The Windigo

I was pretty interested and excited about watching this. Let the lights down and it instantly starts off with a pretty cheesy opening scene that showed way too much of the creature. Throughout the film it felt as if Marco Fuller was more of a distraction to what the movie could have been.

It felt like I was watching an episode of the 90s goosebumps that just kept going. The pacing was not good, you feel as if you're waiting for it to get better, then it just never does. It had some decent practical effects, but then probably the worst cgi of the year in one scene.

The delivery is stale and uninspired.

"Windingo" captivates with a seamless blend of suspense and mystery, immersing in its atmospheric world. Marco Fuller's exceptional dual role and Troy James' mesmerizing portrayal of the Wendigo elevate this cinematic gem. Under Gabe Torres' skillful direction, it's a thrilling rollercoaster ride worth savoring, complemented by stunning cinematography. While character depth can go deeper, the film's brevity and exhilarating narrative make it a unique and captivating cinematic delight. A testament to creativity and commitment, "Windingo" challenges and entertains... Chillingly stylish horror; a visual gem of spine-tingling suspense.

An exhibition into how far we will go before we realize we're being played. This creature feature speaks through 90's aesthetics, horrible dialogue, and the worst acting I've seen since the last found footage whatever to hit Netflix. The writer assumes you will just sit and take it, and we mistakenly did, thinking it MUST get better at some point (it does NOT). You may as well sit down and watch American Werewolf in London- a better film with better effects, and more updated. Do better. Do not waste your money to rent this. The acting of the main character is only insulted further by the most laughable physical effects ever seen on screen. The good reviews that led us to spend money renting this film are insulting and frankly should be banned. Disgusted. Please don't waste your money. Don't be fooled.

Heading out into the countryside, a Native American teen and his family inadvertently stumble upon a secret meth lab operating in the area and soon become targeted by the gang forcing them to summon a wendigo to deal with them only for a special connection to potentially tear them apart.

Overall, this was a rather effective genre effort. One of the best aspects of this one comes from the engaging and far more worthwhile setup that has quite a lot to like here. Involving the family arriving at the house and going through the means of trying to deal with their grandmother while also getting used to the remote surroundings produces a solid culture clash alongside the rest of the work here between the family. Since they have their confrontations going on while also trying to deal with the purpose of their visit in keeping their grandmother in check, the casual manner in which they get involved with the meth dealers out in the middle of the woods provides a great starting point to unleash the demonic creature incorporating it as a way to bring his heritage out for the revenge of the gang that's tormenting him. This allows the film to feature some solid and overall enjoyable creature action with the creature's appearance generating a lot to like. As the idea of its connection to him is made clear early on, this one brings about a nice dramatic build-up with the need to try to prove his manliness conflicting with the idea of the creature going for the psychological torture while trying to inflict the coda of its rampage in the community as the being starts to take out the ones responsible while their connection adds a strange set of stages for the finale. Knowing that the two are forced together and lined together, this adds a solid enough aspect to the storyline which is a decent dual-pronged storyline involving the vicious confrontations involving the creature out on its bloodthirsty killing spree while the rest of the family is trying to find a way to break the connection before it kills him. Coupled with some fantastic creature effects when it shows up and some solid enough gore, there's a lot to like with this one. There isn't much to dislike here but it does have some minor drawbacks. One of the main issues here is the film's rather obvious and nearly unmistakable series of plot points that leave this one feeling immensely familiar and predictable. The whole concept of what's going on with him and the connection with the creature during its rampage becomes immensely obvious the second it's mentioned that the creature is tied to him and they're actions and powers are in sync so that the final half is a bit of a letdown when it gets introduced so that no matter how much suspense it tries to wring from the situation this one has a singular direction it must go in even with the inclusion of Native American folklore to spice it up slightly. The other rather goofy and unnecessary over-the-top means it's using to try to capture the idea of it controlling him which is somewhat silly when it shouldn't be the case and is what manages to hold this one down.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

First of all, this is not a Wendigo. Do not be fooled with some of these reviews saying that it's a good watch if you want to learn more about the Wendigo. This is much closer to the Wechuge (and even then, still not that close at all). They barely even got the cannibalistic aspect of it right. How do you mess that up? The Wendigo actually looks like a pale human with elongated limbs, and, of course, eats people (to oversimplify it).

At least they didn't also confuse it with the Skinwalker. The costume for the creature was obviously fake, but their budget was likely low and that was the best they could do. Don't hate on them for that. The acting was doable, but sometimes cringey. They included Native American actors as the main characters, so there's that at least. But that doesn't save them from how incorrect and how bad this movie was.