The Wolf of Snow Hollow

Orion Classics | Release Date: October 9, 2020

6.4	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 46 Ratings

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MovieTurtleOct 9, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Quite the interesting experience of a movie and one I was not expecting. If you came to this movie blind, expecting a horror/thriller, you are also likely not going to get what you expect. The Wolf of Snow Hollow is a well directed and edited mystery, with fantastic sound, abounding misdirects, and a slew of dislikable characters.

From the opening sequence to the final few minutes, almost every interaction is well presented as hints to solving the mystery that ultimately fall flat. Suspicious characters, the main character having incredible hearing, social dominance interactions; all ways of making you think the Wolf is the sheriff or his son or the lead lady, but it all leads nowhere and sputters out in an unknown villain. This movie comes across as a whodunit, but it most certainly is now.

The messaging that is present throughout the movie, and I now find is even in the trailer, is extremely heavy handed. Humans are the real monsters created from anger, drinking, drugs, sex, abusive relationships, nepotism and some more subtle jabs at hidden ones like sexism. It's constantly there until the very end and even plays at undermining any kind of good value the characters may have. Alongside this is a presentation of the lack of understanding of the common people with respect to the difficulty and issues of police work that again leads to nothing but making the entire town seem like terrible people.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this movie on a technical level, the story until about half way through, and the characters almost never. I doubt I will watch it again.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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JLuis_001Nov 15, 2020

This is the ideal classic movie for a weekend.
It won't be memorable at all, but it will give you enough entertainment to pass the time.
Also, considering that it doesn't take long, the film itself acknowledges its weaknesses and doesn'tThis is the ideal classic movie for a weekend.
It won't be memorable at all, but it will give you enough entertainment to pass the time.

Also, considering that it doesn't take long, the film itself acknowledges its weaknesses and doesn't extend what it shouldn't.

The biggest problem I found was its poor balance between mystery and comedy.
It was certainly black humor, but for humor, especially black humor, you need a good timing and equilibrium, and this movie was not successful in that regard.

Nothing special, nor did I expect it, but as light entertainment it delivered.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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rmurray847Aug 10, 2023

WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW is a difficult film to describe in a meaningful way. Yes, on the surface, it's a werewolf movie. A small town, with an understaffed and undertrained police force, is forced to contend with a supernatural killer. Can theWOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW is a difficult film to describe in a meaningful way. Yes, on the surface, it's a werewolf movie. A small town, with an understaffed and undertrained police force, is forced to contend with a supernatural killer. Can the committed but anger-management challenged sheriff (Jim Cummings) coral his team long enough to track down the creature?

It's a horror movie, yes. But really, it's not that terribly scary. It isn't horrifically gory (but it's a little gory), so you don't have that guilty pleasure. It's also a comedy (surprise!), but not quite a knee-slapper. It isn't a parody movie in the vein of SCARY MOVIE; it mines most of its humor in the bumbling antics of the police and other townspeople.

None of this sounds like a recipe for a very successful movie, and yet there is something about WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW. Writer/director/star Jim Cummings is a singular filmmaker. He's created a cop-hero who is far from ordinary. He wants to do a good job, but is nearly crippled by either self-doubt/self-loathing or by his own incredibly loose cannon temper. His father, also in law enforcement (and well played by Robert Forster in one of his final roles), counsels him repeatedly, but Cummings is a mess. It's a very interesting and unusual characterization; one that actually feels fresh and surprising. His fellow cops are loyal to him (even the ones smart enough to see his flaws and worry), but he even struggles to see that his peers are on his side and not working against him. The werewolf is almost an externalization of the lycanthrope within him. (Although, to be sure, the movie is not as psychologically heavy as what I just described!). So we watch the movie rooting more for this flawed guy to get his act together rather than to see the werewolf tracked down.

Cummings is ably supported by Forster and by Riki Lindhome, a promising and smart detective who also very much has Cumming's back.

The movie moves at a brisk pace, which is good, since what it doesn't have is a lot of tension. Even though the cops are bungling, we always assume they'll "get their werewolf." Most characters are not terribly well developed and we don't invest much emotionally into what the creature is doing to the town.

Really, in the end, it's just an odd, quirky, singular little film that I enjoyed probably more than I should have. Tough to describe, and difficult to recommend to just anybody, I'm still very glad I saw it. I'll certainly be checking out Cumming's previous effort THUNDER ROAD, and probably anything new he comes up with.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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