Review: Wolf Hollow

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet

Wolf Hollow
Directed by Mark Cantu
Mezek Films, Big Bell Productions; Hinds Productions; Cineworx
80 minutes; 2023
#wolfhollow #FollowTheHollow #mezekfilms
#pittsburghfilm #cineworx2023

Of his thirteen films to-date, be it features or shorts, so far, I have seen/reviewed three of them (this will be the fourth), each of a different genre. There was action thriller Elite (2017), post-apocalyptic anger infection Night Zero (2017), and slasher Massacre Academy (2021). This time at bat, it is the lycanthropy field.

While saying it fits into the werewolf canon is true, there are so many horror genres mixed together here in a Horror ghoul-ash. Y’gotcha cabin in the woods, backwoods hunters and murderers, and even the meta-filmmaking (a group shooting a film within the film). The latter with werewolves has been done before as well, such as Wolf Manor (2021). But every film is different, and I am looking forward to this, as a werewolf fan.

Lynn Lowry

Filmed outside Pittsburgh, PA, some of the scenery is quite awe inspiring, showing off the forests and mountains of, I am assuming, Oak Hollow Park. You get to see less of it as time goes on due to it being night, but meanwhile, enjoy.

With a prologue that reflects on themes from both The Howling (1981) and Blade (1998), we are off to a bloody start that had me smiling. A year later, there are two storylines that are bound to converge. First, there is the film crew heading to said Wolf Hollow to make their movie, starring washed up diva Marla Taylor (The Lynn Lowry, of 1971’s I Drink Your Blood, GA Romero’s The Crazies in 1973, Cronenberg’s 1975 Shivers, and more recently, Debbie Rochon’s 2016 Model Hunger, among so many other classics). The second is that a larger township is commandeering a local area – yep, said Wolf Hollow – and plans to kick out the Neuri (the name means the nervous system) family, run by matriarch Evie (The Felissa Rose, most famous as Angela in 1983’s Sleepaway Camp, but has become a major actor/producer in the indie film field). The town leaders are quite obnoxious and condescending about the land grab (i.e., their “tough nuggies” attitude).

Brian Ceponis, Feissa Rose (foreground)

There is tension all around: for the Neuri family: a member of the clan who has run away to New York, Ray (Noah J. Welter) has returned with the young and green film crew (e.g., one just graduated from NYU Film School), bringing additional tension between him and his brother, Bart (Brian Ceponis), who is struggling financially, along with his wife Evie. As for the potential filmmakers, well, it is one argument after another, as they try to placate their spoiled faded star, Marla. I love that many of the strongest characters are women, though it seems to me that even though there tends to be more women victims in horror flicks, they also tend to be the fiercest (check out Carol J. Clover’s amazing book, Men, Women andChain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film). 

With all the arguing going on with both sides and each other, it makes it hard to find a connection with some the characters, who tend to be a bit flat at times, though mostly undefined personalities. But with mishaps and anger comes the night, and the filmmakers are trapped in their trailer while the beasties beat on the door, metaphorically and eventually literally. But that should come as no surprise.

Christina Krakowski

It should be quite apparent to anyone who has a history of watching creature features to figure out who are the werewolves. It starts with a slow burn first half (after the prologue), but then it just spins the dial up. A major saving quality to the film is that once the action really starts, about a third of the way in, it does not let up. It is wolf-brutal with, to paraphrase Arlo, “blood ‘n gore ‘n veins in the teeth.” While there are few surprises throughout the film, and parts are predictable, that does not take away from the fun factor: there are a lot of wolves, though you see one at a time. My guess is that there was only one suit that was used over and over. This would make total sense given most indie’s budget constraints.

That being said the wolfies, designed by Midnight Studios FX, looks great, seeming to be modeled on those in The Howling (no complaints there), with the exception of the head of the lycanthropes, who’s initial change looks more like the human/cat face in Sleepwalkers (1992). The overall gore effects are also quite well done, if sometimes a bit dark (remember, it is night when the action comes).

