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Review

Indie horror auteur Fessenden strikes gold again (after the disturbing No Telling and the terrific NYC vampire tale Habit) with this characteristically low-key, atmospheric mood piece. Weber and Clarkson (both excellent) play a well-to-do couple vacationing in a wintry, wooded small town with their young son. They cross paths with a hotheaded deer hunter, who can't seem to let an honest mistake go. Shaken a bit by the confrontation, in addition to dealing with everyday childhood fears, the young boy takes solace in a myth told to him by a mysterious Native American. The myth is of the wendigo, a half-man, half-deer vengeance spirit ... which, it seems, may actually exist. Fessenden does wonders with his forest locale and some minimalist, pleasingly old-school special effects, and especially with Sullivan (of TV's "Malcolm in the Middle"), who's just great as the smart, sensitive, wide-eyed boy. Those expecting hard-core, balls-to-the-wall terror will be let down; Wendigo is a slow, creepy, at times poetic horror flick that, like Fessenden's previous work, will stick with you long after the end credits roll.

 -- Dean C. Galanis