The Wolf of Snow Hollow 2020 ENDING EXPLAINED | Horror Mystery Film 

Very very well done. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

I LOVE the shot of Paul standing up to his full height through the crack of the doorway. Both terrifying and comedic given the context

the scene where paul stood up slowly was fucking terrifying!! also the scene where jim was calmly listening to the police radio and and quickly responsed to it was amazing camerawork

Just finished watching it. Feel stupid because I had no idea Paul and the dude at the end were the same person. The lack of facial hair and him being very calm compared to how he acted previously threw me off.

I thought the guy with the wolf tattoo actually was a werewolf. And kills himself out of guilt. And the guy in the suit is a copycat killer. So two killers in the movie, hence the inconsistencies between the killings

First time I saw this movie, I wasn’t sure if it counted as a great werewolf movie or not. Considering the fact that the werewolf was never real, I initially leaned towards not, but after spending some time thinking about it I decided that ultimately it did count because it was stylistically based on a much older perception of werewolf lore that was based on men who killed and behaved like animals because they were genuinely crazy.

I was completely caught off guard by how perfect this film is. Watching a man disintegrate from stress coming from every direction, but never getting a break; it's extremely relatable. I also appreciate how much of an asshole he was to everyone around him. The title is referring to the main character.

Are we just gonna ignore the fact the John grew fangs while shooting the killer at the end

Honestly the werewolf was super badass and I was sad when it was only a costume at the end. I was so confused on how he killed them afterwards

What is really funny - they made the werewolf so realistic, with roars and howls AND HIS CANINE LIKE LEGS, plus the wolf footstep, it couldn't be the bald guy or the guy really could transform. OR he hunted down the werewolf, recovered the head of the victim and skinned the wolf. I mean, I get all those clues and shit, but why would they make such realistic werewolf which we can see at some point in all his glory? So I choose to believe there was a real werewolf. :)

Jim Cummings character cracked me up so much, reminded of a more realistic and aggro Archer from the cartoon haha. Perfect blend of deapan and emotional, can not wait untill the next project. Bring that same energy.

This video should be required viewing after seeing the film. It cements some stuff we 'think' we saw and understood, explains some big things that a lot of people have wrong theories about, and points out some interesting things that makes you appreciate the movie more.

Thank you! I was so confused by the ending, because I couldn't remember who that guy was.

Razer gloves can't cut through bone. Certainly not instantly. You would need something like a machete.

This film is so unexpectedly superb. John as a character is perfection. And your analysis and review is very much appreciated. Already sub.

I still don't understand how/why the spool of thread and the seam ripper ended up in evidence in the first place. They don't show it being collected (to my knowledge - my mom and I went through each murder looking specifically for the spool). I can't figure out why they would collect it. I also don't think the red herring is entirely unconnected from the murderer. In the background of his interior trailer shots you can see animal pelts draped over the furniture and a pet carrier sitting on a chair which made us think that he might have had a mutually beneficial relationship with the murderer where he might have trapped animals for the taxidermist and the taxidermist may have provided him with payment/drugs. I also highly doubt that they would have shown him burning a body if it wasn't somehow important to the main plot. I think it's an oversimplification to say that it's just a random unconnected murder. They said that her name was Helena Gaynes (Gains/Ganes/etc) and the coroner suggested that the cop might have known her ("you remember her") so the thought crossed our minds that she might have been the taxidermist's wife (coming back to the "she couldn't hack it" comment he makes - did he kill her but couldn't dispose of the body for some reason? And thus outsourced to the druggie who would be a good fall-guy for if the police got too close). None of that feels QUITE right but I think it's closer than saying it was just a random guy with a random murdered woman burned in his backyard. Please share what u think or have noticed because it's been driving my mom and I crazy. We literally spent hours rewatching the scenes but couldn't quite work those pieces out

Watching it a second time I caught the guy in the beginning and interviews but totally missed the books and funerals. Can't wait to see this guys next project.

