There’s a moment that happens about half an hour into The Wind that I absolutely loved. Our leading lady, Lizzy Macklin (Caitlin Gerard), having previously found her lamb slaughtered at a prior morning, walks out the door one day to see the very same lamb staring at her, perfectly fine. Without hesitation, she walks right back into the house, comes back out with a double barrel shotgun, and shoots. That sort of hardened, ready-to-fight-at-any-time impulse is what gives the methodically paced western-horror a sense of energy throughout it’s runtime, which only runs just under 90 minutes. However, it uses its time well, and moments like this act like a shot of adrenaline that keeps you engaged the whole time.
The film is directed by Emma Tammi, and written by Teresa Sutherland, and it follows a frontierswoman, Lizzy, who lives with her husband, Isaac (Ashley Zukerman), in their humble little home in the middle of nowhere. Or rather, she lives with him when he happens to be around. He is gone for most of the time, leaving Lizzy to take care of the house. But things aren’t so lonely when some neighbors arrive in the form of a young couple, Emma (Julia Goldani Telles) and Gideon (Dylan McTee), even if they don’t seem to be nearly as prepared to live out in the country like Isaac and Lizzy.
Of course, things don’t stay pleasant, as you probably would’ve guessed given the whole lamb situation I described earlier. It appears that something is out there, something that seems to be haunting Lizzy whenever Isaac isn’t around. And things quickly take a turn for the stranger, when one night Gideon comes knocking on Lizzy and Isaac’s door, asking for help with Emma. When Lizzy confront her, hidden under the bed, mumbling to herself, she speaks of a demon that trying to get her.
If you’re thinking you’re in for Conjuring-esque shenanigans, it’s best to toss those expectations away. The Wind is a slow burn chiller that unfolds in unexpected ways, diving deeper and deeper into the headspace of our main character. It sets a bleak mood with a rather unnerving opening scene, and it doesn’t let up from there. It cranks up the tension as the solitariness of the character begins to get to her head, and you’re never quite sure whether the real threat is out there or from within.
Admittedly, some of the conclusions that the film ultimately reaches probably won’t be that big of a surprise for anyone who has seen a number of horror movies before. It also has this odd structure where it flashes back and forth, playing with the timeline. It’s very effective in the moment, offering an almost uneasy, hallucinogenic quality to the viewing experience, but once it’s all over, I did find myself struggling to piece certain moments together in retrospect. These don’t end up being a major deal breaker though because the filmmaking is top notch, and Caitlin Gerard is an absolutely terrific lead, managing to juggle vulnerability, menace, paranoia, and deep empathy all at the same time.
The horror-western subgenre is one that doesn’t seem to be taken as much advantage of by filmmakers, despite all the potential that comes with it, as well as the common thematic links that make the connection between the genres so natural. The Wind is probably one of the best examples of this subgenre since Bone Tomahawk, easily. It’s a really tense and effective scary movie that also tackles the psychology of the anxieties found in living in the old west, especially ones that relate to the female experience, which puts things into a far more interesting perspective. Certain elements might play like it’s trying too hard to be clever, but I did appreciate the ambition that went into this, especially considering how simplistic other films of this type tend to be. I wouldn’t call it a classic, but it’s a strong directorial debut, and if you want a horror movie with interesting narrative twists and unexpected emotional heft, this one gets the job done.