The wolf of Snow hollow

"I first had the idea in 2016. I really wanted to make a serial killer movie, and at the same time, I was thinking about monsters - werewolves specifically - and had the idea of pairing that with a character who's a recovering alcoholic. I was intrigued by the idea of someone who did something and then felt terrible about it afterwards." - Jim Cummings

It only took one film, Thunder Road (2018), which won numerous awards including the Grand Jury Prize at the Deauville American Film Festival and the Grand Jury Prize at South by Southwest, to make writer/director Jim Cummings one of the most respected names in American independent film. It took two years to finally discover his second film. Thunder Road was remarkable for its original direction, its striking dialogue, its perfect editing (with memorable scenes) and above all an outstanding actor as comfortable in a comedy scene as in a drama scene. His second film is steeped in the same love for cinema and mixed this time horror film and dramatic comedy.

We discover the officer of a small town in Utah, John Marshall (Jim Cummings) struggling with a failed marriage, a rebellious daughter, and a not very brilliant service in which his father, the sick Sheriff Hadley (Robert Forster) works alongside him. Charged with solving a series of brutal murders that occur on a full moon and trying not to fall back into his alcohol addiction, John Marshall is a man gnawed by the hunt for this psychopathic killer and struggles to remember that werewolves don't exist and that he must vanquish his own demons to resurface.

While his first film revisited the detective film and dramatic comedy with real intelligence, The wolf of Snow hollow allows director, screenwriter and actor Jim Cummings to bring to life a character not so far removed from the one he played in Thunder Road. His staging between these two films, which need to gain in vitality and sobriety, is a testament to the undeniable talent of a gifted director who is constantly trying to bring to life, despite a limited budget, a great film that easily stands out as an excellent choice for a successful Halloween party. By blurring the lines and succeeding in bringing to life violent scenes in which the creature that won't say anything to leave you the biggest surprise possible proves to be as dangerous as it is disturbing.

By enjoying beautiful natural landscapes and playing on different genres, The wolf of Snow hollow will remind us as much of the Coen brothers' cinema as it does of the classic of the genre The werewolf in London (An American Werewolf in London) (1982). By intelligently revisiting the werewolf mythology as a backdrop, Jim Cummings continues to explore the depths of the human soul and above all shows that his first film was by no means a pure coincidence. The same inspired staging, the same offbeat universe was already present in Thunder Road but is brought to its climax here. The wolf of Snow hollow in no way avoids repeating it with other horror thrillers. The film has a unique atmosphere and endearing characters and shows once again that independent American cinema is capable of competing in intelligence and ingenuity with current Hollywood American cinema. By keeping total control of his film and revealing not only a true inspired director's eye, Jim Cummings delivers with The wolf of Snow hollow simply his best film. What he loses in real originality compared to Thunder, he gains in a greater care taken not only to the photography of the film but also to a perfect casting with Robert Forster in his last major role (the film is dedicated to him).

The wolf of Snow hollow
Written and directed by Jim Cummings
Produced by Kathleen Grace, Matt Hoklotubbe, Michael J. McGarry
Starring Robert Forster, Jim Cummings, Riki Lindhome, Chloe East, Jimmy Tatro, Marshall Allman, Laura Coover, Annie Hamilton, Liz Fairchild, Kelsey Edwards
Music by Ben Lovett
Cinematography: Natalie Kingston
Edited by Patrick Nelson Barnes , R. Brett Thomas
Production companies: Orion Classics (USA)
Distributed by United Artists Releasing (USA)
Release date: October 9 2020 (USA)
Running time: 83 minutes

Seen on October 5, 2020 (screener press)

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