Wendigo

Indie-fave Larry Fessenden's unnerving supernatural thriller is, like his contemporary vampire tale, Habit, poised for cult status. Kim and George (Patricia Clarkson and Jake Weber) and their impressionable eight-year-old son Miles (Erik Per Sullivan, little Dewey on Malcolm in the Middle), arrive in the Catskills to spend a weekend at a friend's remote cottage. En route, they enrage three hunters when George accidentally hits their prey, a deer bounding out of the woods. The stage is set for a Deliverance or Straw Dogs-type confrontation between these "New York City folk" and the menacing locals. Enter the Wendigo, a shape-shifting Indian spirit who is "always hungry, never satisfied." The conclusion's more blatant horror is a bit of a letdown, but for most of its running time, Fessenden takes his cue from the atmospheric films of Val Lewton, which conjured up dread in the viewer's imagination. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by writer-director Larry Fessenden, the 32-minute behind-the-scenes documentary “Searching for the Wendigo,” an eight-minute interview with Fessenden, a stills art gallery, director and cast filmographies, and a trailer. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a solid chiller.] (K. Lee Benson)