IMDb > Wendigo (2001)
Wendigo
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Overview

User Rating:
5.0/10   2,118 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 9% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Larry Fessenden (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Wendigo on IMDbPro.
Tagline:
A new hallucination from the director of HABIT.
Plot:
George is a high-strung professional photographer who is starting to unravel from the stress of his work with a Manhattan advertising agency... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(53 articles)
The Orphanage Remake Caught in Limbo
 (From FilmSchoolRejects. 20 November 2009, 9:25 AM, PST)

The Orphanage Remake Needs a New Director
 (From Slash Film. 19 November 2009, 1:30 PM, PST)

User Comments:
A poetic horror film more (142 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Patricia Clarkson ... Kim

Jake Weber ... George

Erik Per Sullivan ... Miles

John Speredakos ... Otis
Christopher Wynkoop ... Sheriff Tom Hale
Lloyd Oxendine ... Elder

Brian Delate ... Everett
Daniel Sherman ... Billy
Jennifer Wiltsie ... Martha
Maxx Stratton ... Brandon

Richard Stratton ... Earl
Dash Stratton ... Little Otis
Dwayne Navara ... Mechanic
Shelly Bolding ... Store Owner
Susan Pellegrino ... Nurse
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for a strong sex scene, language and violent images.
Runtime:
91 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When George falls from the sled, the snow beneath him already has a body imprint before he lands atop it. more
Quotes:
Otis Stookey: I dug you out of that ditch...you could have asked! more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Hold Out more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
19 out of 23 people found the following comment useful.
A poetic horror film, 13 February 2005
9/10
Author: Brandt Sponseller from New York City

Kim (Patricia Clarkson), George (Jake Weber) and son Miles (Erik Per Sullivan) are headed to the country for winter weekend relief from Manhattan's bustling metropolis. On the way, they hit a buck and end up stuck in the snow. A group of hunters who were tracking the buck come along. Rather than helping, at least one of the hunters, Otis (John Speredakos), is mad because the accident cracked the buck's antlers. George, Kim and Miles are disturbed by Otis, and even worse, we quickly learn that Otis has learned where they're staying. Meanwhile, Miles is given a wendigo (a kind of Indian shape-shifting spirit/monster) token by an Indian whom only he has seen. Is Otis a psycho out to get our heroes? Are there wendigos in the woods?

I can see where Wendigo would have a number of problems appealing to viewers. It is a fairly low budget film, with technical limitations frequently showing through. Much of the film, and maybe all of it, is not really about the titular creature. And perhaps the fatal blow for many people, it has a very ambiguous ending, with a number of questions left unanswered. If you are discouraged by such endings, and you do not like films that have an aim of making you think about and discuss what everything meant, do yourself a favor and avoid Wendigo.

Personally, I like films like that. I usually prefer some ambiguity. The marketing of Wendigo is geared towards those who want a quick, scary creature flick, where they'd expect a grand battle with some supernatural monster who is defeated in the end, and everything is tied up neatly except for an opening for Wendigo 2: The Monster Returns, but that's not what this film is. Wendigo is much more thoughtful and poetic than the surface of such a creature flick would suggest to most people. Heck, writer/director Larry Fessenden even has a character, George, reciting Robert Frost. The Frost poem, and George's comment that Frost can evoke complex imagery and atmosphere out of seemingly simple things, is the key to the film.

One of the best things about the film is its complexity. In a way, there are four different films occurring at the same time, a thread from each character. In George's thread, he isn't exactly the happiest or most pleasant guy in the world, and he has some parenting problems. For him, the film is a realistic, horrific descent of his life going from bad to worse. In Patricia's thread, she's looking for rejuvenation of her life and family. She's a psychologist mostly denying the problems around her, hoping that they'll go away and get better. In Otis' thread, he's even more down on his luck than George, and George's arrival into his life symbolizes the final "crack" in his psychological armor. And in Miles' thread, which is probably the most important of the film, life is like a grand poem due to his youthful innocence and interpretation of the world. But this is a horror story, after all, albeit one with a glimmer of hope, and the events in the film give Miles' poetic interpretations a dark turn. Still, when everything is said and done, he seems to be the only one retaining his composure, due to the poetic outlook.

Even though the film is low budget, there are a lot of well-executed higher budget ambitions. Fessenden and director of photography Terry Stacey find some great shots in beautiful locations, and created some interesting slide show like montages (such as the cards, or the Indian wendigo images from the book). There are also interesting more traditional montages, such as Miles' nightmare. Wendigo is better shot and edited than many big budget films.

Other technical aspects are good for the budget. The "Wendigo" appearance at the end worked for me and was appropriately ambiguous. The lighting was usually good--there were a few times that dark scenes weren't as clear as they could have been, but it seemed to be more of a problem with the film stock (it could have been digital instead) or transfer. I thought the performances were good and far more realistic (if you value that) than the majority of films. Although I didn't really notice the score, it must have been okay, or I would have noticed it with a negative judgment.

Overall, Wendigo is a very good film that deserves to be watched without preconceptions, as long as you don't mind having to think about the movies you watch.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Wendigo (2001)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
I'm surprised so many people hate this BouncyCastle
I don't even know where to begin on this one... rynwave
So does this movei have ANYTHING to do wih the actual Wendigo? asimans2005
Sex Scene? BoomstickAsh88
elk bugling? greyselchie
otis was the best actor LuckyGraveyardBoots
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