Hammer of the Gods – Blood in the Snow 2018

A rock band goes on a spiritual journey into the wilderness in Hammer of the Gods. Mitch (Josh Collins), Eric (Rob Raco), and Olivia (Samantha Carly) are the members of the rock band Sled Dog, who haven’t been able to develop a successful follow-up to their initial hit single half a decade earlier. The band decide to go on an LSD-fueled spiritual journey in the wilderness of British Columbia. Along the way, they meet a group of girls, including April (Parmiss Sehat), a huge fan of the band, who decides to tag along. As they travel along to the four stops of their journey, the band begins to realize that they might not be alone in these woods.

Written and directed by Nick Szostakiwskyj (Black Mountain Side), Hammer of the Gods is a wilderness horror film focusing on the rock band Sled Dog, who haven’t been able to get past one hit wonder status. Hoping to get inspiration in their songwriting, Mitch, Eric, and Olivia decide to take a spiritual journey, following the path of native coming-of-age rituals. However, as the drugs they take begin to kick in, the band begins to see creatures in the woods, which may or may not be hallucinations.

Just like the drugs taken by the characters, Hammer of the Gods is a very slow burning acid trip of a horror film that doesn’t truly kick in until the third act. This includes setting up what turns out to be a plot macguffin, resulting in a very out of nowhere inciting incident. While Hammer of the Gods does take a while to get going, it does feature some well designed creatures and at least one good jump scare. Overall, Hammer of the Gods is an OK enough wilderness horror film.