The Wolf Of Snow Hollow: The Next Great Werewolf Flick
Indie triple-threat (writer, director, and actor) extraordinaire Jim Cummings (not to be confused with the actor famous for voicing Winnie the Pooh) follows up his phenomenal 2018 film, Thunder Road, with something equally surprising and delightful. Adding a welcome dose of genre to his unique blend of comedy and drama, Cummings brings his idiosyncratic spin to the werewolf film on The Wolf of Snow Hollow, creating something special that holds up against the best the sub-genre has to offer.
A stressed-out police officer (Jim Cummings) struggles not to give in to the paranoia that grips his small mountain town as bodies turn up after each full moon.
Jim Cummings is a special filmmaker and man of many talents. In addition to primarily writing, directing, and acting, he frequently serves as editor (primarily for his own content) and producer, backing other indie projects and filmmakers, occasionally dipping his toe into the role of composer. With 2018’s Thunder Road (which was adapted to feature from the short film of the same name), Cummings took audiences by surprise, captivating them with his astounding acting and his seemingly effortless ability to weave between comedy and drama. As monumental and thunderous as Thunder Road was (and still is), Cummings proves that his previous effort was more than just lightning in a bottle.
With The Wolf of Snow Hollow, Cummings captures much of the same magic as Thunder Road while adding a fun genre slant to the usual mix of comedy and drama. Yet again, he showcases his incredible ability to juggle various tones with fairly graceful ease and deliver a commanding performance that undulates between earnestness and absurdity. The film plays like a cross between Fargo and An American Werewolf in London, mixing black comedy, horror, and crime thriller into one delightfully satisfying genre stew. The drama is not as prevalent as Thunder Road and is notably downplayed here, which allows the comedy to dominate and the horror to punctuate, but it’s arguably the more serious, drama elements that create the solid emotional foundation for this howlingly hilarious and haunting werewolf thriller to build upon.
The film interestingly juxtaposes a character’s fight with his personal demons against the lore of a werewolf, a creature known for its uncontrollable condition and full-moon desires. As a rash of vicious murders befall a relatively quiet ski community, sheriff deputy John Marshall (Jim Cummings) struggles to maintain under the stress of the bizarre investigation. It would seem that a substantial amount of evidence points toward this supernatural beast, but it’s a notion Marshall refuses to fully accept. As the body count grows, the town’s paranoia and aggravation mount, and Marshall grapples with his alcoholism, his father’s failing health, and his crumbling relationship with his daughter in the midst of all this growing tension. It’s incredibly grounded, which is refreshing for a werewolf film, but it also leans into the genre’s spooky atmospherics enough to keep you guessing how things will play out.
A large part of Snow Hollow’s success stems from Cummings’ ability to create realistic and relatable characters with tragic flaws and believable quirk, whose compelling nature make the story all the more rich. However, there’s a lot of behavioral overlap between Thunder Road’s Jim Arnaud and Snow Hollow’s John Marshall — it would seem that Cummings has taken a liking to playing divorced, alcoholic law enforcement officers who struggle to maintain a relationship with their daughter — but there’s enough nuance and separation for it to not come off completely redundant. Honestly, Cummings plays this character so well, it’s hard to be bothered by the parallels, and his penchant for delivering a mesmerizing and magnetic performance is still on full display here. His efforts are equally matched by the film’s supporting cast, which include Riki Lindhome, Chloe East, Will Madden, Jimmy Tatro, and the late Robert Forster in one of his final roles.
The Wolf of Snow Hollow might not hit with the same kind of intensity or emotion as Thunder Road, but it finds new heights for hilarity and serves as continuous proof of Cummings’ unique sensibilities. It’s a solid genre exercise in its own right, and nearly everything about it is excellent, with only minor quibbles coming from our direction. No matter the perceived negatives, there’s no denying there’s a lot to love, from the gorgeous snow-covered cinematography to the clever editing and the downright charming performances.
Recommendation: Fans of Thunder Road, horror-comedies, or werewolf films like An American Werewolf in London, will fall in love with The Wolf of Snow Hollow. It’s one of 2020’s most surprising pleasures, so don’t miss out; you’ll want to take a big ‘ole bite outta this one!
Rating: 4.5 mutilated crime scenes outta 5.
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