Movie Review: The Wind (2018)

I’m not really into horror Westerns (Western horror?) or, well, any Westerns so The Wind (2018) was a big step out of my comfort zone. I could probably count the horror Westerns I've enjoyed on one hand. Guess you could say I didn’t have high expectations for this one. But, although the format was a little frustrating and there were the usual historical inaccuracies you’d expect from Hollywood, The Wind was surprisingly effective.

The Wind focuses on two couples (Julia Goldani Telles's Emma and Dylan McTee's Gideon Harper/Caitlin Gerard's Lizzy and Ashley Zukerman's Isaac Macklin) alone on the wide, untamed prairies. It’s a story told through a series of flashbacks following the tragic death of Emma. The flashbacks aren’t always clearly differentiated from the main storyline, so you do spend a chunk of the movie wondering when the hell it is. It’s frustrating for a while but eventually you start piecing everything together and can just kind of roll with it.

The Wind starts out like a traditional Western, minus the tumbleweeds. Jay and I were just asking each other if we were actually watching a horror movie when it kicked off. It builds a bit of plot and characterization before it gets freaky, which too many horror movies don’t. If you want action straight away, you’ll probably find The Wind a little on the slow side.

The horror elements were quite well done. (Yes,it did make me jump.) Part of what makes it work so well is that it lets you stew over whether there’s really a monster out there or whether Lizzy is just losing it. Even at the very end, The Wind gives you just enough to justify your belief either way but doesn’t specifically give an explanation. It’s the kind of movie that can spark debates between viewers.

I don’t know if I’d go so far as to say I enjoyed The Wind. I mean... if you’re going to make a historical Western, get the details right. But, it did engage me and keep me interested to the end. Although I won’t be rushing to watch The Wind again anytime soon (that’s my Western quota for a few months), I recommend giving it a try at least once. If you’ve already seen it, I’d love to know your thoughts on the monster. Get in touch.