Wendigo

For a low-budget horror indie that never enjoyed a general theatrical release, Wendigo's DVD package is very impressive. The best of the extras is a 31-minute behind-the-scenes featurette that is refreshingly not a bit self-congratulatory or self-promoting; the piece is made up of clips shot over the course of four years as the production got off the ground. Using no narration, and edited in the same haunting style as the movie, the documentary shows how the creature was developed, constructed, and assayed (it's too bad the movie didn't do more with it, considering the effort that went into building the thing); just about everyone from the producer to the best boy is highlighted on the job. Director Larry Fessenden's commentary -- which provides plentiful insights as to what was going on in his head when he wrote and shot the film -- enlightens the viewer and adds considerable subtext to the movie. A casual onscreen interview with him repeats many of the same themes, but it's still nice to see him in person explaining why he made a movie about a stag that can run upright. The widescreen presentation of the movie, with both 5.1 and 2.0 sound options, an art gallery (lots of storyboards sketches), subtitles, and the trailer are included. One quibble: The nicely rendered scene selection menu only shows two chapters at a time. Still, it's an excellent, and unexpected, DVD product that clearly reflects the intellect of director Fessenden, who doesn't always get his ideas across visually in the film, but at least he has ideas.