's a low budget film - which adds to the charm in many respects - and far more sensationalist than The Hunger Games, but there are certainly parallels to be drawn.