Frozen (2010)

Directed By: Adam Green

Starring: Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore, & Kevin Zegers

MPAA Rating: R

My Rating 9 / 10

So far, for this blog, I have reviewed a total of three horror films...and each and every one of them, from the much-hyped The Human Centipede to the dully-tepid And Soon the Darkness, have been pretty awful. But, leave it up to Hatchet-helmer Adam Green to show them all how it's done...my first thought when Frozen ended was pretty simple and fairly descriptive of my overall opinion: now this is how you make a horror movie! Intense and gut-wrenching, Frozen is the rare horror film that is able to get under one's skin, leaving a lasting impact upon viewers once it ends. So often, we see horror films that seek to have an effect on audiences just during their runtimes (usually by relying on shameless jump-out-of-your-seat scares), but ultimately, the horror genre has far too much power and potential to be wasted on that. When done correctly, a horror film should be just as emotionally-moving, just as well-written, and just as heartfelt as any Oscar bait drama. Frozen is a wonderful example of this.

Three friends (Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore, and Kevin Zegers) are skiing for the weekend, when they decide to make one last run down the hill as the lodge is about to close down for the week. However, through a series of unfortunate events, the friends are stranded on the lift, perched high above the snow-covered ground below. With no help in sight and with the lodge being closed for an entire week, the situation is far more dire than they originally suspect. As night falls and a terrible storm approaches, the friends are thrust into a full-on battle for survival against the weather, each other, and most fiercely, the bloodthirsty wolves waiting for them down below.

It's such a simple concept, and yet Adam Green plays it to maximum effect. While other films of this ilk tend to be dull and uninspired, Frozen is a genuinely exciting and perhaps even terrifying film. Green, a member of the so-called Splat Pack (a group of directors famous for their love of gore), reels in the over-the-top gore that made his Hatchet so famous, and the effect is wondrous. Here is a movie that doesn't feel exploitative or cheap; it just feels raw and very realistic. There are times when things get icky (think someone having to remove his or her bare hand from a  frozen metal pole), but Green wisely downplays this, building tension instead of spraying blood. His fondness for excessive gore might have been what made him famous at first, but his willingness to abandon that, if need be, is what makes him a truly great horror director. Green continues to prove here, with his subtle character work and focus on sheer human interaction (and human reaction), that he is extremely versatile and can, I imagine, tackle any type of film. All of this doesn't even begin to mention his ability to draw unbelievable amounts of tension, suspense, and terror from a movie set almost exclusively on a motionless ski lift. That's a bit of a cinematic miracle really.

And, of course, Frozen succeeds in no small part to its extremely talented young cast. The movie hinges so heavily on their ability to make us #1 believe that they are really in terror and #2 give a damn that they are in terror. I did both. They are a major reason why I had such an emotional response to the film. Scenes where Emma Bell's character worries about her new puppy or where, after a night of holding it, must urinate on herself are very powerful, because Bell (like her castmates) seems so much like one of us. We can imagine ourselves in their shoes, and we would probably make many of the same decisions and experience the same emotions that they do. That is, ultimately, why Frozen transcends being just another horror movie, becoming a truly great piece of cinema. I can't remember the last time I said this...but I was actually quite scared while watching Frozen. Not scared in the "Oh no, the killer's about to jump out" kind of way. I was scared for the characters, I was scared of the situation shown before me, and I was scared about what horrible thing would happen next. With PG-13 remakes and teeny bopper thrillers becoming the new "it" thing in Hollywood, the horror genre is experiencing yet another lull in its ever-lasting tenure. Horror fans have been hard-pressed to find a film to really love, without looking to international markets. Adam Green might very well be the writer and director who will not only reinvigorate the genre in America, but possibly even save it altogether.