I think the 6'5"drug addict was a real warewolf because some of the killings could have only been done by a supernatural creature. Also when he died and fell out of his trailer, there was a wolf next to his body. Finally the Coroner said his syringe needles were made out of silver.

Super informative vid mate, much appreciated.

Very good video. Keep it up 🔥🔥 Enjoyed the movie alot by the way.

Hey thanks! I didn't realize how much I had missed in this great movie until I saw your video here - so glad I found it!

Excellent review, and I entertain a ton of them. I still did not understand the constant evidence of animal markings on the victims. And when the wolf killed the snowboarding instructor it stood up with extremely log inhuman legs. It was certainly CGI and not a man in a wolf costume. When the taxidermist is in the wolf costume at the end he has very thick human legs.

Thank you. Thank you. I've been rewatching 'The Wolf of Snow Hollow' to answer the questions you cover. The daughter's dorm drawer 'protection' mystery was driving me nuts. What a fun movie. Jim Cummings is a new favorite.

Here's the biggest problem I have with Paul explained as the werewolf. The scene where he is attacking Hannah, the snowboarder, there is a shot that shows him standing. Look at the legs. This scene is obviously cgi, because the legs of the werewolf are portrayed as how the legs of a real wolf would physiologically be portrayed. It is virtually impossible for a human leg to bend like that. That scene alone throws the whole movie into question, because the viewer is shown an actual werewolf. Then the ending is supposed to make the viewer believe it was just a tall human. No way no how. It was a good movie up until Paul is shown to be the werewolf. Only because of that one scene with Hannah, I think the werewolf is still alive.

I totally thought the cop was the wolf all along. And then the ending there was never a wolf just a creep in a costume.

Great breakdown. Everything adds up if you dont see the werewolf kill the ski instructor. The legs and her arm coming off just doesn't seem like something any human could pull off. Also stuffing the officer in the trash can doesn't seems possible because even if the killer was a lot larger the victim is still a full sized man. But even with all that I loved the twist and you pointing out the details make me love it more.

Great video!! Thank you for this!!

Hey, thanks for this. Well done mate!

haha you nailed it bruv. watching this makes the film so much better in retrospect! many thanks

Excellent review and insight!

Great video. I've watched this movie twice, just because I like it and remember the search for a corkscrew, but didn't make the connection you did about leaving the couple without weapons. I look forward to your analyses of other movies I like in order to appreciate them more.

I actually believe that the drug addiction was a real werewolf who did commit some of the murders while the taxidermist committed some also. He is a drug addict to live with himself as a killer. If you notice some werewolf scenes he has a tail and others he doesn't. I think the taxidermist is a copycat of the addict. Just a thought. Some werewolf attack scenes couldn't not been done by a man in a suit. He would have to be immensely athletic.

Thank you! I saw some random version of this where scenes were edited out and scenes were edited in. Without this explanation the version I saw makes NO sense.

wow, really impressed -- subbed

Great analysis! I've seen this movie 4 times and never noticed any of that!

Nice detective work

Hey! Actualy liked the movie a lot more after your analyse 😅 Just marked more sense! Hehe Subed 👍🏽 Would love to se a analyse like this of cloud atlas, yea, totalt different thing,, but still😁

Great video 🤩🤩

Explain the LUPINE legs!

Really enjoyed the movie. It bordered the line between horror and comedy very well and I found myself guffawing out loud while still being caught up in the horror aspect. I haven't had that experience since watching An American Werewolf in London! Well done. Kind of wish it HAD been a real werewolf though.

I had to watch the movie several times to catch Paul in earlier scenes because at the end he is clean shaven.

Nicely done, Sir.

