Fans of surreal psychological horror are in for a treat, as Michael Patrick Jann’s indie flick Alma & the Wolf has finally hit streaming.
I was already expecting the film to be a good time, especially since Alex DiVincenzo praised it as an experience that “subverts expectations and turns conventions on their head throughout”, but nothing could have prepared me for the fact that this highly atmospheric genre romp feels so much like a tribute to some of my favorite Survival Horror games.
From the moody Oregon wilderness that permeates the entire experience to the mysterious small town with idiosyncratic residents who all seem to harbor their own dark secrets, and that’s not even mentioning the Dostoyevskyan exploration of guilt and morality that culminates in an inevitable conclusion, Alma & the Wolf feels like the spooky love child of Silent Hill 2 and Twin Peaks – with a dash of Alan Wake thrown in for good measure.
The final act even has horrific monsters that our traumatized protagonist has to mow down as he continues to search for the truth behind his son’s disappearance.
Obviously, Jann’s film is by no means an adaptation, with the story apparently being inspired by the process through which a person might go mad after being forced to confront the narratives that sustain their life. However, even if these similarities are coincidental, I’d still recommend this strange blend of folk, psychological, and even body horror to fans of the interactive genre classics of yesteryear.
Just be sure to watch until the very end if you really want to understand what’s going on, as the bizarre imagery and nightmare logic here actually lead to a less introspective finale than you might have initially expected.
Alma & the Wolf is currently streaming on Pluto TV.
