The Wolf Of Snow Hollow

Not your typical Werewolf film…..

Apart from an opening in which we see a Werewolf targeting a young couple on a break, you’ll be forgiven for thinking that what you are watching is a sequel to the 2018 cult favourite Thunder Road.

Writer, director and star Jim Cumming’s feature debut has won loads of acclaim over the last two years and while its interesting to see him now dip his toes into the horror genre with his follow up, both films are virtually identical in tone and vibe, even though one does not have a bloody thirsty Wolf attacking people!

For a start, his characters in both films have the same problems in life, struggling to bring up a young daughter while dealing with an estranged ex-wife while dealing with a few anger issues.

Its his character, Office Officer John Marshall, that will be the real deal breaker if you get any enjoyment out of this film as he can be hard to root for, with his sudden outbursts of anger, overshadowing the chaos surrounding his life.

He is not the typical hero of a horror flick. but thankfully for myself, he had me laughing more than I should. The scene where he falls asleep and is awoken and his reply had me giggling more than any other scene in horror this year, so that alone made this worth the watch.

Lets be honest and admit that the horror field needs more Werewolf movies as there has been a severe lack over recent years and when fans look back and mention the classics, they hark back to the The Howling, American Werewolf in London, with only Ginger Snaps getting the same acclaim and that tale was released over 20 years ago.

The Wolf Of Snow Hollow may tickle the funny bone at times and does have this weird quirky vibe that many have compared to the “Cohen Style“, but while it succeeds in character, it fails in to offer up any genuine scares that is worthy of the plot its trying to tell.

With bodies piling up and a case of a “Whodunnit?” played out for the audience, even though we do get to see the Werewolf very early on, Cummings refuses to play by the rules of what the viewer should expect with the Wolf virtually taking a backseat to his character and the towns folk.

The late Robert Forster as always is captivating in what sadly is his last ever film performance and Riki Lindhome steals the entire film with an understated performance, a female officer who is probably head and shoulders above her more domineering male colleagues who are just too stupid or just arrogant to realise!

Those looking for a proper creature flick will no doubt be massively disappointed by what unfolds, but if you one those fans who are looking for something different, then The Wolf Of Snow Hollow may intrigue you.

Its uneven, not really a horror flick, but when it works, it really sizzles and I won’t be surprised, much like Cumming’s feature debut, that this too will gain a cult fan base in a few years time.