Why So Blu?

The Wolf Of Snow Hollow (Blu-ray Review)

The werewolf sub-genre of horror is quite possibly one of the more frequently explored and quite possibly the one that tends to entice rather easily. Some can take it in a new direction, some can have impressive make-up work and some can be notable if just for a moment in the film. The Wolf of Snow Hollow brings another new and interesting take to the table as it balances as both a comedy and horror film. Its also notable for being one of the final performances and films from the late, great Robert Forster. Warner Bros is giving it a nice Blu-ray release after a little bit of a small theatrical and VOD run this past fall. It comes with some numerous, but fluffy and short bonus materials to make for a pretty nice overall package. The Wolf of Snow Hollow releases to the format on December 15th, and you can order yourself a copy using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.

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Film

A small-town sheriff, struggling with a failed marriage, a rebellious daughter, and a lackluster department, is tasked with solving a series of brutal murders that are occurring on the full moon. As he’s consumed by the hunt for the killer, he struggles to remind himself that there’s no such thing as werewolves…

There is a lot to appreciate in the world of The Wolf of Snow Hollow, but at the top of that list is director and star Jim Cummings.  As an actor, Cummings has a bit of strange energy he injects into his character and around every cast member he shares a frame with. His vocal rhythm and delivery is unique to himself and is absolutely hilarious. Cummings might come off as odd to some watching the movie, but they’ll either settle into his vibe or just not get it. In all honesty, he’s delivering a kind of humorous personality that feels ahead of its time almost. That if his style catches fire with something down the line, you could see countless actors trying to imitate it in comedic roles in the future.

As a director, his showcase of balance and blend of humor and horror is tremendous. A scene can easily go from a chuckle to a scary with such a natural sense of surroundings. There’s no dramatic change to lighting, blocking or scenery either. Every scene feels like a genuine environment, prepared for both possible outcomes to its proceedings. Cummings also really delivers on genuine human interactions and touching moments in the film as well. The film has itself some good heart and humanism under the guise of a film where a werewolf terrorizes a small goofy town.

Snow Hollow has some pretty damn good spooks and jump throughout the film. It knows how to both play with expectation and also lean into them as well. There are some nice moments of gore and a couple moments that you really feel the violence. There werewolf itself looks pretty imposing and I absolutely appreciated the unique take on the classic monster. If one is looking for an all around good time with a horror film (Not afraid to have laughs mixed in), you’re gonna be hard pressed to find one that tops Jim Cummings’ The Wolf of Snow Hollow in 2020.

Video

Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Layers: BD-50

Clarity/Detail:  The Wolf of Snow Hollow debuts on Blu-ray with a pretty terrific looking digitally sourced picture. The image is plenty sharp and comes with some really nice looks at detail and texture. Colors are pretty well saturated and the image overall just runs pretty strong and smoothly.

Depth:  Depth of field is pretty decent here as there are some nice moments of pushback on interiors but nothing earth shattering. Exteriors showcase a pretty good scale though. Movements are smooth and natural with no motion distortions like jitter or blurring detected during this viewing.

Black Levels:  Blacks have a lighter gray look to them as per most digital shot films. Texture, patterns and follicles hold up with nice detail and nothing is swallowed up in shadow or a darkly colored fabric, surface. No crushing witnessed.

Color Reproduction:  Colors are pretty strong and this has a nice saturation and display of whites. Headlights, lit displays and such all give a nice little pop.

Flesh Tones: Skin tones are natural and consistent from start to finish of the film. Facial features and textures are plenty visible from any reasonable distance in the frame.

Noise/Artifacts: Clean

Audio

Audio Format(s): English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, English Descriptive Audio

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Dynamics: The Wolf of Snow Hollow comes with a decent 5.1 track that more than gets the job done. It features a pretty nicely balanced mix between the vocals, score and effects. Each really shines without ever stepping on another’s toes. Effects are pretty nicely layered too, with a nice hint of naturalism to their display.

Height: N/A

Low Frequency Extension: The deeper stuff comes with some growling, gunfire, engine hums, crashing, slamming and any other sound that would project a nice thud from the subwoofer.

Surround Sound Presentation:  This is mostly front heavy, but there are some really cool moments where the rear channels project something significant. Travel is accurate to the onscreen action.

Dialogue Reproduction: Vocals are clear and crisp. Always audible but naturally present in their respective environments.

Extras

The Wolf of Snow Hollow comes with a redeemable digital copy of the film.

The Impetus (HD, 1:01) – Jim Cummings talks about his character and little about working as a director.

Working with Jim Cummings (HD, 1:24) – The actors talk about how Jim works as a director. “He’s fast, he’s tireless and he’s sharp and he knows what his movie is” says Robert Forster. Many praise his crazy energy.

The Story and the Genre (HD, 4:07) – Talking about the story in a more promotional fashion. Fluff, no spoilers, just a lot of build and vague details.

The Design of the Werewolf (HD, 5:34) – Spoiler warning. You’ll know who the werewolf is. But it goes over that person getting the costume fitted and such.

Summary

The Wolf of Snow Hollow is a terrific twist on the werewolf genre and genuinely funny to boot. Jim Cummings had me absolutely fascinating with his performance. The Blu-ray from Warner Brothers is a solid release, with terrific audio and video. The extras are a little fluffy for my taste, but the fact this has them at all is a plus. Easily check out or pick it up.

This is a paid Amazon Associates link