There might not be gold in these mountains, but there certainly is a wolf man!
The Curse of Wolf Mountain might struggle with budget and pacing issues, but it has the grit placed surely on its plate as AJ (Keli Price, who wrote the film) and his friends - Sam (Karissa Lee Staples), his brother Max (David Lipper, who also directed the film), and his partner Lexi (Fernanda Romero), as well as James (Matt Rife), and Emma (Malu Trevejo) - join him in his search for answers to a childhood trauma. Together, they climb Wolf mountain hoping to trigger more memories as to what happened to his parents, who mysteriously died on this trail.
The mountain is notorious for the murders which happened upon it - including AJ’s parents - but the wolf man sightings can’t be ignored either. Something is up there and it’s hungry. It’s a good premise as AJ is encouraged by his shrink (Tobin Bell) to go and chase his past and see what he might find, but the film fails to check all the remaining boxes on its way to its expected finale.
The locals and the park rangers say the wild thing up there is only a bear, but none of that calms the jittery nerves of this hiking party, especially when AJ and his friends discover that there are bank-robbing criminals hiding out up here. So much for a peaceful weekend.
Lipper’s film opens with the troubling flashback to what happened to AJ’s parents; his parents falling off a cliff, and these visions remain a central force guiding this creature feature to its concluding statement in which AJ must face his fears. But getting there is a bit of slog to wade through. The members of AJs group start to fracture - going their separate ways - and the threat from the thieves grows and grows.
Where we are headed is anybody’s guess, though, because as soon as the night arrives - which the film fails to address thanks to some budgetary day-for-night sequences - the threat departs. There is little atmosphere created. That’s part of the problem in this low budget thriller from Uncork’d Entertainment. Soon guns are brandished, threats issued, and that’s still a creature on the loose, threatening to kill anyone who crosses its path: ranger or criminal or just a part of AJ’s family, but the sense of ANYTHING is left on the cutting room floor. 
With no atmosphere, little danger, and a bunch of hackneyed sequences, The Curse of Wolf Mountain is soon stumbling over itself on its way back down the mountain. Which is sad, considering the promise here in the opening sequence.
Now, the survivors must band together if they have any hope of getting off Wolf Mountain alive. Starring David Lipper, Tobin Bell, Danny Trejo, Keli Price, and Eddie McClintock, The Curse of Wolf Mountain is a bit of letdown when it comes to building suspense as it is derailed by long takes and a meandering sense in its unfolding, even as the threat on the mountain is identified and teased throughout. Some of the comedic bits don’t work and the horror of the situation always feels at arm’s length away. As far as the monster element goes, it also is a bit of a letdown, preferring to provide the audience with glimmers and glimpses for far too long.
With low key performances from Danny Trejo and Tobin Bell, The Curse of Wolf Mountain is now available on all major streaming platforms thanks to Uncork’d Entertainment. Unfortunately, this is not the howling good time you want it to be.
MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime:
Director: David Lipper
Writer: Keli Price
Cast: Keli Price; David Lipper; Danny Trejo
Genre: Horror
Tagline: Some nightmares are real.
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor: Uncork'd Entertainment
Official Site:
Release Date: May, 9, 2023
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: Aj begins having dreams of his parents' death. He decides to go back to the spot where they were killed, accompanied by his brother and his brother's family. But legend has it there is something mysterious roaming these woods.
