I’ve been a big fan of both Larry Fessenden and Doug Jones for a long, long time. In 2001 Fessenden released a movie called “Wendigo“; it’s a quiet, beautifully crafted, contemplative and thoroughly haunting story told from the perspective of a child, and as many of my favorite stories do, it questions the nature of monsters. Are they real, “other” things that exist at the periphery of our daily lives, or are they just people acting monstrously?
At the time I had only ever heard the word “wendigo” without really knowing what it was. Fessenden’s description and depiction of this angry Native American forest spirit gave me chills, and has informed my impression of the creature ever since.
A few years later, Mr. Fessenden re-visited the idea from an entirely different perspective in his film “The Last Winter” and again, his depiction of nature furiously retaliating against human encroachment was thought-provoking and genuinely creepy.
A few years after that, he came back to the Wendigo for his “Skin & Bones” episode of NBC’s short-lived anthology series “Fear Itself”. In my opinion, this was the best offering of the series, in no small part due to Doug Jones’ mesmerizing portrayal of a man lost in the forest for days, returning to his family possessed by a Wendigo:
This painting has been gestating in my subconscious for quite a while and owes its existence almost entirely to these two master storytellers, and I thank them for the inspiration!
I highly recommend seeking out both movies and the TV show mentioned here!