“The Howling Wind” – Paranoia Blows Into Town – Horror Short Review
When men sow the wind it is rational to expect that they will reap the whirlwind.
~ Frederick Douglass
Mix black and white film with cold war paranoia undertones and a smidge of body horror and you get Lorian Gish and Justin Knoepfel’s directorial effort, “The Howling Wind”, playing now on Alter’s YouTube channel. As a mysterious and dangerous wind blows through a town, a grizzled man with a gun, a glass of whiskey, and a transistor radio to keep him company, finds an unwanted visitor in his root cellar.
Don’t wait for your chance to submit a script to blow past you. Get one ready for the next Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition!
The Plot
The year is 1963. The scene is set by a voice-over coming through the radio. A state of emergency has been issued across Essex County. The announcer warns of an impending threat carried in the strong wind whipping through the community. The voice urges citizens to lock their doors, discontinue the use of electrical appliances, along with a dire warning. “Those individuals tainted by the storm are reported to behave erratic and violently”. Um, that sounds ominous!
Images of small town landmarks like farms, church steeples, and grassy fields imply the setting is rural, maybe Midwestern, but additional location cues beyond the county name are not revealed. Interspersed with the announcement are scenes of the man, Arnold Cunningham, boarding up his front door, a moose head on the wall, a crucifix, and family photos. But the scene also implies Arnold lives alone.
After securing the home, Arnold settles in for a drink and presumably to relax and wait for law enforcement to quell the civil unrest brewing outside his door. As he sips his whiskey, a loud sound comes from the root cellar. He finds a young man, Jacob Thompson, looking disheveled and a little suspicious, standing there. Instead of turning this man out into the elements and the crazies filling the countryside, he allows his new guest to stay until circumstances improve.
They enjoy a drink or two and things seem fine until Arnold awakes to find Jacob in the bathroom unwrapping his puss drenched arm. And catches Jacob in a lie..… To read the entire blog, head to Killer Shorts Reviews.
