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The Wind (2019) -
This is a decent horror western for how it may prove that nothing may be scarier than...well, nothing. In a place with plenty of it, the prairies of 19th century New Mexico, we witness a horrifying sight: a woman, Lizzy (Gerard), emerges from a house covered in blood while holding a newborn baby. Her husband Isaac (Zukerman) does exactly what she doesn't need him to do at that point: go on a long trip without her. While trying to stave off insanity, we flash back to what brought Lizzy to her unfortunate state.
As is typical of thrillers and horror movies from the perspective of someone spending too much time alone, the drama comes from whether what we see is real or imagined, with this one doing a pretty good job of maintaining it. If it's not Lizzy's obsession with a tract about Biblical demons, which is also on the mind of new neighbor Emma (Telles), it's whether her goat, some wild dogs or even what's in the title are conspiring against her. The core of this conflict, however, is Lizzy and Isaac's relationship with Emma and her timid husband Gideon (McTee). Thanks to the strong, natural work of all four performers – especially Zukerman, who I also like in Succession - I was left on edge about who is friend or foe until the best possible moment. Miles Anderson also makes the most of his limited screentime as a reverend, whose demon obsession is fascinating in and of itself.
I have seen many movies like this one, and despite liking it, I would place it in the middle or perhaps the third tier of the ones I've seen. It does not do much novel with its premise to stand out from the pack - it's similarities to The Witch are particularly glaring - and there's not much to complement in terms of atmosphere, which is a shame since that's what keeps me coming back to this subgenre. The way it flits back and forth between past and present is also inelegant at times. Other than that, it is worth checking out, especially if you also will watch anything with a western setting. Oh, and there are babies and animals in this movie, and as someone who becomes anxious whenever either is on screen in movies like this one, that should not dissuade because I would not say it ventures into bad taste.
This is a decent horror western for how it may prove that nothing may be scarier than...well, nothing. In a place with plenty of it, the prairies of 19th century New Mexico, we witness a horrifying sight: a woman, Lizzy (Gerard), emerges from a house covered in blood while holding a newborn baby. Her husband Isaac (Zukerman) does exactly what she doesn't need him to do at that point: go on a long trip without her. While trying to stave off insanity, we flash back to what brought Lizzy to her unfortunate state.
As is typical of thrillers and horror movies from the perspective of someone spending too much time alone, the drama comes from whether what we see is real or imagined, with this one doing a pretty good job of maintaining it. If it's not Lizzy's obsession with a tract about Biblical demons, which is also on the mind of new neighbor Emma (Telles), it's whether her goat, some wild dogs or even what's in the title are conspiring against her. The core of this conflict, however, is Lizzy and Isaac's relationship with Emma and her timid husband Gideon (McTee). Thanks to the strong, natural work of all four performers – especially Zukerman, who I also like in Succession - I was left on edge about who is friend or foe until the best possible moment. Miles Anderson also makes the most of his limited screentime as a reverend, whose demon obsession is fascinating in and of itself.
I have seen many movies like this one, and despite liking it, I would place it in the middle or perhaps the third tier of the ones I've seen. It does not do much novel with its premise to stand out from the pack - it's similarities to The Witch are particularly glaring - and there's not much to complement in terms of atmosphere, which is a shame since that's what keeps me coming back to this subgenre. The way it flits back and forth between past and present is also inelegant at times. Other than that, it is worth checking out, especially if you also will watch anything with a western setting. Oh, and there are babies and animals in this movie, and as someone who becomes anxious whenever either is on screen in movies like this one, that should not dissuade because I would not say it ventures into bad taste.
