Picture if you will, a dark cold night in 1963. Arnold (Anthony Arkin) has hunkered down against deadly, otherworldly winds. A windstorm would be bad enough, but people impacted by these winds behave erratically… violently, even. Arnold is nailing the windows and doors shut and settling in when he hears a disturbance in the cellar. Prepared for the worst, he picks up his gun and heads down, to find a frightened young man who reassures him he’s just seeking shelter from the storm. Jacob (Nicky Boulos) is frightened, weary, and just needs a place to stay until the winds pass. 

Jacob and Arnold begin to share their experiences with the horrid wind, and life in their small town. Unfortunately for Jacob, that’s when things start to unravel. Something in his story doesn’t add up, and Arnold is too wary and too smart to let him get away with it. Now, they’re stuck together – with nothing but each other’s company and the wind. How long can the mistrust and fear last before one or both of them loses what little sanity they have left?

THE HOWLING WIND plays with the slow-burning intensity of an episode of the original Twilight Zone – as is made even more clear by the radio voiceover, provided by Mark Silverman, the Rod Serling soundalike from the 2019 Twilight Zone reboot on CBS. While the loving homage is endearing and technically spot-on, THE HOWLING WIND lacks the charm of an old episode of the black and white horror show. THE HOWLING WIND may take its cues from a classic, but has decidedly modern energy. The subtlety of the story is a nice touch in a world where we are too often beaten over the head with exposition and subplots. THE HOWLING WIND leaves much to the imagination, which ultimately is an attribute of its success.

It’s always a welcome treat to see a film with as many solidly planned out “quirks” as THE HOWLING WIND. A simple, two-person script, in black and white, without an overt and overused monster, over the top gore, or a massive amount of tired, worn-out tropes. If a Creepshow style anthology of stories like this existed, I’d be the first person in line to watch.

6.5/10