Wendigo

I like horror movies a lot and have seen a great many of them. I rented this movie with misgivings which were, alas, justified. For approximately the first hour, very little happened. A couple & small child driving along the woods hit a deer then encounter some hunters, one of whom has a screw loose. Words are exchanged and the family eventually gets unstuck from the ditch they ran into after hitting the deer. After that, for about an hour, not much happens.

A horror movie, above all, should not be boring, and this one is. All that happens occurs in the last 1/2 hour.

This film based on Ojibwa (chippewa) and Algonquin Native American Legends.

I had expected this film to center mostly around this but it was only a small part of the plot.

The Wendigo, Windigo, or Windago is a spirit that comes with the wind. It would entice persons by calling to them in an irresistable way. It then would drag its victims along at great speeds until they burn up.

This film mostly centers around a family that vacations un upstate New York during winter and have an unpleasant run in with some local hunters. This film has some excellent cinematography and special camera angles. There is much time-lapse photography and one part with the now-famous "time slice" photography better known as "bullet time" which was made famous in "The Matrix (1999)"

It is an unusual film and I could describe it as a combination of Blair Witch, Sixth Sense, Abominable Snowman.

Larry Fessenden is an independent director who has focused his career in making horror movies with philosophical and existential subtexts. Despite his sparse production (four movies in 16 years), his original approach to the genre and the quality of his work has given him recognition and praise in festivals and in the independent scene. "Wendigo", the third of his horror-themed films is probably the weakest of them, but it has many of the unique characteristics of Fessenden's film-making that make it stand out among the genre.

A young family of three heads to upstate New York hoping to spend a time relaxing hoping to relieve from the stress from the city. However, they find problems as they find an angry local named Otis (John Speredakos) who is not very happy with having them as neighbors. His strong and intimidating presence serves as catalyst for the family's inner conflicts and fears, specially those of little Miles (Erik Per Sullivan), whose feelings of loneliness are increased due to the fear Otis creates in him. As he learns about the legend of the Wendigo, Miles will learn to face the harsh world that is out there.

Very loosely based on the Anishinaabe legend of the Wendigo, the movie is a haunting drama mixed with horror that perfectly combines a lucid visual style with a clever storyline. Told from Miles' point of view, the film is genuinely creepy and the snowy landscapes together with the feeling of isolation Miles feels increase the haunting atmosphere of the film. Basing its scares on mood and atmosphere makes the film a rare species among modern horror movies, and the excellent camera-work makes the film look a lot better than other low-budget independent films.

Fessenden visual approach may seem a bit "style over substance" at first, but he takes a good time in developing the characters and their relationships. In fact, the relationships between them are probably the most important thing in "Wendigo". From Miles' distant relationship with his parents George (Jake Webber) and Kim (Patricia Clarkson) to both parents' struggle to keep a balance between job and family's responsibilities. The impact Otis has in the family and the Wendigo's legend work perfectly as plot devices to make the film move.

The lead cast is superb, with Erik Per Sullivan being an excellent actor despite his young age. Jake Webber and Patricia Clarkson show their talent and the three of them have very good chemistry as a family. The rest of the cast is average, but their work is fine considering that the center of the film are our three main characters. The Wendigo spirit, an important part of the plot, is very well recreated and despite its cheap low-budget look, Fessenden camera-work make it work very good.

Sadly, the movie is not perfect and despite having a very strong start, the movie loses steam and by the end it falls short to the expectations built. Larry Fessenden offers a creative and actually haunting film that is severely hurt by the lack of a competent conclusion, a shame if one considers that the characters are very well developed and the plot has lots of potential. The fact that the use of atmosphere, visuals and audio is superb makes the weak ending the more disappointing. It feels as if Fessenden had not cared about how to finish the tale as the movie feels incomplete.

"Wendigo" has been hailed as both a masterpiece and as a failure. While the movie has enough good things to be called a great film, it's disappointing pay-off and lack of conclusion are a big stain. In this case the best thing to do is to watch and judge for yourself, just don't expect a typical horror film. 6/10

The movie was pretty good. Entertaining to say the least. I just expected a little more wendigo like the title mentions. Story and acting are pretty good and entertaining. A lot of open ended items in story. This is a decent movie and a good for a rental. I was a little disappointed it wasn't more of a horror flick. The wendigo in legend is supposed to have an insatiable appetite that grows as it does. The more it eats the more it has to eat and so on. It also smells bad like that of rot, and decay and death. Like I said it is pretty good, I just expected the Wendigo to play more of a part in the movie like the title says.

If you're expecting a monster movie where dozens of victims are torn apart by a CGI behemoth, forget it. Instead, WENDIGO is a dark tale told mostly from a child's point of view. It's about imagination, mythology, and making sense out of harsh reality.

A boy named Miles (Erik Per Sullivan) is thrust into nightmarish circumstances when a family vacation becomes a deadly ordeal. After enraging a vengeful hunter (John Speredakos), the family becomes the object of his insane wrath. While his parents (Jake Weber and Patricia Clarkson) attempt to deal with the situation with logic and psychology, Miles is introduced to the spiritual world of the Wendigo.

The supernatural aspects of the story could be fact or fiction, the result of an intervening spirit or simply hallucination. To Miles, it's all too real. It's his view that drives the movie...