Thanks, the best and clear explanation

Notes from the Production ( I would also highly recommend checking out Jim Cummings' page on Reddit where he has generously answered numerous questions in an AMA and still follows up with questions today. He's a really humble guy which is really endearing. His name on there is JimmyCThatsMe. Really fascinating stuff for any movie lover. ) "A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BEAST”: Writer-Director JIM CUMMINGS on comedy, creepiness, and THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW Filmmaker Jim Cummings jumps into genres with an energy and style that’s reminiscent of early Coen brothers and the dark side of David Fincher, while amping up his own appreciation for mixing wry humor and horror. All of that is evident in the writer-director’s new film, THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW, which begins with a classic premise before it prowls into new areas. After the girlfriend of P.J. (Jimmy Tatro) is murdered by someone, or something, outside of a rustic cabin, the flurry-filled town of Snow Hollow has to rely on its disorganized police department, including officer John Marshall (Cummings), a recovering alcoholic and the son of Sheriff Hadley (Oscar nominee Robert Forster, in his final screen performance). Luckily, John has highly efficient Officer Julia Robson (Riki Lindhome) to keep him together and keep the clues straight - even as John’s teenage daughter Jenna (Chloe East) resents him for meddling in her life. But soon the body count increases, and eyewitnesses report a 7-foot high, hairy attacker on the loose. Is something supernatural turning Snow Hollow’s citizens into supper? John will have to put his personal issues aside long enough to find out. With THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW, Cummings explores a new narrative path from his previous film, Thunder Road, a Grand Jury Award winner at SXSW 2018 and a delicious mixture of comedy, mournful confusion, and people operating at their wit’s end (that film was adapted from a buzzed-about 12-minute, one-take short film that netted Cummings a Sundance award and a production deal). After producing shorts and features - including Trey Edward Shults’ award-winning Krisha and two of 2020’s most talked-about indies, Beast Beast and The Surrogate - Cummings, a former producer at College Humor, wanted to try a specific genre, and see where the tracks took him. How did THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW come about? JIM CUMMINGS: I first had the idea in 2016. I really wanted to make a serial killer movie, and at the same time, I was thinking about monsters - werewolves specifically - and had the idea of pairing that with a character who’s a recovering alcoholic. I was intrigued by the idea of someone who did something and then felt terrible about it afterwards. I did a lot of research into the history of werewolves and the mythology around them, and found that one theory is that this particular myth may have come about: In the Middle Ages, if there was a serial killer in a town, there was perhaps no other way of excusing it. And as a monster, a werewolf is interesting to me because the villain might be your neighbor, or it could be anybody - it’s not a guy who lives in a coffin or who sits in a castle at the top of the hill. And I’m a huge fan of David Fincher, so I was thinking, ‘How do we make this a bit like Zodiac, but with comedy?’ [Laughs] Philosophically, some of my favorite movies are the ones that present themselves as being about a supernatural thing, but the threat doesn’t have to be monsters - your neighbors may be scary enough! Like Rosemary’s Baby: People in your building are a satanic cult! Or the 1955 French thriller Diabolique, and Joe Dante’s The ’Burbs. I’d also never written a detective story before, but I’m such a fan of that genre, as well as horror movies, so I wanted to tackle that. When I brought it to Orion Independent films, they said, ‘Let’s go for it. Let’s do it right now.’ So we shot it 23 days in a town called Coalville, Utah, and man, it was cold! As with any genre film, especially mysteries or horror, it’s crucial to have fully fleshed-out characters occupying it so that we care about the extreme things happening to them, isn’t it? CUMMINGS: Absolutely. The same with adding humor throughout THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW. That was what we started with: Who are the people in this town? How complicated are the local politics, and how tough will it be to get anything done as more killings occur? We just kept adding these spinning plates. That’s one of the things that needs to be in genres for them to be effective; if it just feels run-of-the-mill, it’s not effective. That’s something that we talked about on this film with the lighter comedic moments: It can’t feel like it’s supposed to be funny, it has to just elevate in the right way. One of my favorite scenes in the film comes as the sheriff and his deputies meet. He smells John’s breath to see if there’s alcohol on it, and John stands up, like he wants his dad, the sheriff, to back off because John doesn’t want to give himself away. And then the sheriff looks to Julia as if to say, Are you going to handle him? And she stares back as if to say, Don’t worry about it. That’s all conveyed without dialogue, but everyone in that scene knows what’s going on. This is Robert Forster’s final performance, before he died of cancer last year. He’s so great in the film. How did he come to the project? CUMMINGS: Bob had acted in a 2015 film called Too Late that my producer, Matt Miller, had done. Matt also produced Thunder Road, and we sent the script to Bob. When Bob read it, he told me he immediately sent it to his manager and said he wanted to this movie. And the way he told it, his manager said to him, “…Uh, Bob … this is a werewolf movie,” and Bob said, “No, it’s a werewolf picture, and I don't care about the werewolf stuff - it’s the stuff in-between that I like!” Obviously, it was so amazing to work with him, to direct him, and to play his son in the film. We of course had no idea Bob was sick, or that he would be diagnosed with cancer not long after we wrapped. I guess that’s what he was talking about when he said he liked “the stuff in-between” - he meant that his character, Sheriff Hadley, is dealing with hidden health issues. Bob was incredible. We all loved working with him. He was like a real cowboy - he didn’t need to play that stuff up for the role. Bob really nailed every moment he had onscreen. He could do small things effortlessly, and make long monologues magical. There’s a scene where Sheriff Hadley talks about what it was like in the old days. I just let Bob go as long as he wanted to while filming, though of course he got that monologue in like two takes, and that was on the first day of shooting. We filmed in March and April of 2019, and Bob died that October. I actually was in the editing room watching his work when I got the news. It was so crazy, and so sad. Then I spent the next two months editing the movie to make sure it was perfect. It’s like I was entrusted with making what just happened to be Robert’s last film as good as it could be.

