It’s October, and you know what that means? It’s time for genre pictures galore! The Wolf of Snow Hollow, written, starring and directed by Jim Cummings, fits into the slot of good ole’ fashioned werewolf movie…or so it seems. John Marshall (Cummings) is having a tough time with life. With his Dad’s health failing Marshall gets a one-two punch. Not only is he caring for his gravely ill Father, the amazing Robert Forster in his final role, but his dad also happens to be his boss, the Sheriff of Snow Hollow. Not wanting his health issues to get out John is forced to run the department and care for his Dad, which is enough to drive most people to drink…but we haven’t even gotten to the good stuff yet. He’s also running the single father gig with a teenage daughter and is an active AA participant. All of this was stacked against him when his world is turned even further upside down by the discovery of a horribly mutilated body the day after a full moon. All signs point to werewolf, which the small town is happy to believe adding yet another layer of stress to the already piled upon sheriff. As the bodies start to pile up with no answer in site John Marshall starts to find out his worst enemy isn’t a werewolf, but his own sanity.
The true merit of The Wolf of Snow Hollow lies in watching John Marshall slowly (or quickly depending on how you look at it, see my note on the editing) unravel while the stressors pile up and no relief is given. It’s a weird lesson to watch in 2020, while most of us aren’t dealing with possible werewolf attacks it becomes all too relatable to see a man just keep taking hits until he can’t deal any longer. I respect the choice made in ending the film, where we get the happy ending but not really the way you expect. It’s less of a happy ending and more of a “not as bad as it could have been” ending. All in all, if you’re not a fan of slashers or out and out horror The Wolf of Snow Hollow may be what you’re looking for to stay in the Halloween mood without going all in on the scares. Just be advised, while it doesn’t go the traditional terror route, it does have it’s moments and one moment where a character stops her car for a deer in the road gets REALLY dark.