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 orror movies that put young children in the middle of
supernatural events to be terrorized as their parents sit idly by in the next
room are nothing new. Although there does seem to be a noticeable increase in
this particular premise of late, as films like "Darkness",
"Darkness Falls",
"They", and now
"Wendigo" can attest to. What is it about putting young children in
the dark and having them be terrorized by supernatural forces that filmmakers
are so obsessed with? Is it the reliving of one's childhood, when imagination
gives way to reality? If so, then I wish they'd stop it, because the premise is
getting really tiresome.
"Wendigo" stars Erik Per Sullivan ("Malcolm
in the Middle") as Miles, the only child of professional New York City
busybodies Kim (Patricia Clarkson) and George (Jake Weber). The family's life
gets a bit complicated after a trip upstate to stay at a friend's cabin turns
bad when the family car broadsides a deer fleeing a group of hunters. One of the
hunters is Otis (John Speredakos), who just screams "psycho redneck"
from every pore of his cliché appearance and demeanor. And oh, young Miles
meets a wise Native American type who may or may not really exist, but who gives
him a wood carving of the mythical Wendigo creature.
Mostly contemplative and low energy, "Wendigo"
still succeeds when nothing happens. The dynamics of the family is what is most
intriguing, from the imaginative Miles to his sensitive mother to his moody
father. There's love here, but also a lot of exasperation and more than a little
self-involvement. These people would rather spend their time on everything but
each other, and their total disregard and disinterest in their neighbors
eventually comes back to haunt them.
The city folks share similar prejudices with the locals,
even though the two sides don't realize it. The two are so diametrically opposed
that their first encounter nearly ends in violence not because of anything
either party does, but because of a basic lack of understanding of one another.
Kim and George look on the locals as uneducated rednecks and the locals look on
Kim and George as part-time invaders. There's no attempt at understanding,
merely two opposite forces bumping against one another, waiting for the big,
inevitable bang to occur.
More drama than supernatural thriller, there's not much
about "Wendigo" that will keep horror aficionados entertained. Even
the movie's awkward inclusion of the Wendigo myth (which seems rather odd
calling this part of the film "awkward" considering the film's title)
will not satisfy those coming into the movie for horror elements. There are only
two brief scenes of violence toward the end, and only one really counts as a
violent encounter. And the third, involving the Wendigo creature, may or may not
actually have occurred.
As for the Wendigo itself, when we finally see it there is
nothing to write home about. Of course it should be noted that the appearance of
the Wendigo was probably not supposed to be scary, but rather a young boy's
interpretation of what a Wendigo is supposed to look like. The movie never
really says, one way or another, if the Wendigo actually exists. But considering
how little investment Fessenden puts in the myth angle, it's not surprising that
I didn't really care about the whole "does it or doesn't it exist"
question.
Writer/director Larry Fessenden throws everything including
the kitchen sink into the visuals. "Wendigo" is a very good-looking
film, even if a brief sequence using handheld cameras early on gets to be a bit
tedious. The movie, despite being a slow and laborious character study, still
manages to move well. Fessenden proves that he was paying attention in film
school when the professors were talking about motifs and themes, and as a result
the film's visualization is swarming with secondary and third meanings -- that
is, if one cares to pick them out.
Don't go into "Wendigo" expecting a horror movie.
Despite the title, the film is more about man's interaction, and lack thereof,
with one another than it is about a mythical beast. The film is never scary, but
rather shocking in its nonchalant attitude toward human nature and violence.
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