The Wolf of Snow Hollow

Great theme. Loved the setting for this genre. Great effects and super werewolf, what we saw of him.

Hard to get through all the yelling. And at times the only thing louder was the soundtrack. Tough to listen to Auld Lang Syne at ~100 decibels. Was hoping the main character would calm down at some point but he kept losing his temper, yelling, and blaming everybody for anything and everything. Every lead character's got history and problems; but bringing down the tone a bit along with a slightly less offensive main character would've made something decent here. The angst and anxiety were overly overdone. Felt the stress rolling out from the movie into the viewing and I can imagine to the cast as well as they were filming. Julia and the saged town sheriff played by Robert Forster brought some sanity to the mayhem. The new sheriff position rightly belongs to Julia.

Initially, I must admit that I didn't have much of any expectations for the 2020 movie titled "The Wolf of Snow Hollow". Why? Well, I hadn't heard about it, and usually werewolf movies tend to be dubious.

But still, this being a new movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I sat down to watch it. And it being a werewolf movie definitely helped win me over.

And I must say that I was actually genuinely entertained by writer and director Jim Cummings's movie. It was a rather well-written storyline that definitely had some good flavor to it, and the plot twist was actually good; I enjoyed the way the storyline panned out, especially since it was built up so that you were expecting it to be the most obvious of choices as to whom was the werewolf in Snow Hollow.

The acting performances in "The Wolf of Snow Hollow" were quite good, and were for the most part done by actors and actresses that I weren't already familiar with. And that is something I enjoy in movies, seeing new and unfamiliar talents whose faces aren't already associated with previously portrayed characters in other movies.

The special effects in this movie were actually quite good, taking into consideration that this was not a movie that were heavily reliant on special effects to carry it.

I think that "The Wolf of Snow Hollow" is definitely a worth addition to the werewolf genre, and I can warmly recommend that you watch the movie if you enjoy werewolf movies.

My rating of "The Wolf of Snow Hollow" settles on a well-deserved six out of ten stars.

A police officer wrestles with his AA meetings and the paranoia that grips his small mountain town as bodies turn up after each full moon.

Imagine a werewolf themed film with the tongue and cheek of Lake Placid. Jim Cummings direction and writing is impressive. But it doesn't stop there he even stars, leading the formidable cast as the main investigating Officer. The late great Robert Forster is notable lending his Twin Peaks-persona Sheriff presence but it's Riki Lindhome's Julia that steals the show.

The on location snow setting sets it apart from most other Werewolf films, the script is witty and sharp and never takes itself too seriously. Cummings also manages to deliver on the creature feature staged mayhem.

With surprise deaths and a cracking twist while not played as serious as the likes of Dog Soldiers or dramatic as The American Werewolf in London if you buy into the sly, ironic take on the genre you're in for a howling ride.

There's a lot going on thematically in this uneven horror comedy.

The film is the brain child of writer/director/star Jim Cummings, whose film "Thunder Road" I adored. "The Wolf of Snow Hollow" isn't as good as that movie, but that's partially because it's more ambitious, so I give him credit for trying.

Cummings plays a police officer (again) with rage issues (again) and an alcohol addiction. Gruesome murders start happening in the small Utah town of the film's setting, and after Cummings first rejects the far out theory that they might be the work of a werewolf, he begins to toy with the idea that maybe there's something to it as the murders continue to go unsolved.

The werewolf concept acts as an allegory for both the monstrous impulses Cummings himself feels and that he's driven to when drinking, and the predatory world of men in general and the danger they pose to women in general and his teenage daughter specifically. There's clearly a MeToo inspired vein of male apology running through the film, but it all gets a bit muddled by a screenplay that doesn't quite know where it wants to go. The ending is unsatisfying, but the movie leading up to the ending is pretty decent. It doesn't do a great job of striking the right tone -- the humor isn't ever quite funny enough but everything else is treated a bit too lightly to ever be taken seriously -- but the film does have a bold sense of style that I appreciated.

I like what I've seen so far of Cummings as an actor and director and this film will keep me coming back for more.

Grade: A-

An up-and-coming Sheriff (Jim Cummings) wants to prove himself when horrific murders suddenly grip his remote town near Christmas time. Is it an animal, a human or something... else? Robert Forster plays the soon-to-retire dad and Riki Lindhome a subordinate officer. Manly Jimmy Tatro is also on hand.

"The Wolf of Snow Hollow" (2020) is a mystery/thriller with horror elements and a zippy sense of black humor. It has the setting of "Donner Pass" (2011), "Snowbeast" (2011) and "Silent Night" (2012), but a different threat mixed with clever amusement.

This is a solid piece of full moon entertainment by writer/director/star Jim Cummings. I loved the snowy locations and Chloe East is a highlight on the feminine front, along with Amanda Brown in a small role. Meanwhile the humor is amusing. Yet the flick's a little too frenetic for its own good. Cummings coulda reigned things in for some more mood, but it's his movie, not mine.

The film runs 1 hour, 25 minutes, and was shot in Kamas, Utah, which is a about 25 miles east of Salt Lake City, on the other side of the mountain range.

GRADE: B-/B.