The Wolf of Snow Hollow – A Wildly Enjoyable Film That Brings Something New to the Horror Genre

Quick Thoughts: The Wolf of Snow Hollow is an refreshingly alive comedy/drama/horror film from the mind of director/writer/producer/star Jim Cummings. If you’re looking for a unique experience, you should watch this movie. 

The Wolf of Snow Hollow focuses on an incredibly angry Sheriff’s deputy named John Marshall (Cummings) investigating a string of murders in the small skiing town he lives in. Normally, investigating brutal murders would be stressful enough, but in true Jim Cummings fashion, there’s many more things annoying John. His father Sheriff Hadley (Robert Forster) has a heart murmur, his co-workers are convinced a werewolf is on the loose, and his relationship with his daughter is strained after a bad divorce and years of alcoholism have forced him to attend weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. To make matters worse, pretty much everyone in the town needles John (including Ricky….), and he deals with the pressure and stress in wildly inappropriate ways that involve fist-fights, drinking, and choking medical examiners. Basically, he tries really hard, but he rarely tries to resist outbursts of anger. 

The only sane person in his life is Officer Julia Robson (Riki Lindhome), a capable cop who single handedly keeps the small police department together – while none of her male coworkers notice. One of the pleasures of the movie is watching Office Robson deal with the locals and keep her cool when she finds herself in the middle of arguments between the idiot cops (check out the way she’s framed in the film). It doesn’t help that the killer leaves very little evidence (or do they?), and since the kills take place on backroads, the FBI won’t get involved because the murders didn’t take place on federal roads. Thus, a police department with an unhealthy sheriff, and unfocused, superstitious deputies who pretty much only write parking tickets, have to catch a serial killer. 

What makes The Wolf of Snow Hollow so good is how it uses the horror genre to sneak in subplots about addiction, anger and grief. It’s an occasionally very funny experience that features a star making performance from Cummings (he is also excellent in Thunder Road). The movie goes places you’ll never see coming, and it does a solid job showing how anger can be passed down from parents to children. The film also rewards repeat viewings as there are blink-and-you’ll-miss-them moments involving John punching himself in face while leaving an AA meeting, or throwaway comments that are much deeper than they seem. If you are looking for an ingenious “horror” film that features fun twists and likable performances, you need to check out The Wolf of Snow Hollow.