The Curse of Wolf Mountain is a title straight out of the 1970s. It sounds like a Hammer horror or disgusting exploitation flick. This 2023 release is neither. AJ (Keli Price, who also wrote the film) has been having dreams about the death of his parents. On the advice of his psychiatrist (Tobin Bell, Saw), he goes to the location where they were killed with his brother Max (director David Lipper) and family. But a mysterious legend roams the woods.
After the cold open, the group AJ will eventually be traveling with make their initial appearances. It is a rough introduction that does a great job of making audiences dislike almost the entire cast pretty much immediately. Thankfully, they are able to redeem themselves to where they are bearable, but that first impression never completely goes away.
The other characters do not fare much better. For the most part they are underdeveloped, but there is also a park ranger who is a stereotype out of another decade. Bell’s role is limited to a pair of scenes. Danny Trejo plays a larger role that makes it seem like he is going to be a bigger part of the film, but it is ultimately unimportant.
The slasher portions of The Curse of Wolf Mountain are enough to keep it entertaining. The killer is obvious from early on, but there are plenty of kills with a few of them showing some creativity. Poor lighting negatively impacts some of the better moments, however. Ultimately, the film is a seriously flawed thriller. The editing is choppy (one of the actor’s names in the opening credits pops on then immediately off the screen a la Fight Club) and things go on for longer than needed. The Curse of Wolf Mountain is fine background filler, but never quite connects.
The Curse of Wolf Mountain is available on DVD and digital
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