The Wind - Arrow Video FrightFest 2019

Set in the pioneering days of the west in the 1800s The Wind is a gorgeous looking and brilliantly scored (Ben Lovett) film that plays on our natural fears of the dark, loneliness, and superstition.

Lizzy and Isaac Macklin (Caitlin Gerard and Ashley Zuckerman) have set up home in an inhospitable wilderness populated by them, their animals. The life is hard made harder by a disturbing continuous wind over the prairie. Neighbours are in short supply but along come Emma and Gideon Harper (Julia Goldani Telles and Dylan McTee) from Illinois looking to start a new life.

Its soon becomes obvious that there are tensions between the Harpers and neither are cut out to be farmers and so after a while they become more and more dependent on the Macklin’s, in turn putting a strain on their relationship. Matters aren’t helped by Emma taking a fancy to Isaac.

The story is told with flashbacks and as it plays out so the suspense gathers: Dead creatures coming back to life, strange visitors and the trauma of Emma’s pregnancy, as well as the Macklin’s own heartbreak.

Permeating the story is the wind, sometimes cutting, sometimes in the background but always there. It’s a palpable force within the film, and key to this is the blending of period instruments and clever sound design, generating a genuinely unsettling atmosphere.

The Wind is a slowburn and takes a bit to get into its stride with director Emma Tammi developing a creeping dread playing with the shadows in the home, and subtle use of light. There are a few jumps thrown in for good measure but the film is about the long haul, and does reward.