Film Review: The Wolf Of Snow Hollow

Jim Cummings burst onto the scene in 2018 with his debut feature Thunder Road, which was among my favorites of that year. It’s a character study that rode a fascinating tonal tightrope that swayed from drama to dark comedy with an assured hand, all while tackling the starring role. His follow-up veers into genre territory with The Wolf Of Snow Hollow, where he returns not just as the lead, but once again playing a severely stressed out cop, who lives in a small Utah town that is faced with a series of grisly murders that he believes is a serial killer, even though some are theorizing it is actually a werewolf.

One of Cummings’ greatest strengths is his ability to craft really well drawn characters. He plays Officer John Marshall, who has been sober for three years (though that will soon change), he is struggling to connect with his daughter Jenna (Chloe East), and he is constantly arguing with his father, the retired Sheriff Hadley (Robert Forster), who still insists on showing up at work despite growing health problems. And this is what he’s dealing with while bodies continue piling up, and being pressured by the public to find whoever is responsible for the murders.

Even if certain impulses within the character feel like a repeat of what he did in Thunder Road, there’s still plenty to love about his performance. He is so effortlessly good at creating a manic presence, and he’s a satisfying screamer. Of course, it helps that he is also surrounded by really great actors like Forster, East, and Riki Lindhome, who plays a cop that works closely with John on the case. His writing allows the actors to shine, bringing so much personality to the film, even in characters who might only appear in a single scene.

The film plays out less like a horror film, and more like a traditional murder mystery, as we follow the steps taken by John and his co-workers to find out the truth behind the so-called werewolf killings. The film plays with your expectations really well, and it’s all reflected in the tone, which – like Thunder Road – goes from serious character-driven crime thriller to idiosyncratic small town comedy. It makes for a really engaging watch that is easier to sit through for folks who aren’t great with gore, since the film doesn’t ever linger on the murders. It’s fairly accessible as a genre picture, but not without taking some risks and bold moves in the process.

The Wolf Of Snow Hollow is a thoroughly entertaining film, and it proves Thunder Road as not being a fluke. Jim Cummings is absolutely the real deal as a writer/director/actor, and his voice in the American indie scene is one that I look forward to seeing grow. The film is hilarious and thrilling, and it’s constructed in a way that is effective, and incredibly tight, without an ounce of fat or filler. It’s balance of tone, character, and story is at times quite dazzling in its effect as you watch it all unfold, and it’s one I would easily watch again and again. Beyond being a werewolf movie, it is also a film about toxic masculinity, as told through the lens of John’s arc as an angry and petty man who can’t seem to hold it together without lashing out at those around him. It plays a bit overt, especially as he delivers a whole spiel about the history of werewolf cases which turn out to be men inflicting violence upon women, but it works well enough, if not particularly gracefully. There’s a lot to love about the mix of comedy, horror, and crime, but what makes Jim Cummings’ approach so engaging, even at its most over-the-top is how he never forgets the humanity at the core of it all. Plus, it’s nice to see Robert Forster one last time.

The Wolf Of Snow Hollow is now out in select theaters and VOD platforms.