Hold The Dark Review: 4 Ups & 3 Downs

1. The Atmosphere

The silence that permeated the film, undercut only by the forbidding sound of cold wind in the backdrop, allowed the film to drop both Jeffrey Wright's Russel Core, as well as the audience, into the harsh Alaskan landscape, the madness seeping into Sloane and seen in the desperate wolves almost its own character, like a monster hiding in the trees.

One of the greatest elements of Hold The Dark, and one that is consistently lauded by fans and detractors alike, is the atmosphere set by the isolated yet vast arctic landscape of Alaska, and the wildlife therein. The film utilises its setting effectively, with visually beautiful shots coupled with sound design that made the quiet of the sparsely populated area almost its own character. The madness in the Sloanes, though manifesting differently between the wife and the husband, was palpable whenever they were onscreen.

Despite having long stretches of time with no dialogue whatsoever, the film never felt boring, with the inexplicable dread permeating nearly every scene. Even when the silence was broken by some of the film's more action-heavy moments, the dread set by its atmosphere never truly went away.

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