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Medium Raw: Night of the Wolf (2010)
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Starring:William B. Davis, John Rhys-Davies, Brigitte Kingsley, Andrew Cymek, Jason Reso, Andrew Martin
Written by:Andrew Cymek
Directed by:Andrew Cymek
Classic stories endure largely because of their simplicity and their ability to effortlessly induce feelings in our gut – be it fear, relief, or happiness. An archetypal story becomes therefore a powerful tool from which to build a new narrative, one which still readily accesses an audience’s gut and twists emotions due to setting its foundation upon a traditional base. The tale of Little Red Riding Hood is one such tale that gets a modern treatment in the horror Medium Raw: Night of the Wolf.
A horror film really is the best setting for any updated version of Little Red Riding Hood. The original story (whose earliest publication dates back to the 17th Century, yet is predated still by an oral tradition of the tale) belongs in a category of frightening moral tales that wouldn’t pass a censor’s board as suitable bedtime story material today.
The version that we’re all most familiar with is a combination of works by Charles Perrault and The Brothers Grimm. A young girl wearing a red hood encounters a wolf on her way to visit her sick grandmother. Although she wisely side-steps his carnivorous advances, the wolf enters the grandmother’s house, eats her whole, and awaits the young girl in disguise as the grandmother. While the girl is suspicious of her grandmother’s appearance, she stays long enough to be eaten herself, before a hunter appears to slice the wolf open and rescue the girl and her grandmother.
There have been countless variations on the tale, and while some adhere strongly to the original formula, others, such as Medium Raw, mainly use the original story as a starting point to give the audience something familiar while they create their own world. In Andrew Cymek’s version, the Wolf is a heavily-armed psychopath in a metallic outfit featuring claws to make Wolverine jealous. As a young boy, Johnny Morgan (Cymek) is playing outside with his sister when she is abducted by the Wolf, never to be seen again. Now, as Morgan is starting out as a police officer, signs of the Wolf’s return bring back memories and his determination to avenge his sister.
So, Morgan is the Hunter, his sister was Red Riding Hood, and the Wolf is still the wolf. From this point on, though, the film takes us underground into its own nightmarish environment as Morgan successfully captures the Wolf within the first act of the film. The chase is not the thrust of film, but rather it’s the imprisonment of the Wolf into the kind of place where you hope the inmates don’t ever escape. The institution is run by Dr. Robert Parker (played by William B. Davis, who also appeared in Steve Austin’s Damage), and Jamie (Kingsley), a psychotherapist who looks like a Hollywood psychotherapist. They are in full control of the facility, but the Wolf’s arrival starts a chain of events that reveal a horrible truth.
Morgan just happens to be visiting the asylum, as does his fellow officer Pete, played by Jason Reso. Reso looks the part, and does a fine job of keeping his intrinsic sarcastic nature in check just enough to believe that he would make a good cop. The other wrestler featured is Andrew Martin, although his role could have been played by anyone with size and the ability to growl.
With a few more unfortunate visitors to the complex rounding the cast, the power goes out, the inmates get out, and the audience gets to play “guess who dies first”. In these times, Medium Raw does its best work, as it’s very effective in drawing out the suspension of impending doom and ratcheting up the tension before jumping into shock and gore tactics. That may be partly a result of financial considerations, but Cymek also has a good sense of when to tease and when to terrify.
You may not need to watch Medium Raw twice, but if you like a good scare and some funny moments (but not mixed together – this is traditional horror, not Scream), then gather some friends and let Little Red Riding Hood’s latest incarnation lead you through the spooky forest.
Dave Hillhouse is a screenwriter and teacher. Please send any questions, comments, or movie info to hillhouse_slam@hotmail.ca .
