World Premiere
Played at Fright Fest 2026
on Sat 29 3:30 PM (BST)
Life in the Canadian wilderness can be rough. It’s even tougher once those brutal winters settle in and settlers are forced to huddle together in huts, where the only warmth comes from a fire burning beneath an opening for smoke to escape. And no, those aren’t smoke signals to signal something specific. When the name Ithaqua isn’t widely known, it takes a talent like Casey Walker to convey the intent. Between Walker and co-writers Pascal Trottier and Peter Scott Vicaire, who flesh out the lore and world, what’s presented is haunting and eerie.
Between expectations created by the title and how August Derleth used Ithaqua in his fiction, there’s no cosmic horror this time. It’s survival through and through, and I’d label this film Western Gothic, especially given its fantastic cinematography and depiction of survival in the snow. Frosted water creates alien textures, mist hangs over the lake, and the environment itself feels alive. The question becomes: who reigns in this world? The answer suggests someone does, and that’s a cat-and-mouse game I can get behind!
Life is already tough at a remote trading outpost, and with a string of murders, the locals somehow manage to get a Wanted poster out. Cole Franklin (Luke Hemsworth) answers the call. The American mercenary arrives to investigate the decay consuming this world before becoming prey himself!
The current story synopsis nails one fact right: As fear spreads back to Fort William, an unseen presence begins to take hold. Paranoia, hunger and violence consume the isolated community, driving neighbour against neighbour as reason gives way to madness. With the fort descending into chaos and survival hanging by a thread, Cole must draw upon his military experience to lead a desperate band of survivors against a force that cannot easily be understood.
The Indigenous part of the tale is more telling. The woman (Leenah Robinson) Cole falls for has a secret, and I’m fairly sure I heard the beast’s name mentioned, and it’s held in reverence rather than fear. Also, when a symbol is sketched out in the snow, its significance is there for the viewer to notice, but not the residents. They’re focused on making sure they have enough resources to survive the winter enclosing them.
This isn’t a traditional Hammer film, but with the studio serving as producer on this latest project, it still fits the ethos of the vintage movies this company is well known for. There’s an impossible situation for the hero to wade through, and I had to wonder whether Lt. Walker (Kevin Durand) is a self-portrait of the director, putting himself into this world to say, “This is what I would do to survive the night!”
I won’t say how many people die, but the film offers just the right amount of gore and a “cheap shot” near the end, showing Walker knows what Hammer Studios wants and how to bring things to a whopper of a close.
This film almost behaves in the same vein as Dark Match, another indie Canadian horror film where survival also concerns “facing the elements.” This filmmaker’s idea is more concerned with how man tangles with nature itself, while the other is more about being careful what job to accept, if not where to make camp for the night. Either way, when the protagonists don’t want to wake the Evil Dead, the concept is similar enough.
Yes, there is a monster, but I believe it comes from within. The snow contains its own beast, and ultimately, I believe this work is more of a retelling of the Wendigo legend. Anyone who knows Derleth’s work, and how he adapted Blackwood’s Wendigo into Ithaqua by giving it a Lovecraftian name, will probably just laugh, put a hand behind their head and say, “Yep.”
Both figures symbolize the danger of living in excess and putting individual hunger above the community. The social disharmony is especially evident when an Englishman targets Indigenous people and others, invites them in as guests, then declares they are the meal. Those who escape are hunted by servants who charge after them on all fours. When these people claim they’ll eat anything, including each other, the point is difficult to miss!
Ultimately, Walker’s film may also draw upon another well-known tale. I can’t help but be reminded of the Donner Party. Whether that was his intent or not, I’ll have to give the film another proper watch on home media, should Hammer release it there, and speak with this filmmaker again to find out!
4½ Stars out of 5
Ithaqua Movie Trailer
At present, no official trailer has been released.
