When I saw that Jim Cummings wrote, directed and starred in 2020’s The Wolf of Snow Hollow, I felt flabbergasted. The longtime voice of Winnie the Pooh made an “R”-rated live-action horror movie?

Different Jim Cummings. Who knew there were two?

The ski resort town of Snow Hollow sits in a secluded Utah location, and Officer John Marshall (Cummings) works as part of the small local police force. He also struggles with alcoholism, his need to raise his rebellious teen daughter Jenna (Chloe East) and also to keep his father – the town’s sheriff (Robert Forster) – on track despite the elder lawman’s age-related health decline.

Despite those challenges in Marshall’s personal life, he presides over a fairly sleepy climate in terms of crime – until vicious murders start to occur, all during full moons. While Marshall tries to solve the mystery, he confronts the possibility of supernatural activity in the possible form of a werewolf.

Through the first 20 percent of the 21st century, vampires and zombies have dominated the horror landscape. Though not as active in the genre, we certainly have seen dozens of werewolf flicks over the decades, enough to make it a challenge for a new entry to find something fresh to say.

Does Hollow manage to create anything inventive within the werewolf confines? Not really, but it offers a moderately interesting tale nonetheless.

On the surface, Hollow feels like an ego trip for Cummings. That seems the case when prominent Hollywood personalities take on the writing, directing and lead acting roles, but it comes across as even more accurate when someone with a profile as relatively low as Cummings does so.

In terms of acting, Cummings feels like the weakest link. Not that he offers a poor performance, but he gives Marshall a broad tone that doesn’t mesh with the rest of the flick.

While Hollow opts for a mix of comedy and horror, the humor tends toward the dry side of the street, and that means Cummings’ occasionally manic turn fails to connect as well as I’d like. Although he does okay in the role, he seems less impressive than I’d hope, especially when surrounded by better actors like Forster and Lindholme.

As for Cummings’ work as writer and/or director, he does better, particularly in the movie’s balance of comedy and terror. As I mentioned, the funny bits remain fairly subtle much of the time, and that means these moments don’t subvert the potential scares.

Granted, Hollow doesn’t ever turn into an especially frightening experience, but it manages a decent sense of tension. Cummings manages to develop the story in a fairly compelling way that allows it to build toward its climax.

The Wolf of Snow Hollow appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.78:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The movie offered a pretty strong transfer.

Overall definition seemed positive. A smidgen of softness hit some wider shots, but most of the movie showed nice delineation.

I witnessed no issued with shimmering or jagged edges, and edge haloes remained absent. No print flaws cropped up along the way.

Like virtually all modern horror tales, Hollow opted for a stylized palette. It tended toward a low-key vibe with an emphasis on chilly blue and amber to match the frigid ski town setting. The hues worked fine for the material.

Blacks seemed dark, while shadows showed positive clarity. This became a quality presentation.

Similar thoughts greeted the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack. It went for a fairly atmospheric air, as the mix gave us logical accompaniment for the creepy visuals.

This meant music popped up around the room and became somewhat dominant while effects remained mostly in the environmental realm. Violent scenes used the five channels in an active manner, though, and those added pizzazz to the proceedings.

Audio quality was good. Dialogue appeared natural and concise, while music showed nice range and impact.

Effects boasted positive punch and dimensionality, with deep low-end when necessary. Though not a killer mix, the audio fit the story.

Four brief featurettes appear here. We find “The Impetus” (1:01), “Working With Jim Cummings” (1:42), “The Story and the Genre” (4:07) and “The Design of the Werewolf” (5:34).

Across these, we hear from writer/actor/director Jim Cummings, producers Benjamin Wiessner and Matt Miller, creative director Danny Madden, specialty costume designer Michael Yale, and actors Robert Forster, Riki Lindholme, Jimmy Tatro, Will Madden, Skyler Bible, Kevin Changaris, Annie Hamilton, and Chloe East.

The clips cover the movie’s origins, Cummings’ work as director, writer and actor, narrative/genre domains, and creature design. Though we get a few decent notes, these segments mostly feel promotional.

As a mix of comedy and horror, The Wolf of Snow Hollow becomes a reasonably entertaining affair. While it doesn’t excel in any ways, it does enough right to keep us engaged. The Blu-ray comes with positive picture and audio as well as minor bonus materials. Expect a mostly enjoyable genre effort.