PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of watching a screening of Cold Wind Blowing during the Genreblast Film Festival 2019. I honestly had not heard anything about it, but once I watched the trailer, I knew I had to check it out! I am a huge fan of isolated/contained horror, and that is exactly what Cold Wind Blowing is. Check out the trailer to get an idea of what I am referring to.
https://youtu.be/FCTN7q1Lb1A
Siblings Nomi and Thomas go to a secluded cabin with four of their friends to celebrate Christmas together. Unfortunately for them, there is something hiding in the woods that wants to hunt them down. Trapped with nowhere to go, the group of friends must stick together to face this ancient evil. Cold Wind Blowing is written and directed by Dionne Copland (Haxx Deadroom: A Cyberpunkzz Story 2017) and stars We Are Still Here’s Larry Fessenden (read our interview with him here) as The Wolf, Angela Way (Dionne Copland’s Inferno 2016) as Nomi Fox, Cameron Peterson (Dionne Copland’s Inferno 2016) as Thomas Fox, Alexander Lowe (iZombie TV series) as Max Loomis, M.J. Kehler (Incredible Violence 2018) as Casey Cooper, Griffin Cork (Abracadavers 2019) as Nick Holden, and Nalani Wakita (Altered Carbon 2018) as Samantha Becker.
As I stated in my introduction, I am a fan of isolated horror, so going into Cold Wind Blowing, I had high hopes for a film that offers the tension of being trapped with no where to go. I am happy to say that Copland’s film delivers that in spades! Right from the very beginning, you can tell that these characters’ friendships are already being strained. As soon as everything goes down, they are pushed to their limits as they try to survive trapped inside this cabin. Everyone plays their roles perfectly, and they have such great chemistry together, especially Way and Peterson portraying the siblings Nomi and Thomas.
The cabin in the woods is a trope that I never get tired of seeing, and the wintery setting just adds to that. The stark contrast of the white blanket of snow and the brightly lit cabin with Christmas lights just makes this setting the perfect to me. What makes it even better is the fact that Cold Wind Blowing is a creature feature, and having the rational fear of something lurking in the woods at night is one that many people deal with, myself included. Seeing the slightest movement outside of your peripheral vision automatically leads your mind to play tricks on you. This film uses that fear without any hesitation.
In a low budget creature feature, it is always best to keep your monster hidden in the shadows as much as possible. Copland does a great job of doing just that. Most low budget films end up forgetting that rule and reveal their monster too early, showing way too much. It just doesn’t look quite right. Even though we don’t see a lot of the monster, its presence is felt throughout the film.
With a runtime of an hour and fifty minutes, Cold Wind Blowing is never boring. The film keeps you engaged from beginning to end, whether it comes from watching the characters’ interactions with each other or the intensity of the monster attacks. Cold Wind Blowing is a fantastical, delightful horror film that keeps you on the edge of your seat, such a very pleasant surprise.
