31 Days of Halloween: The Wolf of Snow Hollow

 2020, Jim Cummings (Thunder Road) -- download

What the fuck are we watching? What the fuck did we just watch? This is a very weird movie. Is this supposed to be drama? Horror? Comedy? Black comedy? Farce? These are things that came out of my mouth while watching this ultimately very entertaining movie about a beastly creature killing women in a small ski town in the mountains. But really, all the entertainment value came from Cummings himself, who also starred as interim town Sheriff John Marshall, who has a drinking problem, anger issues and an astounding inability to deal with stress.

When the first pretty blonde is killed, literally torn apart, Marshall is already dealing with his father (Robert Forster, Mulholland Drive) who won't step down from Sheriff despite a very obvious heart issue. Having to deal with a horrific murder is not helping either men. From almost the get go, things go awry as Marshall deals with the locals (all buffoons), the press (all blaming the police for ineptitude) and his own staff, who keep on saying & doing inappropriate things, all except Officer Robson (Riki Lindhome, Knives Out), the perpetual straight man of the movie, and only capable person. After another woman & child are horrifically killed, many believe the town has a werewolf problem.

The movie keeps you unbalanced, no not as unbalanced as Marshall who gets worse and worse as time goes by, firing people, shouting at everyone, resuming his alcoholism and just behaving in a manner that serves no one. I am not sure if Cummings was doing comedy, or acting badly, but the way he played Marshall is hilarious and weird, as the anger he exhibits seems to come from a place lacking any emotion, just louder and louder, and his dialogue gets longer, and then, abruptly, he just shuts it off. 

In the end it is not a werewolf, which considering the brutality of the attacks, I am still not sure was the real conclusion. Sure, the attacker looked like a guy in a suit, because he was a guy in a suit, but the ferocity and speed with the people are dispatched should have precluded a normal man. And then there was that scene with one of the cops found stuffed into a garbage can, all broken & severed limbs. That death is quickly forgotten about, as the movie rushes to a conclusion. I was left feeling the unhinged nature of the film was reflecting back the unhinged nature of Marshall, and maybe Cummings.