Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Mitchell Altieri
Starring: Devon Sawa, Courtney Halverson, Mark Famiglietti
The Wendigo is a mythological creature from American folklore with its
roots in indigenous culture. Traditionally the creature is thought of as
a malevolent being that possesses humans and turns them into cannibals.
In American cinema however the Wendigo has tended to be a catch-all
creature, with filmmakers applying all manner of disparate attributes to
the mythological monster, varying from supernatural entities to
sasquatch-like mammals.
The Wendigo in director Mitchell Altieri's (one half of
"The Butcher Brothers" with his producing partner Phil Flores) Consumed has little in common with the traditional portrayal of the
creature, but writer David Calbert has devised an
interesting concept nonetheless. Here the Wendigo is a sort of formless
spirit that resembles the smoke monster from Lost, and it thrives by stealing the souls of anyone suffering from a
sickness who crosses its path.
That's bad news for breast cancer survivor Beth (Courtney Halverson) and her husband Jay (Mark Famiglietti). A year after being
declared cancer-free, Beth and Jay have embarked on a hiking trip deep
into the woods to celebrate the anniversary. Beth seems to be
withholding something from Jay, who can't understand why she's so sullen
and withdrawn. The skinned carcass of what they assume to be a bear
proves a bad omen, as later that night something attacks their tent. The
couple decide to flee through the woods, but are pursued by something
initially unseen, but which reveals itself as the aforementioned smoke
monster cousin once daylight penetrates the forest. Jay only goes and
steps into a bear trap, and the smoggy entity bears down on Beth until
she's rescued by Quinn (Devon Sawa), who has been hiding
from/hunting the Wendigo since it took his daughter.
The film subsequently shifts into a paranoid cat and mouse game as Beth
is enlisted in Quinn's quest for revenge. He seems somewhat unhinged,
even suggesting using the prone Jay as bait, but he represents Beth and
Jay's only chance of getting out of the woods alive.
We quickly find ourselves asking if Quinn might pose a bigger threat
than the Wendigo. Quinn is a clumsily realised character however, and
many of his actions are contradictory. The film uses his motivations to
fuel several plot twists, but most of them don't make any sense and only
serve to make us question why he did or didn't do certain things earlier
on. Even by the end of the film you'll still be confused by Quinn's
relationship to the Wendigo, as the film itself can't seem to settle on
a clear answer.
It's frustrating that Consumed fluffs its lines in this regard as there's a more interesting
film to be mined from the idea of a sick person being targeted by an
entity specifically because of their affliction. It's suggested that
during her cancer ordeal, Beth might have given up were it not for Jay,
and she now finds herself fighting to stay alive once again for his
sake. I'm not sure we need the rather on-the-nose nightmare sequences of
Beth having her infected breast torn away by monstrous hands though.
Such sequences muddy the waters between empowering and exploiting
survivors.
Consumed is in US cinemas and on
VOD from August 16th and Canadian VOD from August 20th. A UK/ROI
release has yet to be announced.
