Fortunately, for the producers of this film, horror fans have a long tradition of forgiving misleading titles. For instance, there is no “curse” in this film. The title evokes Wolfman vibes, but it is closer in spirit to Wolf Creek. There is also the matter of the famous above-the-title co-stars, Tobin Bell and Danny Trejo, who maybe have a combined ten or fifteen minutes of screen-time. So, adjust your expectations accordingly when David Lipper’s The Curse of Wolf Mountain releases today on VOD.
AJ has always been haunted by the feeling there was an evil presence with his parents when they fell to their deaths off Wolf Mountain. However, his mind still suppresses the traumatic events he possibly witnessed, even after years of therapy with Dr. Avery. They were close to a break through with hypnosis, but Avery was afraid further sessions could be dangerous, so he advises AJ to revisit the scene of his parents’ deaths, which sounds way safer, right?
At least AJ will not be alone. His wife Samantha insists on coming too. Then his brother Max decides to tag-along and his wife Lexi tags-along with him, and her sister Emma and her deadbeat boyfriend James tag-along with Lexi. Maybe the last two will be useful, since they are so randy and trashy, the slasher is sure to kill them first.
Weirdly, there is also a trio of hold-up men hiding out on Wolf Mountain too, but they will be no match for the masked killer. Their best hope just might be Ric, AJ’s dog-sitting slacker cousin, so it looks pretty grim.
Honestly, Tobin Bell’s early scene as Dr. Avery is probably of counter-productive reminder of his always intriguing screen presence and how under-employed it is in Wolf Mountain. It is also painfully clear Lipper and co-producer-screenwriter-co-star Keli Price could only afford a few days with Trejo, because his brief appearances as one of the fugitives do not last long. Price is okay as AJ, but Lipper is probably his own best asset in-front of the camera, playing Max.
Eddie McClintock (Warehouse 13) also is surprisingly successful playing against type as Cousin Ric. It is also nice to see Fernanda Romero (Ghost Team One) turn up as Lexi, but seriously the less said about the painfully jokey park rangers, the better it is for their reputations and our inner peace.
The secret of Wolf Mountain is okay, but far too many of the film’s attempted deviations from the slasher formula blow-up in the audience’s face. Plus, it all just looks conspicuously cheap. Not recommended, despite a handful of better-than-expected performances, The Curse of Wolf Mountain is now available on VOD.