Noah J. Welter

Most of the main characters are likeable, though some of the cast is almost interchangeable given such little exposition background (more time for action, I guess). Some of the personality standouts include the meta film’s director, Alex Romero (Christina Krakowski) – filmed near Pittsburgh, of course she is named Romero, duh – and her beau, Ray (Noah J. Welter), brother of the head of the Nuri clan. Another role of note is scene stealing Lucky Steve (Brandon Krum), who is the comedy relief of the film crew, and definitely has the best lines. There are a lot of local police who tend to blend into each other, even those at the higher level, but a standout is Officer Mills (Valena Zitello).

The question that nagged me for a while is why Ray brought the crew to Wolf Hollow, whether it was to see family, to get comeuppance to the clan, or was he a Judas Goat. It becomes clear by the end, and I ain’t spillin’ the beans.

It is pretty apparent that the director, Mark Cantu, is a big Wes Craven fan. There are many references to Craven’s cult films, such as the RV trailer-under-attack-by-bloodthirsty-locals as in The Hills Have Eyes (1977), and one of the wounded characters comments, “I’m feeling a little woozy here,” arguably the most requoted line from Scream (1996). I believe Craven would have been proud to have his work referenced here.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Model Hunger

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2016

Images from the Internet

Model Hunger

Directed by Debbie Rochon

Penny Spent Productions / Rebel Idol Films /

Wild Eye Releasing / MVD Visual

84 minutes, 2016

www.wildeyereleasing.com

www.mvdvisual.com

I first became aware of actress Debbie Rochon, as did many, in Tromeo and Juliet (1996), but by that time, she’d been acting since the cult classic Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (1982). Most of her films have been schlocky and sexy indie horror. But what made me sit up and notice was a dramatic turn she did in Richard Griffin’s Exhumed (2011). Man, she can act! Since then, I’ve paid more attention to her work. From everything I knew, she was intelligent (more than the roles she tended to play), and as soon as I learned she was about to direct her first feature, Model Hunger, I wanted to see it.

Lynn Lowry

The main character is Ginny, played by the wondrous, ethereal and underrated Lynn Lowry, who stunned many of us with her beauty in Shivers (aka They Came from Within; 1975), The Crazies (1973) and I Drink Your Blood (1970). In Ginny’s youth, she had aspirations to be a model and actress, but was deemed unworthy in a business demanding perfection. This turned her into an angry, psychopathic cannibal, with a touch of misguided Second Wave Feminist rhetoric [if I may digress here for a moment, modern Feminism is much more accepting and inclusive, and has come to accept that men are just as much culturally under pressure as are women; I respect that]. Ironically, she is as angry at women she perceives having issues with their own body images, overly positive or mistakenly negative, that she does not see her own trappings in the Other mind-set.

Of course, no matter how course or humorous (or both), some of the best films also have some very sharp social commentary, such as this one. The obvious one is the playing with cultural body image and how mass media dictates “beauty,” but there is more. One example is a look at what is commonly known as the male gaze, which if featured more than once here: for example, toward the beginning of the film, a man on a park bench (Michael O’Hear, who will later be realized as a recurring character) who is looking at a little girl in a playground (to me that was one of the more uncomfortable moments in the film), and a nosy neighbor, played by the iridescent Michael Thurber (who has shared some credits with Rochon, including Exhumed), who is seen looking at women (among others) through binoculars out his window.

Ginny’s favorite show is called “Suzi’s Secret,” an access cable-type shopping show hosted by an overweight women (model and genre actress Suzi Lorraine in a weight suit), that sells sexualized clothing using mostly heavy male models in lingerie (including drag queen Babette Bombshell doing things you can’t unsee). At one point Ginny comments how men don’t watch the show because they want skinny models, but we also see a bunch of men viewing in male gaze mode, unlike the women, who watch it for acceptance of their impression of their own body images.

