The story of WHY I'm reviewing this film is actually more interesting than the film itself. For several years, my mate and I were urged - stalked, in fact - by a mutual internet friend to seek out "Wolf's Hole" because, in his not-so-humble opinion, it qualifies as a unique and must-see masterpiece. So, my mate moved heaven and earth to finally stumble upon a qualitative copy in the original Czech language with English subtitles, only to find out, well... that it's an indescribably bizarre and underwhelming movie.
So, Rondal, if you are reading this: the review is dedicated to you. To this day I still haven't figured out whether you were pulling our leg or that you honestly consider "Wolf's Hole" a great film.
One thing I'll gladly admit, though, is that "Wolf's Hole" contains a couple of impressive moments and nice examples of building up tension and atmosphere. The opening sequences, for instance, follow the camera moving unsteadily over snowy grounds while ominous music is playing. For a moment, I had some hope we stumbled upon a hidden horror masterpiece for sure. After that, the impression gets raised it'll be a typical 80s slasher. A group of 11 teenagers (including stereotypes like the rebellious girl, the momma's boy, and the loud-mouthed jock) go up the mountain for a private skiing camp. There are three instructors, two of which are barely older than the group members themselves, and they behave peculiar to say the least. The instructors seem very upset the group exists of 11 teenagers rather than the foreseen 10, and the supplies and sheltering conditions are subpar.
Everything that comes next is strange and confusing, but not necessarily intriguing. The instructors may or may not be extraterrestrial, but never make quite clear what their intentions are. Are they here to study typical teenage behavior? Are they here to kill them? Or to force them to kill each other? Is the whole thing an allegory on the contemporary Czechoslovakian society? Anyone's guesses are as good as mine. The group doesn't do much, except for secretly smoking in the lodge and start food-fights, and the cute girl-instructor goes out at night to roll in the snow.
There's one - just ONE - notable moment involving a snowman, and - being a safety advisor myself - the most horrifying thing I observed was the ramshackle and mortally dangerous cable lift that transports eleven people (+ 1 dog) at once.
