Wendigo
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: February 15, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
63
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
7
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
A smart and scary voyage into the uncanny realm where hard realities,mind-spinning myths, and hallucinatory visions blur. Read full review
90
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Grounded in Fessenden's handheld camera, stuttering montage rhythms, and time-lapse photography, the engagingly primitive animated special effects contribute to a mood that's sustained through the surprisingly somber conclusion. Read full review
90
VarietyScott Foundas
A mostly superb bit of modern horror from the writer-director-editor previously responsible for the Frankenstein story "No Telling" and the urban vampire pic "Habit." Read full review
83
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
Until it goes off the rails in its final 10 or 15 minutes, Wendigo, Larry Fessenden's spooky new thriller, is a refreshingly smart and newfangled variation on several themes derived from far less sophisticated and knowing horror films. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Though Wendigo has weak spots, including an ending that is not as satisfying as it might be, the film remains memorable despite its flaws. This is a properly spooky film about the power of spirits to influence us whether we believe in them or not. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyHazel-Dawn Dumpert
The film's best and scariest moments come when Miles is confronted with scenes that he translates into proof of the Wendigo's power. Read full review
80
The New York TimesDave Kehr
For those in search of something different, Wendigo is a genuinely bone-chilling tale. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Fessenden uses an unsettling mix of montage, time-lapse photography and animation to create an atmosphere of great, unknowable menace that closely approximates the haunted spirit of Algeron Blackwood's unforgettable tale "The Wendigo." These hills are indeed alive. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The ending doesn't work, as I've said, but most of the movie works so well I'm almost recommending it, anyway -- maybe not to everybody, but certainly to people with a curiosity about how a movie can go very right, and then step wrong. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
The intriguing elements never quite coalesce into a consequential whole; we leave this yuppie nightmare feeling both unsettled and unsatisfied.
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
A thriller fusing the primal elements of "Bambi" with those of "The Blair Witch Project." Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Stylistically lively and generally well acted. Thematically, however, it's somewhat incoherent. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Fessenden cooks up a likably offbeat horror movie. But somehow, it never jells, never really scares us. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeJanice Page
Ultimately, this film is only scary if you're afraid of artfully self-conscious, grainy cinematography.
50
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
If you think it all adds up to a bald-faced rip off of ''The Shining,'' you'd be right, with a crucial difference: Wendigo trades the puffed-up metaphysics of middle-class murder for the no-budget spectacle of...an incredibly fake-looking monster deer. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
A skillfully acted and psychologically well-crafted but ultimately disappointing thriller. Read full review
40
New Times (L.A.)Andy Klein
The problem with Wendigo, for all its effective moments, isn't really one of resources. At its heart, the story seems confused, as though the director has given it one too many twists.
40
Film ThreatTim Sanger
Wants to be a monster movie for the art-house crowd, but it falls into the trap of pretention almost every time. Read full review
25
New York PostMegan Lehmann
It all falls apart when the Wendigo unleashes its fury - no doubt upset at being neutered to look about as frightening as Bambi. Read full review
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