Frozen

An exciting holiday at a ski resort turns into a chilling nightmare for one guy, his girlfriend, and best friend when planning to go snowboarding. As their wait for help goes unnoticed, and the ski patrol switches off the night lights when the resort shuts down, the trio is forced to take drastic measures to escape off the mountain slope before they freeze to death.

Directed by Adam Green, starring Kevin Zegers and Emma Bell as couple Dan Walker and Parker O’Neil, and Shawn Ashmore as friend Joe Lynch—all three of them college students—going away for a weekend to a ski resort in New England when Dan and Shawn intend to go snowboarding. After having some fun on the slopes they take a chairlift ride before the resort closes for the night, and begin to panic when they are stuck hundreds of feet in the air when the machine breaks down. The resort is closed for five days and there is no one to help them.

Dan decides to jump from the ski lift to get help. He falls, breaking both his legs and is soon after killed when a pack of wolves attack him. Although Joe and Parker have frostbite, panic and fear for survival soon sets in, and Joe decides that he too has to jump to get help, and is also killed by both the jump and the wolves. When Parker jumps and survives the fall, clawing her way to the middle of a main road, she manages to stop a car and take her to a hospital.

Director Adam Green uses basic photography in his intense scenes, similar to Jaws, and the main characters all play realistic roles. When only three actors are trapped in a small location their charisma and presence must hold the audience’s attention. This thriller certainly has an interesting scenario, and I am sure similar accidents have happened at real ski resorts over the years. It may also be compared to being stuck in an elevator, with their time running out at a fast pace. It will be interesting to see if it changes the way that thrillers are created by way of its simple storyline. I must say that there were certainly some tense and nerve-wracking moments in this film that made me quiver with fear and provoked reactions from the audience.

This film builds anxiety and distress, and there seems to be a trend in recent horror films, such as The Strangers and Vacancy, about innocent people who are trapped in a frightening scenario. The film stays at a decent pace and does not overextend the plot. Although the dialogue is basic, and I would only describe this film as average, it has some of the most frightening scenes that I have seen recently. It will certainly stop people from visiting ski resorts for a while.

Frozen • Dolby® Digital surround sound in select theatres • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 • Running Time: 94 minutes • MPAA Rating: R for some disturbing images and language. • Distributed by Anchor Bay Films