Ravenous (1999)
You are what you eat.
- Wendigo! (Mythical creature / cryptid auto-like). Also, relatively untapped creature for movie use.
- Time period setting works well for it.
- Decent morality play.
- Band of misfit characters provides some variety.
- Upbeat happy soundtrack is often in direct opposition of terrible events on screen, lends to a very effective "uncomfortable" feeling without being painful (like many jump-scare soundtracks).
- Actually gives at least a basic dabbling in the mythology behind the creature (considering it isn't such a huge mainstream creature like a zombie or vampire, could be considered necessary for many folks).
- Sometimes the cutting between scenes can feel more like a montage than an actual followable cut.
- Can feel like it's dragging slightly at points.
- "Twists!" not exactly the most elusive trickery to be found.
- No full-on monster-headed top-tier transformed Wendigo (although this could be a good thing I suppose, if done poorly).
Opinion
I love catching well done movies about the non-overused mythical entities and cryptids because they feel fresh while at the same time maintaining that connection to strange and mysterious (and sometimes paranormal) things that go bump in the night. This one being the first feature-length flick that focuses on a Wendigo I've heard of get's it an automatic foot in the door for interest, but the flow and acting get it a recommendation for those with like-minded interests. Wendigos being intrinsically tied to cannibalism may turn some off to the movie premise, but it's a rather well done thriller that can provide the feeling of unease without being overly scary (outside of premise).