Sasquatch, the Manitou, and the Wendigo have all been subjects of film, comics, and the Tourist trade. The North American answer to Europe and the UK, which mine their rich tradition with a plethora of Folk Horror such as The Wicker Man, The Blood on Satan’s Claw, and Midsomer. Rocket in a different take at one of those beasties. You have the ‘Found footage’ gem Jake Robinson’s The Wendigo.
Taking in the influence of social media and a healthy dose of the seminal original The Blair Witch Project, you have a story of social media star Logan (Tyler Gene), who disappears at night while camping near a lake in North Carolina. The area is supposed to be inhabited by the Wendigo, a mythical antler creature that kills those that invoke its name.    In the stage tradition of saying the name of the Scottish play, Logan says the name multiple times in jest during a live broadcast.   Walking in the woods and showing genuine fear, he meets his fate, which is inconclusive.   The bulk of the film comprises various other social influencers and friends trying to find him.
Routine story, yes, and in the hands of less skilled filmmakers, one could fall back into the genre’s tropes, which happily, The Wendigo does not. Multiple cameras for different viewpoints, all with high-grade resolution, expand the story.   The people looking for Logan are all streamers, so they post videos. In a very effective opening, Logan is live streaming his walking in the woods at night with eerie sounds that take their toll on him. On the left side of the frame are posts by people watching and commenting in a constant flood of words and hearts.   The viewer gets glimpses of something and the horrifying pleas by Logan only to get the signal to stop. The dreaded buffering rotating circle is used quite well to separate segments, making this film effective if watched on a large screen monitor.

“…inhabited by the Wendigo, a mythical antler creature that kills those that invoke its name.”
The actors in their roles who are trying to find Logan all do well with what they are given, often sounding like the script was improved. Many are selfish, attention-seeking people who want to turn the search into a ‘me’ moment. T J (Jake Robinson), Jay (Hunter Redfern), Kaylee (Taylor Grace Davis), Cassi (Laurie Rodriquez), and Paul (Paul Hurley) all mirror a disintegration of social norms and indulge in arguments.
The picture effectively drives these people to a fate that normally isn’t exploited in encounters with a supernatural being.   Tension, blood, the woods at night, horrid screams, and the realization of doom all permeate   The Wendigo, bringing today’s techno-using people into its world of darkness to a horrifying conclusion. This is illustrated in the aftermath sequence of various fans of Logan watching his fate from that night on tape after the fact and making comments. As he called his followers, these ‘Logan Lovers,’ are cynical that it’s not real and mutter that they should cancel their premium subscription. Some are genuinely shocked and laugh, saying he should have taken a gun.
The Wendigo, with some chilling imagery, good use of video technology, and actors that make subtle commentary on social media that not many want to admit, makes for an experience of dread.   This is not the famous interpretation from the Algernon Blackwood story of the same name from 1910. subtler than the V/H/S. series in terms of gore, this work evokes one of the best horror tropes, those caught in the monster’s influence.   Enjoy it when on a camping trip or anytime.