James LeGros in The Last Winter (Antidote Films)
"The arctic tundra has been frozen for centuries," proclaims the poster for The Last Winter (opening October 5 at Landmark's Ken Cinema ). But what happens when global warming thaws our what lies beneath? That's the odd mix of horror and environmental concern that comes together in Larry Fessenden's latest film.
Fessenden has always displayed a penchant for horror but not within a traditional context. Horror and animals rights mix in No Telling; a vampire offers solace to a troubled man in Habit; and Native American folklore about shape-shifting creatures figures prominently in a story of a young boy and his family's misfortunes in Wendigo . So the idea of a big bad oil company not only causing environmental harm but also uncovering some kind of long hidden beast in the frozen tundra is in keeping with Fessenden's other films. It also has a certain appeal. It's in keeping with the environmental concerns of the 1970s sci-fi film Silent Running.
