Monster Holidays: Wendigo

December 4th, 2008 | By NiNi

As the bleak midwinter looms over the horizon, a craving for cold, hard horror works its way into my psyche. Lately, I find myself thinking of the mythical monster born out of Native American legend, the Wendigo. According to ancient lore, the only way to kill a Wendigo is to shatter its heart of ice.

Two of my favorite Wendigo films include the appropriately-titled Wendigo, and The Last Winter, both creations of indie master of horror, Larry Fessenden. Each film is very different, but the similarities send shivers down the spine, with settings in the dead of winter, characters and plots each trapped in a hellish wilderness of isolation and sub-zero darkness. Both films are also chilling cautionary tales. Wendigo may make people think a bit more carefully about killing animals and owning guns, while the more recent The Last Winter may make Sarah Palin abruptly end her campaign cry of “drill baby drill.”

Although the black comedy-horror Ravenous isn’t “marketed” as a Wendigo film, the bitter cold winters and presence of Native American characters and mythology are just the tip of the iceberg. Robert Carlyle’s frightening depiction of the immortal and crazed colonial cannibal embodies everything about the Wendigo spirit, therefore, I now officially declare Ravenous to be one of my favorite Wendigo films. The human flesh stew and biscuits is really what did it for me. And if you really want to devour the Wendigo spirit [had to get a "devour" in there!], after you’ve seen the film, if you’re a huge horror movie score addict like G9 and myself, Michael Nyman’s Ravenous: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is utterly creeptastic. Listen to it while you dive into a bowl of beef stew… and if you’re a vegetarian… well, this would be one of those times you’ll be especially glad for it!

Many people associate the Wendigo with werewolves, so another great icy-hearted monster film is Ginger Snaps Back – The Beginning. The last film released in the toothy-trilogy, Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning is actually a prequel, delving into the past lives of the sisters, and the roots of their Wendigo-werewolf bloodlines. I’m not one to like prequels too much, but Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning had the biggest bite out of the Snaps “entrees,” and it remains one of my favorite horror films of all time. Similar to Ravenous, Snaps is a period piece with Native American mythology [and one of my favorite Native American characters ever to grace the screen], set in the colonial era, except this time, in bitter cold Canada. Come to think of it, I’m going to watch Snaps and Ravenous back-to-back for my Wendigo WinterHorrorPalooza lineup.

Now then, this may be a bit of a stretch, but since the Wendigo mythology embodies many monster types, including cannibals [check!], werewolves [check!], and devils that possess all who dream about the creature, I officially declare The Shining an honorary Wendigo film. Not only does its frosty mountainous setting provide a perfect backdrop of the Wendigo mythos, the way in which the isolation of winter seems to be the catalyst of Jack’s madness makes it the perfect embodiment of the creature through demonic possession… and let’s be honest here: had the story continued any longer, don’t you think that Jack would have eventually eaten his family once the food ran out? No bones about it! Okay, okay, if you’re reluctant to declare The Shining a Wendigo film along with me, let’s consider it Stanley Kubrick’s twisted rendition of “Jack Frost” and call it a snow-day.

Finally, the Wendigo has recently been categorized by cryptozoologists as a family member to the Big Foot/Sasquatch beasts. The difference being that Wendigo roams in extreme Northern lands and snowy mountainous climates, so! To round out my Wendigo WinterHorrorPalooza, I shall add ***the tale to my lineup that celebrates my biggest “aha” revelation about the monster: This guy is definitely a Wendigo! —>

***The tale to which I refer, of course, is the one I most looked forward to seeing on network television year after Holiday year: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!

More Talk of Winter MonsterFests:

[ The Weather Outside Isn't the Only Thing That's Frightful ]
[ Snowbound Horror ]
[ Final Girl: brrr ]