The Windigo

In many different cultures around the world you have folklore creatures that people believe still exist or may have existed in real life. For example in Portugal you have the mythical monster called El Cucuy ( also known as Coco ) and this monster that is also mentioned in Mexican folklore as well. El Cucuy is described as a shapeshifter, also described as a hairy monster that hides in closets or under beds who eats children that misbehave when they are told to go to bed. The very first time i heard about this monster was back in the early 2000´s when i was reading a book about different folklore creatures. I still remember the picture of El Cucuy in this book and it definetely looked creepy. I can´t remember the book title but im sure there are several books that tell you about the folklore of El Cucuy, if you want to know more about this specific creature and others as well. In the year of 2018 ( not that long ago ) there was a SyFy TV horror film released called Cucuy - The Boogeyman from director Peter Sullivan ( who have directed a lot of TV films and the Netflix thriller Fatal Affair ). This film tried to combine the folklore story El Cucuy while being a pretty basic American horror film. Best part of this this film is without a doubt the Cucuy monster and the design of this creature. As a horror film it´s ok but nothing you will remember after you have seen it. If you just want to watch a simple horror film then Cucuy - The Boogeyman might be something you may apprecite. Speaking of folklore creatures how many of have heard of the Windigo ( also spelled Wendigo or Wiindigoo )? If you have not heard about the Windigo it is acccording to Algonquinan-speaking people in North America described as a folklore cannibalistic monster, associated with starvation, greed, and the dangers of selfishness and isolation. During spring this year i noticed a horror film called The Windigo, a film that would include the indigenous folklore creature. Since i am a big fan of horror films in general and appreciate folklore stories by different cultures this sounded like something i might enjoy. Is this a film you should add to your watch list or is The Windigo not as good as i was hopened it would be?

Brother Ry ( Marco Fuller ) and his sister Bree ( Fivel Stewart ) are attacked out in the wilderness by hillbillies where they physically harm Ry. Being a shy young man with a lot of personal issues he finds away to revenge these hillbillies by bringing the creature The Windigo back to life.

Since im not a part of the indigenous people i can only speak about the film itself and share my opinon. The Windigo is a mixture of a revenge horror and folklore horror that reminded me of horror films such as the 2019 Indonesian film Impetigore. These films may have completely different plots from each other, but what they do have is a strong connetion to folklore history and the importance of family traditions. The main story is very simple, a family travel to visit their Grandmother ( played by Native American actress Casey Camp-Horinek who you might recognize from the Netflix TV series The Last Airbender ) to check up on her living by herself in the forest. Where this film becomes interesting is when we see the Windigo creature be summoned back to life and i have to say the creature design is pretty cool indeed.  You can sense that this creature is very feared by the indigenous people while they also have a lot of respect for the creature itself. I feel that this film manage to bring up the important subject of revenge while delivering some brutal attack practical make up effect scenes ( i really appreciate they decided to use practical effects ). If you revenge on those who hurt you physically do you dare to cross over the line, or would you lose control and cause even more damage than before? The bullied character Ry ( played by Native American actor Marco Fuller ) is someone im sure a lot of people can relate to, a nice guy who is easy to attack because hes a shy young man carrying a lot of anger. Marco manage to portrait a young man with all of these emotions while losing control, becoming an easy target for The Windigo to use his physical body. Indigenous actress Tonantzin Carmelo and Native American actress Fivel Stress both deliver solid performances. The Windigo is a creature feature horror film that respect the history of the indigenous people while giving us a chance to learn about indigenous folklore. This is a good looking horror film from director Gabe Torres that will be appreciated if you enjoy monster films in general. It is nice to see that folklore horror films are alive and tell stories from different cultures, The Windigo will hopefully make people interested learning about indiegnous history.

Rating: DDD