WENDIGO -------
The Wolfman battles a robot. Eight-year old Miles (Erik Per Sullivan, TV's "Malcolm in the Middle") plays in the back seat during a snowy winter trip to the country. Suddenly a large buck smashes into the windshield. Miles' dad George (Jake Weber, "U-571") gets out of the car and two hunters approach. While one finishes the injured deer, the other, Otis (John Speredakos, "Rules of Engagement"), verbally attacks George for ruining the rack of the buck he'd been hunting for 16 hours. Fur-hatted mom Kim (Patricia Clarkson, "The Pledge") gets into the act, screaming at the men for using a gun mere feet from her young son. This crazy confrontation sets the edgy tone for writer/director Larry Fessenden's horror film of angst and the male primal urge, "Wendigo."
Fessenden trumps himself with the third of his modern metaphor horror trilogy ("No Telling," "Habit"). This stylish thriller has been influenced by films from "The Shining" to "Halloween," yet creates its own distinct place in the genre.
When the family arrive at the picturesque 'Stucky place,' the first thing George finds is a broken window and bullet in the wall. Only we've been primed to notice that the sled leaning against an outer wall seems to be inscribed with Otis' name. As dad boards the window, Miles plinks out the first two bars of the "Jaws" theme on a piano. Later, the fear factor builds when the family learns Otis has access rights to the property.
The next day, Miles is intrigued by a carving of a buck's upper body perched on a man's lower in the Phoenica Pharmacy. An old Indian man, whom only Miles is able to see, gives him the piece, explaining that it's a Wendigo,
a powerful shape shifting spirit with an enormous hunger. The more it eats, the bigger it gets and the bigger it gets, the more powerful its hunger.
Miles' dreams are filled with images of the Wendigo intermixed with Otis. The
next day, a sledding expedition with dad will begin a cycle of tragedy haunted by the terrible spirit.
Fessenden creates an unsettling, spooky mood with a whole bag of filmic tricks
including lighting, montage, music and puppetry. Cinematographer Terry Stacey's ("Happy Accidents") camera spies on the family through a window before Fessenden cuts to a rapid series of playing cards where the Jack appears to kill the Queen. Miles is frequently shown in Spielbergian silhouette. Composer Michelle Dibucci ("Creepshow") echoes the sinister lalala-ing of "Rosemary's Baby." A group of locals Kim approaches for help look like butchers and barbecuers right out of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" until her POV is removed and they devolve into mediocrity. The Wendigo itself
is shown in brief flashes or as a shadow, resembling the eerie tree trunk of "Little Otik."
As in "Habit," Fessenden includes frank, urgent sex scenes that here become creepy by their observation. While his screenplay is sometimes obvious, it's more frequently elegant, such as when he repeats his shocking opening image near the end of his film, or when the Indian's description of the Wendigo is recalled at Fessenden's uncompromising ending. Kim sums up a theme
of the film with her comment that the city boy intimidated by the country boy is archetypal.
Fessenden also attains perfectly natural performances from his cast. Weber gets the right air of a city man trying to show his competence with the rougher aspects of life. The marvelous Clarkson also attempts to hide her yuppie nature, only slipping with her tendency to use the word 'f*&%ing' like the type of brittle intellectual Judy Davis usually plays. Erik Per Sullivan, who can frequently appear wooden, is well used for his wide-eyed innocence.
"Wendigo" is a horror film with more than scaring its audience on its agenda. It's a thought-provoking mood piece.
A-
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