Paul Shields (Kevin Durand) is the sheriff in a small town at the edge of a forest. Things in this sleepy little town take a turn when odd things begin to happen. Livestock and family pets start to vanish during the night. Then one morning bizarre animal tracks are found in the snow throughout the entire town. Is this the result of an elaborate prank, or is there something more ominous at work? Shields must quickly follow the clues to find the truth before panic engulfs the residents and things go from bad to worse.

I have to start this review by saying how much I love Kevin Durand (The Strain, X-Men: Wolverine). While he typically plays gruff, surly characters, Durand showed his range in this film. He is still a bit of a tough guy, but his character in this film has more emotional depth with the inner demons he has to battle. Even though his role in this film is smaller, Nick Damici (Stake Land, Late Phases) is also great. He plays the knowledgeable local hunter who also owns what is probably the only bar in town. The only acting in the film that I wasn’t completely sold on came from Lukas Haas (Mars Attacks, Inception). He plays Donny Saunders, the new deputy in town that recently moved from the big city. There wasn’t necessarily anything bad about his acting, but it seems like he plays the same character in practically every movie I have seen him in. He is quiet, slightly awkward, and he doesn’t really show any emotions (especially in his face).

The story for this film moved at a very nice, gradual pace up until the climax. It created a feeling of hysteria, which worked well because it gives you an idea of what the townspeople are likely feeling as these events occur. I love that you only see glimpses of what lurks in the woods. It makes the climax that much more effective when the creature is finally revealed. While I think this film really could have benefited from practical effects for the creature, I understand why they chose to go with CGI effects instead. The creature still looked amazing and terrifying.

The only thing that really bothered me was that the filmmakers opted to use a blue filter on the camera anytime they filmed during the day. This may just be a personal preference, but I really hate when movies use a blue filter to either exaggerate the look of it being cold or to attempt to turn a scene filmed during the day into a night scene. To me, it almost feels like the filmmakers think the audience isn’t smart enough to understand. We get that it is cold in the daytime scenes of this film. They are wearing winter clothes, the ground is covered with dead leaves, and for a good portion of the movie there is snow. The blue filter was completely unnecessary. As I said, this is probably just a personal preference, but it really bugs me.

There were many successful aspects of this film. In general, the acting was excellent (especially Durand). I also loved that they took a creative, original story line and turned it into an exceptionally creepy film. It is the kind of movie that will make you think twice about entering the woods alone. This film also had a unique creature that I have not seen anywhere else. Go watch this film, and be prepared to be on the edge of your seat for the full 90 minutes.

OVERALL RATING: 7.5/10