Out Come the Wolves

Out Come the Wolves
Promotional poster
Directed by	Adam MacDonald
Screenplay by	Enuka Okuma Tyler Russell
Story by	Joris Jarsky Adam MacDonald Enuka Okuma
Produced by	Eric Birnberg Candice Chow-How
Starring	Missy Peregrym Joris Jarsky Damon Runyan
Cinematography	Christian Bielz
Edited by	Pamela Bayne
Music by	Lee Malia
Production companies	December Films IFC Films Shudder High Park Entertainment
Distributed by	United Kingdom: Altitude Film Distribution Canada: levelFilm United States: IFC Midnight Shudder
Release date	August 30, 2024 (2024-08-30)
Running time	86 minutes
Country	Canada
Language	English
Box office	$9,649[1]

Out Come the Wolves is a 2024 Canadian horror thriller film directed by Adam MacDonald and scripted by Enuka Okuma from a story by MacDonald, Okuma and Joris Jarsky. It stars Missy Peregrym, Jarsky, and Damon Runyan. The story follows a group of friends whose camping trip turns into a nightmare when they are stalked by a pack of wolves in a remote forest.

Out Come the Wolves was released by Altitude Film Entertainment,^[2] on August 30, 2024. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.

The plot of Out Come the Wolves centers on a Canadian couple, Sophie (Missy Peregrym) and Nolan (Damon Runyon), who decide to retreat to the woods so that Nolan, a food writer, can work on a story about hunting and reconnecting with the origins of the food we eat. To guide them, they invite Sophie's old friend, Kyle (Joris Jarsky), an experienced hunter, to stay with them and teach Nolan the basics of hunting.

From the beginning, it is apparent that Kyle still has feelings for Sophie. He reveals that his girlfriend could not join them at the last minute, making it just the three of them in the cabin. As they spend their time together, tension builds between the three, fueled by charged remarks about their shared past. It is revealed that Sophie and Kyle once had a brief romantic encounter, and Nolan senses that Kyle is not over it, especially when Kyle becomes hostile upon learning that Sophie and Nolan are now engaged. As Kyle teaches Nolan how to handle weapons like guns and bows, his instructions carry a sense of underlying menace.

The next day, during a hunting trip, Nolan and Kyle encounter a ravenous wolf that attacks Nolan, leaving him severely injured. Though Kyle manages to fight off the wolf, he decides, in a moment of panic and selfishness, to leave a bleeding Nolan behind to die. This action sets the stage for a tense confrontation between Sophie and Kyle. Although it seems like Sophie would have to fend off the advances of a jealous and potentially dangerous ex-lover, the film takes a different turn. Instead of confronting Kyle, Sophie and he briefly argue before deciding to head back into the woods together to search for Nolan. However, they soon find themselves confronted by the same pack of wolves, which appear to have developed a taste for blood.

• Missy Peregrym as Sophie
• Joris Jarsky as Kyle
• Damon Runyan as Nolan

Principal photography for Out Come the Wolves began in early 2023, with filming scheduled to continue through May 2023.^[3] The primary filming took place on location in Dundas, Ontario, while the second unit was completed in Red Deer, Alberta. The film was produced by December Films and High Park Entertainment, with Eric Birnberg, Thomas Walden, Todd Berger, and Thomas Vencelides as producers. and was shot in various remote forest locations across Canada. Directed by Adam MacDonald, known for his expertise in the horror genre, the film focuses on practical effects and realistic depictions of wolves, utilizing a mix of trained animals and animatronics.^[4]

The cinematography, led by Christian Bielz, employs handheld camera work and natural lighting to create an immersive experience, capturing the characters' intense and desperate struggles. written by Enuka Okuma from a story by Jarsky, MacDonald, and Okuma.^[3]

In October 2020, it was announced that IFC Midnight had taken US rights and levelFilm has acquired Canadian rights. to distribute the film.^[5] Out Come the Wolves was released by Altitude Film Entertainment through Shudder (streaming service) on August 30, 2024.

It also had a commercial screening at Toronto's Scotiabank Theatre on August 31.^[6]

Upon its release in mid-2024, Out Come the Wolves received positive reviews from critics and audiences. The film was praised for its realistic portrayal of survival, the effective use of tension and suspense, and the strong performances from the cast, particularly Missy Peregrym and Joris Jarsky. However, some critics noted that the film's pacing slowed in the middle, but overall, it delivered a gripping and terrifying experience.^[7]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 72% of 25 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10.^[8]

Clint Worthington from RogerEbert.com gave the film 2/4 stars and wrote:^[9]

[S]hockingly, the front half with the humans is better than the warmed-over rehash of "The Grey" we get in the final 45 minutes. The performances are strong, but workmanlike; still, the actors chew into it with some relish, between Peregrym's Hilary Swank-like elan and Runyon carrying himself with the smarmy sincerity of Rob Heubel taking a dramatic role.

Shaina Weatherhead from Collider remarked, "While the premise is familiar, Out Come the Wolves is an intense survival thriller that takes a predictable love triangle to brutal, bloody heights." He stated, "In terms of performances, Out Come the Wolves acts as an intimate character drama as much as it does a bloody wolf buffet. On the part of the two male characters, the emotional demands oscillate between seething jealousy and abject terror."^[10]

• Out Come the Wolves at IMDb