Although filmed (mostly) in Buffalo, it takes place in Fishkill, NY, a town near the Hudson River, about two hours north of New York City. Now, here are two fun facts about that town: first, the word “kill” is Dutch for “river” so it actually means “Fish River.” Obviously they liked the name for it’s English connotation, which brings us to the other fact, that PETA tried to get the town to change the name a decade or so ago due to its same English “kill” counterpart; they lost. And now back to our show…

Tiffany Shepis

Moving in next door is a couple, Sal (played by Carmine Capobianco, who was the lead in 1987’s Psychos In Love, and has been having an acting renaissance in a number of indie features) and Debbie (fellow Troma queen Tiffany Shepis, who co-stared with Rochon in Tromeo...) who have a troubled yet loving marriage. Debbie, with a history of mental issues, hinted at by Sal’s question whether she’s taken her medications, is also starting to watch Suzi’s show. In another male gaze moment, a bare-chested and overweight Sal (sorry dude, had to say it, not that I can talk…) makes disparaging remarks about Suzi being heavy without seeing the irony. A pointed mirror- contemplating moment.

The kills are masterful, and the gore is plentiful and well done. It builds beautifully in degree throughout the picture as Ginny goes further and further off the edge. And with Debbie next door having her own issues, there is a fun time to be hand in the old town tonight, my friends. I must say, giving nothing away, that I had imagined the ending being totally different, but I have to say it was amazingly satisfying by the conclusion. I’m also grateful to be wrong about the possibility of it to be yet another modernized telling of the Elizabeth Bathory story.

So how did Ms. Rochon do on her first outing of a feature? Bueno. Molto Bene. Bien. No matter what the language, it’s actually quite accomplished. Sure, there are rough edges here and there, and I’m guessing down the road on her fifth or sixth film, she may look back and think “I should have done it that way,” but on the whole, it’s a joyful work to watch.

Director Debbie Rochon

Part of the reason is that Rochon (I’m going to consistently use her last name here since the main character share’s “Debbie”) has worked with many of these actors before, including some that are Troma-related, and the rapport shows. Also, she’s been in umpteen films at this point, and has seen the best and worst at the helm, and I find in life you learn what to do from both, and also importantly what not to do.

Lowry is a gem. Her work here is the best I’ve seen to date. Just the minutest movements of her mouth or eyes convey exactly what she wants us to feel about her character. It’s also an extremely brave performance, considering some of the things Ginny does and says. She definitely gives it her all. And the same could be said about Shepis, who runs the gamut from stressed, to depressed. She has a particularly touching scene where she melts your heart. Thurber also gives a much nuanced performance; it starts off kinda creepy, but over time, he somewhat wins you over.

There are lots of lovely extras included. First and foremost is the director’s commentary, which she shares with David Marancik, who was part of the crew and played one of the police officers. Fortunately she does most of the talking as it’s her project, and he wisely lets her thoughts flow. This is exactly what a commentary should be, telling the thoughts behind some of the action, as well as anecdotes about the performers. There is also a goose-egg track that highlights the music behind the dialog. Along with the trailer there is a synth-heavy music video that features Rochon by the Autopsy Boys titled “Song for Debbera.”

On a second page of extras is a 20-minute webcam show, “Lair of Voltaire,” which features musician / filmmaker Aurelio Voltaire, who is also one of the cast (he usually goes only by his last name), where he answers questions about being on the film. It is quite amusing, and a nice advertisement for his own vlog series. Then there is a short (not short enough) of Babette Bombshell eating hotdogs salaciously that, well, for me it was the ickiest thing on the DVD (slobbering in general is something I personally find not to my liking). Last up is a couple of deleted raw scenes with Rochon herself, and Troma head Lloyd Kaufman (I was expecting to see him in the film at some point). In both these cases it was right to not include in the film, but just as right to keep them as extras, because they are hoots as they both portray separate door-to-door sales people (a recurring theme within the story).

So it was months between first learning about the start of the project and getting it into my own anxious hands. Was it worth the wait? Hell, yeah, Rochon done good. Real good. And here’s the thing: if she continues, it’s pretty obvious she’ll only get better. Thank you, Ms. Rochon, for taking the chance and grabbing the reins. The end result was worth all the effort. Now, let’s see it win some well-deserved festival awards!