Really enjoyed your review of this movie that I just watched. Great review, pacing, comments, clips, and identifying at least one red herring. Like others, I started wondering if the acting Sheriff might be the Wolf, but that didn't make sense, especially when he confronted the Wolf after it attacked his daughter and her BF. Like a lot of who-done-its we're trying to piece it together before the big reveal. So much going on in the movie that it might warrant another view. Good movie, quirky though, and great review, thanks!

I thought this movie was awful. It was marketed as a movie about a werewolf terrorizing a small town but instead we got a movie about an alcoholic cop with anger issues descending into madness (with some really bad attempts at comedy), and the werewolf had a total of about 30 seconds of screentime. And then it’s revealed it wasn’t really a werewolf…it was some dude dressed like a werewolf. Also, what did John leave in his daughter’s drawer at the end that made her give a worried look? A gun?

You explained so much that I didn't understand about the ending. Thanks!

Great content and communication skills. *applause.

gracias por todo

Kinda late here, but I'm wondering why his daughter punched the box at the end? Was that just to throw us off into thinking the dad died?

Really liked this review. I was looking for reviews after watching this movie because I thought the father died at the end having succumbed to wounds sustained during the attack from werewolf character. It appeared 'to me' that the father was a ghost at the end when visiting the daughters dorm because the woman sheriff never really looked directly at him I felt like the daughter was the only one that could see him.

The humour in this movie was great. Love the dialogue!

Excellent thanks

this analysis is so goooood

I don't get how the guy was able to bite bits off of people with a bite pattern like a wolf of bear.

I just watched the movie again for the second time last night and I have to say your explanation of some of the trickier to catch clues and sequences really have helped me better understand and appreciate the film…… I then quickly jumped over to The Beta Test, Cummings third film, but I’m afraid after that watch I’m a bit on the fence on that one, hoping you might give it a go in your series of Examined Videos at some point…..it’s a film that could definitely benefit from a focused breakdown……. Looking forward to watching more of your vids, happy to have found you while searching for Wolf Hollow ending explanations online last night!

this movie was so good such a breath of fresh air and unpredictable for once.

can someone please explain why the drug guy wasnt in kahoots with the killer, I dont get why he burnt the body or had the knife collection

Great review, enjoyed it as much as the movie. So chill...💆🏻‍♀️ Also I was thinking that somehow murderer would frame John, and it would just be circumstances piling against him for the whole movie. 😅

Thank You So Much 😁🥰

Fantastic video essay. I usually watch FoundFlix's videos for movies, but yours might be even better than his. Great job, subscribed :)

I was completely shocked how well written this movie was. And emotional. I got teared up several times.

