The Breakdown: An on-the edge sheriff who's life is crumbling around him struggles to maintain order after a series of violent killings begin ravaging his small town every full moon.
Watch If: You like watching awkward-comedy centering on aggression.
Not If: You don't find alcoholism and anger issues entertaining.
SECONDARY FACTS
Overall Rating: 3.0
Length: 1:23
Country: USA
Language: English
REVIEW
THE QUICK AND DIRTY
This film definitely has its shining moments, but while it's packaged as a fun monster movie mystery romp, it's really a story of an asshole cop loosing his temper and being a jerk most of the time. Now, If aggro-comedy is your thing (it's not mine), then this one is a fun romp with an engaging story that is honestly pretty creative.
PREMISE:2
The actual story of this one is meh, but the way that The Wolf of Snow Hollow unfolds its story is really where it shines. It follows the sheriff trying to solve the murder mystery as the only person not convinced that the deaths are paranormal. Each gruesome kill presents both the characters in the film and the audience with a series of clues that honestly give this film an undercurrent of older mystery movies, where the audience has a chance, as slim as it may be, to figure it all out along with the characters.
The problem is that the main character is immensely unlikable, and the writing is cringey to the point where the positive elements of the story are drowned in scenes that are just difficult to watch.
ACTING:2
I started this movie thinking that the acting was terrible. And by an average standpoint, it is, but the further into the film you get, the more obvious it becomes that that is, in fact, intentional. The cheesy, awkward delivery gives a leniency to scenes that, if played straight, would be all but unwatchable, and leave the film as a whole a tonal wreck. But because the actors chose to play up the comedy factor in a lot of the film, the comedic elements are permitted to shine where they otherwise might have been lost. However, the overacting when coupled with an already obnoxious character does, in some scenes, make you want to turn off the film as a whole. So while the intent is clear, the delivery is, on more than one occasion, a bit too much.
AUDIO AND VISUALS:3
With the exception of what i have to assume are stock footage clips of professional snowboarders, a lot of the visuals and audio in this one are... fine. It's an underwhelming visual experience, peppered with gore and crime scenes that are artfully composed. The juxtapose of the barren, unassuming, and often times straight up boring composition of the film with the borderline brilliant framing and lighting performance that has been reserved exclusively for the more horrific scenes manages to epitomize the out-of-place tone behind these bizarre and vicious deaths in a boring, average small town.
ATMOSPHERE:3
The main character is wildly unlikable, and that made a few parts, especially in the middle of the film, difficult to get through, but his assholism is, in a way, relatable, and he's not fully incompetent, which means he is interesting enough to watch. And between the mounting tensions as the deaths become more and more prevalent, and his personal stakes begin to rise, is captivating. The horror elements are genuinely brilliantly done, and the parts that might have been boring are peppered with "what... what am I watching?" moments that, after finishing the film, I am fully convinced are completely intentional. While I found some parts cringey or off-putting, none of it bored me.
DELIVERY:4
The humor in this one wasn't for me, but I am fully convinced that every awkward line, poorly delivered exclamation, and obnoxious character was fully and entirely intentional. This isn't a a poorly done film chalk full of pitfalls- this is a brilliantly masterminded, clever movie that understood the value of awkward comedy coupled with horror, and hit every possible point it could to realize its intentions.
It's hard to make a well done movie. It's harder to make a movie that brilliantly utilizes the common elements of bad films to make itself entertaining. It's clear that, whether this film is for you or not, it was a detail oriented labor of love.
Starring
Written By: Jim Cummings
Director: Jim Cummings
Executive Producer: Pip Ngo, Nick Spicer
Music: Ben Lovett
Cinematography: Natalie Kingston