Directed by Adam MacDonald and written by Enuka Okuma, at a cabin deep in the wilderness, a weekend of hunting turns to mayhem and a fight for survival when a pack of wolves attack a man, his female best friend and her fiancé. Starring: Missy Peregrym, Joris Jarsky and Damon Runyan.
Part of your enjoyment of film is always going to be influenced by expectation so if you go into Out Come the Wolves expecting a simple, straight horror of people trying to escape some wolves, you might be disappointed. While it’s certainly not complicated, Enuka Okuma’s story focuses more on relationships than it does attacks. So, what you’re getting is a split between how female and male friendships can have a complex nature and a fight for survival. Okuma is attempting to layer the thrill, to not just have the chase and violence but to explore the motivations, influences and consequences of our actions in intense situations.
That might not work for everyone but if you’re willing to be a bit more patient and open-minded then there’s plenty to enjoy. Especially because once the wolves do turn up, there is lots of bloody action to keep any horror fan going. Those choices also help to give Out Come the Wolves a bigger sense of realism, the emotions and conflicts are strong and their skills are relatably flawed. While two out of three of them may be hunters, they’re not immediately perfect at this fight, which is refreshing to see, it’s a genuine struggle to survive.
All of which is elevated by Adam MacDonald’s direction, starting off with those brilliantly ominous shots of the woods, which is always going to set the right tone. Then the intensity continues throughout and the tension is terrific. Those natural darker green tones give a sharp aesthetic, especially with great, clean editing alongside them. The focused, isolated and minimal character nature of Out Come the Wolves feels slightly reminiscent of last year’s Quicksand, a rather underrated piece of horror.
Another strength of course comes in the form of the performances, Missy Peregrym is not often given enough credit for how much she brings to the table. This is another great example, she’s strong, smart and relatable as Sophie. She gives us a different kind of woman than we usually get in films with similar plots, her situation is the same but here Peregrym doesn’t hand us stereotypes and flirtation. She creates a solid, sincere character and is paired well with Joris Jarsky and Damon Runyan, who provide us with polar opposite men. The immediate warring nature to their interaction nicely ramps up the tension, absolutely full of passive aggression and testosterone.
Perhaps the only way it lets itself down is with the progression and pacing, it can tend to speed up then slow down and repeat. Rather than having a more gradual build to the thrill and violence, which would have helped to give it a bigger crescendo. As it stands, the ending can feel quite blunt and unsatisfying, like the story has simply drifted off rather than ending things on a bold, definitive note.
Out Come the Wolves will likely be underestimated but Adam MacDonald and Enuka Okuma have attempted to build something that fits the genre in a familiar yet different way. Creating a mix between the thrill and violence, and the psychology behind it, the subconscious reasons for our decisions when we have no time to make them. However, even without digging into that, you can just enjoy it for great performances from a leading trio and some very ferocious wolves.
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