Stop motion. Full body make-ups. Puppets. Matte paintings. Miniatures. Opticals. These gloriously retro effects and more can be found in the regional B-movie jam, Tom Chaney’s Frostbiter: The Wrath of the Wendigo.
Shot over a handful of years in Michigan in the mid-to-late ’80s, Frostbiter is another DIY charmer that sees its lineage traced back to Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead. Whereas most of the prominent Evil Dead riffs largely reference and pay homage to the original film, Frostbiter takes its cues from Evil Dead 2 (the films even share an editor – Kaye Davis). It’s a zany, comedic little film that wears its influences on its sleeve and wants nothing more than to deliver a good time.
A good time, I’m happy to report, that it very much manages to deliver.
If the title doesn’t give it away, the film is about the legendary Wendigo unleashing its brand of supernatural torments on a group of unsuspecting hunters taking a holiday in a remote cabin. One of the hunters, douchebag supreme Gary (played by, of all people, guitarist for The Stooges, Ron Asheton) accidentally shoots the Guardian keeping the Wendigo at bay, unleashing the beast to wreak havoc once again. Can the hapless hunters survive the torrent of tortures the Wendigo throws at them? Or will it be up to Sandy, an unsuspecting young woman called to take up the mantle of Guardian, to put the evil back in its place?
Seasoned horror fiends know the drill. We love unearthing rarely watched treasures of horror past. Micro budget, regional curios are a fantastic rabbit hole to dive down if you’re so inclined. Sadly, the harsh reality is that sometimes these curios can be a bit rough to sit through despite their no-budget ambition and gumption.
This is not the case with Frostbiter. You never have to wait long for the next fun set piece to arrive. Handcrafted horror films like this rarely deliver the goods so consistently. The film is so fun, Troma themselves committed to distributing it on VHS in the mid ’90s with only one change: the title of the movie.
The film wasn’t originally called Frostbiter, but simply Wendigo. Troma felt the new title had more, well, bite. I have to say, I agree with Troma here. The Frostbiter title compliments the vibe of the movie far better than the basic “Wendigo” moniker.
Frostbiter is a true labor of love from all involved, and a standout testament to the go get ‘em spirit renegade filmmaking embodies. The horror genre is the perfect home for these guerilla filmmakers and it’s always a treat to discover one of these films for the first time. They invariably seem to come around at just the right moment; when you think you’ve seen it all and you want something to give you a jolt of glee for the genre.
Frostbiter isn’t without its warts, of course. The soundtrack is nearly wall-to-wall music ranging from heavy metal to twangy country and to comedic rock n’ roll. The sound mix can be a bit much and may irk some viewers, but for others the music will become a character on its own.
While the pacing is mostly jaunty and quick, added footage in the form of a local newscast was shot to fill out the runtime—and it shows. Thankfully these scenes aren’t very long and only interrupt the flow of the film twice.
There is only so much to say about a film like Frostbiter before it just becomes describing all the fun that happens on screen. If these kinds of films are up your alley, then you’re already looking to give it a watch as soon as possible. Thankfully, boutique Blu-ray label Vinegar Syndrome recently released the film, and as usual, the transfer and restoration is above and beyond.
If you’re looking for the next great “Beer and Pizza” horror flick to kick back and have a good time with, give Frostbiter a shot.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on February 23, 2023.
Troma returns to the big screen with The Toxic Avenger only in theaters on August 29!