Superb Bro

I liked it but also didn’t notice Paul at the start. I felt he was a random character that happened to be the killer. Would have liked a few more hints

Thank u ❤️

So I didn't miss anything and really had no way of knowing who Helena Gaines was? I was baffled by that.

Thanks. This answers a lot of questions I had and more! But I’m wondering how you know it’s his father’s gun he left his daughter? Did. Miss that? Thx!

I just watched this movie, and I was totally thrown off by his clean shave. I didn't recognise him without it and was like "When did they establish this character?"

This was awesome.

First, I just wanna say I loved your "Star Road" outro bit. Very cool! Second, I've spotted a lot of folks making comments and suspect of this being a possible "Psyche!" Movie or ACTUAL "monster in it, but we side-track with some 'realism' stuff" movie. Did the director themself admit to details? Like, it's actually a serial killer movie? Or an actual Fantasy-Horror with the werewolf and someone copycatting?

Saw this movie and i can think of so many ways to make it better.

I'm confused, where did they get the seam ripper and that spool of thread from? Was the killer mending his costume while he was killing?

What if the actual werewolf was killed by the taxidermist hence the costume? It reinforces him more as a taxidermist because he knows his way around dead animals. What if he really did have a wife who in fact was the werewolf who did all those killings in the beginning? That explains the part where he said she couldn't hack it, probably meant she couldn't kill him? I'm a bit late to the party as I just watched it haha

This was a pretty good little movie. Glad I checked it out.

I saw the razor blades on the suits claws but no way razor blades would cut through bone lol

This film would have been so much better if it followed the narrative of the supernatural. These bait and switch twists rarely leave the audience feeling anything other than anger. Especially seeing as most of the people duped into watching this were werewolf fans. It could have been great, as the wolf scenes in it were fantastic. In the end, it was very disappointing.

I have only seen the version on Amazon prime. Is there actually another version available anywhere?

The best creature design...amazing execution.

I have a question who was Helena gaines mentioned in 7:09 and why was he burning the body. That seems odd .

So well explained! The condom scene was the only head scratcher I had... so I thought. It seems there was a lot I missed and overlooked. Overall, loved the movie. Glad someone took the time to explain it, and then some.

Why do the sheriff and his son have different last names?

I just finnished this movie and im completely amazed. Its a perfect movie: great characters, great acting, surprising ending, all the conflicts that the main guy goes through, the well balanced comedy and Robert Forster 😢. Its an excellent script. Another XYZ Films hit and im gonna watch more from Jim Cummings

I'm so glad I missed the movie completely. Gifted lifetime.

Loved this movie.

Another small hint you missed- Liz tells the police he smelled like a dark room, like for photography. He must have smelled like chemicals used in taxidermy.

My biggest issue was that the whole films conceit is that it's one long set up for a mis direct that to me seemed silly or at least not nearly as interesting. The fact that it was just a dude in a costume was just kind of not that interesting. Its great that the killer was Paul and alot of cool set up but he should of been an actual werewolf. The shots early on in the film of the world monster were so well done. I don't know. I just felt really let down by the third act of the film. There's a great cat and mouse set up and for me it just kind of set up and I read early on something about Paul is weird. There was alot of great potential for a great climax but for me it just kind of fel flat.

I wish a part 2 to this film was made. Great movie 👍

Boy...did I ever feel for Paul! And a question: can you name other Cummings movies I can check out? And, God! This film was hilarious at times!

