Wendigo

The events unfold in a contemporary, early 21st-century setting, with modern occupations (a Manhattan photographer) and typical winter travel. The story moves with the season: snowfall, family getaway, and a sense of everyday life disrupted by myth and danger.

A snowbound winter setting in Upstate New York frames the family's retreat. They stay in a remote cabin nestled in the woods, with a small town and a store nearby where legends are told. The forest holds a creeping, ominous presence that mirrors the family's unraveling.

😨 Paranoia

Fear and suspicion escalate as the family experiences a series of unsettling events after the collision and the locals' hostility, turning a planned peaceful getaway into a psychological nightmare. The looming forest and the Wendigo legend amplify uncertainty, blurring what is real and what is imagined. The characters' trust fractures under pressure as survival instincts take precedence over comfort.

👹 Folklore

Local lore about the Wendigo is introduced by the shopkeeper, grounding the horror in Native American myth. The legend is presented as an adaptive, shifting presence that can manifest in the woods and affect perception. The family must decide whether the threat is supernatural or a reflection of their own fear and guilt.

👪 Family

Family dynamics come under sustained strain as the isolation exposes vulnerabilities: Kim's protective role, George's deteriorating composure, and Miles's anxious but resilient budding awareness. The crisis forces them to confront dependence, blame, and the limits of parental control. The encounter with the Wendigo becomes less about monsters and more about how far a family will go to protect each other.