Writer/director Charlie Steed’s (Escape from Cannibal Farm and Deadman Apocalypse) latest film Winterskin is a cold weather tale that feels like a mixture of Hateful Eight and Misery.
The film centers around Billy Cavanagh (David Lenik), a young man hunting deer in the woods with his father. They get separated and he is shot by an eccentric old woman, Agnes (Rowena Bentley), who takes him in and starts to nurse him back to health. She keeps her doors braced at night and warns billy of a monstrous creature that steals the skin of others.
Much of Winterskin is focused on the interactions and dialogue between Agnes and Billy. Bentley’s performance as the mysterious old woman is inspired in many ways. She easily shifts between being kooky and a bit pitiable, to downright cold and insane. I had a few issues with her performance, though. Her accent felt dated, being very rustic and pioneer-like. She also repeated “Mama Agnes” and “Billy” (or, “Billy, my boy”) so many times that it did start to get to me. Lenik’s performance as the young, but inquisitive Billy is strong as well. He quickly comes to realize he’s not in a good situation and starts to formulate a plan. Additionally, there are three other gentleman that have a small, but important, roles in the tale, and their scenes have a nice, sly humor two them.
Winterskin begins and ends with some particularly gory scenes. They were obviously done with practical effects and have an appealing splatter-style reminiscent of older creatures features and slasher flicks.
Despite the things Winterskin has going for it, there are some flaws (beyond what I mentioned with accents). The film has an old west/pioneer aesthetic. The rifle Agnes uses seems like it would be fitting in the hands of John Wayne. In addition, the cabins and clothes that most of the characters wear seems very dated. However, the film has a radio and Billy mentions nude magazines and snowmobiles, so the film is set in a more modern-era. These things are very different than what the film’s poster would have you believe, with it’s modern-dressed hero and his modern firearms.
Despite some flaws, Winterskin is a solid film. It’s an entertaining thriller and there are enough twists and turns to keep you engaged. The film is now available on digital from High Octane Pictures.
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