I have just noticed something weird.. At around 17 minute mark, in the diner, Guttierrez is talking about Paul Carnury and the place they own on Maple street and the rock garden. And then he says that his ears are still ringing from "his WIFE chewing me out". Wife of a home owner. Paul's wife. So.. there IS a wife. Paul's behavior at the end seems weirdly calm, he looks differently, and he says that he is not married. Is it Paul at all? Can it be that it is some supernatural entity (werewolf) that simply took Paul's form?

did he become a security guard at the college

Honestly I interpreted it as the first murder being done by the wolf tattoo man who was a genuine werewolf who used drugs to cope with changing which explained why the first murder was offscreen. The second and third murders were copy cat murders by the deranged Paul which were both onscreen. After killing the first woman the wolf tattoo than only struck when he attacked Johns daughter which would explain how he was able to fold the police officer in half rock the car and move unnaturally fast and be agile while also taking mulitple gunshots (assumbely) offscreen unless of course if the officer missed every shot. Im also not sure if John hit the werewolf with his shotgun and would probably have to rewatch it to see but that may also point towards him being a real werewolf. It was convenient how the murders were in the end pinned on Paul which would cover the tattoo man being the culprit especially when he was executed and never able to testify whether he killed the first woman. Im sure if you rewatch it frame by frame there would be plenty of little details but I should probably check the directors thoughts and whether my theory is even possible ir not as it just made a lot of sense to me. To add i interpreted the cgi real wolf in the van murder as being from the perspective of the victim who thought it was a real wolf but was just paul in his goofy fursona but that could be said for anytime the real cgi wolf showed up as just untrustworthy perspectives from scared characters. Still doesn't explain the gunshots the inhuman strength and the agility of Johns daughter getting attacked scene.

Did anyone else notice that all of the women that were killed by the "werewolf" were wearing something red? Maybe a Little Red Riding Hood reference? Just watched this movie last night and watched it again tonight and caught more subtle clues. Two questions though. How did he know that Bo leaked the killing to the news reporter? Secondly, how did he know that the medical examiner threw the beer bottle at their car? Nice video and thanks for sharing. I greatly enjoyed this movie.

I really enjoyed this movie and thought that your review explained it as well as you possibly can, but it feels like there are still some plot holes and an over abundance of red herrings that sort of take away from the real mystery. Like I get that he was wearing a wolf suit, but a human can’t mimic a wolf attack while leaving believable footprints in the snow. One would think that if the police deduced that it wasn’t a wolf (or werewolf), they would look for the one guy in town with a wolf suit, aka the taxidermist . Regardless, fun movie and solid explanation

Yeah, Gutierrez was not a bad cop and that fact probably pissed John off more on some levels. His death was going to be a bummer regardless of the circumstances, but even more after you rewatch the scene. The movie is literally about John's redemption in society, his family, and ultimately himself, which plays into the fact he was unable to cover/assist Gutierrez. This movie is amazing and deserves way more recognition and viewership, I always revisit it every year when I'm ready for summer to be over lol. It's almost September now: it's too hot, anything we can do about the heat?

I adored this movie. The only thing I didnt understand was why he was hearing things in the begining and why he said his daughters name and didnt remember it. I for sure thought he was hallucinating and there was going to come something of it, but I cant find anyone talking about it.

I thought liz should’ve been followed home. I knew that was going to happen that really bummed me out. The little rattle that falls out of the evidence bag. The daughter question was so creepy.. I was like ooh shit

One thing I still dont understand; what evidence did John return to Paul?

Loved this movie!

I’m rewatching again just now. Really enjoyed Thunder Road, and looked forward to this; wasn’t disappointed in the least. The best explanation I have is, there was a REAL werewolf (a nomadic one in town) and a fruitcake pretending to be one (the taxidermist.) The second victim shown had an arm removed just above the elbow; no person could do that even w/ a fake “wolf mandible,” not that cleanly or forcefully. And in that scene, that’s clearly NOT a human being in costume. 🐺 Not sure how many victims the taxidermist was responsible for (or if was just scaring them, like the daughter and her b/f) but he was shown to be a creep, AND it was implied his wife was missing, hence he killed her.

This movie is really smart. It took me three turns to watch this movie. Firstly - thought of being B-Movie, secondly, being ridicule (playing game along watching). Guilty pleasure. Third turn, brought me to appreciate sarcasm of it, executed quite seriously. Yet jokes entangled with impending seriousness of the horror of events, change my mind, giving it a status of classic flick with potential. It is univesting entertainment, with brilliant ideas.