Mix black and white film with cold war paranoia undertones and a smidge of body horror and you get Lorian Gish and Justin Knoepfel’s directorial effort, “The Howling Wind”, playing now on Alter’s YouTube channel. As a mysterious and dangerous wind blows through a town, a grizzled man with a gun, a glass of whiskey, and a transistor radio to keep him company, finds an unwanted visitor in his root cellar.
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The Plot
The year is 1963. The scene is set by a voice-over coming through the radio. A state of emergency has been issued across Essex County. The announcer warns of an impending threat carried in the strong wind whipping through the community. The voice urges citizens to lock their doors, discontinue the use of electrical appliances, along with a dire warning. “Those individuals tainted by the storm are reported to behave erratic and violently”. Um, that sounds ominous!
Images of small town landmarks like farms, church steeples, and grassy fields imply the setting is rural, maybe Midwestern, but additional location cues beyond the county name are not revealed. Interspersed with the announcement are scenes of the man, Arnold Cunningham, boarding up his front door, a moose head on the wall, a crucifix, and family photos. But the scene also implies Arnold lives alone.
After securing the home, Arnold settles in for a drink and presumably to relax and wait for law enforcement to quell the civil unrest brewing outside his door. As he sips his whiskey, a loud sound comes from the root cellar. He finds a young man, Jacob Thompson, looking disheveled and a little suspicious, standing there. Instead of turning this man out into the elements and the crazies filling the countryside, he allows his new guest to stay until circumstances improve.
They enjoy a drink or two and things seem fine until Arnold awakes to find Jacob in the bathroom unwrapping his puss drenched arm. And catches Jacob in a lie.
What Lies Underneath
What lies underneath this throwback tale? Stranger danger? Sort of. End of the world revelations? Maybe. Religion and God’s plan are brought up in conversation between the men and the opening sequence features a crucifix so this could be a doomsday scenario, but the themes seem broader than postulating on Bible verses. Good old fashioned scrappy survival – against the wind, against a stranger, against the unknown – seems to be the main theme that blows through the film. (See how I did that?)
Given its period setting during the 1960s and the Cold War era, there are additional themes of invasion, uncertainty, and chaos throughout. The black and white filming technique gives it a vintage feel, but the acting is contemporary in its style compared to an actual drama released in the 1960s allowing the viewer to get wrapped up in the storytelling.
What Makes It Killer
“The Howling Wind” has a few standout points worth mentioning. First, the cinematography is gorgeous and immersive and Lorian Gish and Justin Knoepfel’s direction is a joy to watch. Next, if the black and white film didn’t give you Twilight Zone feels, then we weren’t watching the same film. The radio announcer played by Mark Silverman was also the voice of the rebooted Twilight Zone in 2019, so it is likely this was intentional. And last, the filming style coats each frame with eeriness and dread, but the acting makes it grounded.
Arnold Cunningham is played pitch perfect by Anthony Arkin giving his best Ernest Hemingway vibe – tough and salty. Nicky Boulos plays Jacob Thompson with such fine precision that it is genuinely hard to tell if Jacob is bad, scared, or something in between.
Watch it below on Alter’s YouTube channel.
Directors: Lorian Gish & Justin Knoepfel
Cast:
Anthony Arkin as Arnold Cunningham
Nicky Boulos as Jacob Thompson
Mark Silverman as “The Radio”
