Children have been going missing in the town of Hemlock Gulch, Montana Territory, but town leaders and lawman are more wrapped up in a battle over property rights.
That will soon change. Dead bodies start showing up, sucked dry of blood, according to Dr. Roy Hawkins (Eric Nelson).
Then a young boy named Henry (Jaydon Clark) disappears. He’s the kind-hearted son of widow Josephine Beckett (Cassandra Scerbo).
Josephine’s friends, including a blacksmith Solomon Ross and his Native American wife Mary, frantically help her search for the child.
Unlike the other missing children, Henry returns.
But there’s something strange about his demeanor. “Something is amiss,” Mary tells Josephine.
Pretty soon, lots it amiss in the town of Hemlock Gulch. And town Sheriff Frank Martin and Deputy Jim Cooley start looking for someone to blame.
They decide Mary might be the perfect scapegoat. Hang a heathen and they might be able to stave off hysteria.
But at the rate bodies are turning up, there soon won’t be anyone left in Hemlock Gulch to turn hysterical.
Cassandra Scerbo as Josephine ‘Jo’ Beckett, frantic after her son goes missing in The Wolf and the Lamb (2026)
Jaydon Clark as Henry, under examination by the doctor after returning from the missing in The Wolf and the Lamb (2026)
Review:
Michael Shilf’s full-length feature film debut in another entry in the growingly cluttered horror Western subgenre.
Fortunately, it benefits from higher production values than many of the lower-budget efforts. The acting is better too.
Unfortunately, the first 30 minutes play like a poor imitation of the HBO TV series “Deadwood.”
And that imitation comes complete with a large cast cluttered to the point of confusion.
It takes a while, but the frights, the dark humor and the plot twists eventually arrive.
How surprised you are by those plot twists might depend on how many of these horror Westerns you seen.
Eric Nelson as Dr. Roy Hawkins, admitting he’s not quite sure what’s wrong with Henry in The Wolf and the Lamb (2026)
Zach McGowan as Sheriff Frank Martin, about to hang an Indian woman as a scapegoat for all that’s gone wrong in The Wolf and the Lamb (2026)
Directed by:
Michael Schilf
Cast:
Cassandra Scerbo … Josephine ‘Jo’ Beckett
Eric Nelson … Dr. Roy Hawkins
Zach McGowan … Sheriff Frank Martin
James Landry Hebert … Deputy Jim Cooley
Sammi Rotibi … Solomon “Sol” Ross
Elias Kacavas … Deputy Charlie Quinn
Clint Howard … George Derne
Rob Nagle … Monsieur Jean LaGrange
Mike Manning … Silas
Kevin Keppy … Lucky
Hanna Balicki … Sara Derne
William Rothlein … Chief Justice John Everett
Jaydon Clark … Henry
Q’orianki Kilcher … Mary
Adrianne Palicki … Liz
Angus Macfayden … The Rev. Elias Fremont
Runtime: 96 min.
Sammi Rotibi as Solomon ‘Sol’ Ross, the blacksmith who befriends Josephine and her son Henry in The Wolf and the Lamb (2026)
Q’orianki Kilcher as Mary, the Native American woman married to ‘Sol’ and friends with ‘Jo’ Beckett in The Wolf and the Lamb (2026)
Memorable lines:
George Derne: “You reputation does not disappoint.”
John Everett, a conniving chief justice: “Without Judas, there would be no Jesus.”
Dr. Roy Hawkins, having examined young Henry after his return: “Physically, he’s fine.”
Josephine “Jo” Beckett: “He’s not fine. You saw it in his eyes. He’s not even there.”
Dr. Roy Hawkins, examining more dead bodies: “No foul play I can detect. No, no. Just an unfortunate turn of events.”
Sheriff Frank Martin: “What the fuck does that mean?”
Dr. Hawkins: “Well, it means the events have turned.”
Sheriff Frank Martin of the Native American woman Mary: “Everyone’s disappearing. That heathen witch, she put a spell on this camp. Even my god damned horse is dead.”
Mary, burying a hatchet into a man: “I am no lamb.”
James Landry Hebert as Deputy Jim Cooley, willing to bend the law to help Sheriff Frank Martin in The Wolf and the Lamb (2026)
Elias Kacavas as Deputy Charlie Quinn, ready to stand up against Sheriff Frank Martin if necessary in The Wolf and the Lamb (2026)
Clint Howard as George Derne, trying to steal property from other business owners in Hemlock Gulch in The Wolf and the Lamb (2026)
Rob Nagle as Monsieur Jean LaGrange, trying to hold onto his property against George Derne’s scheming in The Wolf and the Lamb (2026)
Angus MacFayden as The Rev. Elias Fremont, praying with ‘Jo’ Beckett after her son goes missing in The Wolf and the Lamb (2026)
Adrianne Palicki as Liz, a business woman ready to stand up against corrupt lawman in The Wolf and the Lamb (2026)
Jaydon Clark as Henry, showing his vicious streak after returning from the land of the missing in The Wolf and the Lamb (2026)
Cassandra Scerbo as Josephine ‘Jo’ Beckett watches her son go on the attack in The Wolf and the Lamb (2026)
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