Movies
Sundance ’10 REVIEW: ‘Frozen’ Unbearably Suspenseful
To go along with my raving review, beyond the break you’ll find Ryan Daley’s thoughts on Adam Green’s Frozen, his thriller that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last weekend. Dalye’s thoughts? He says Green “ sustains a level of suspense that is almost unbearable at times.” Read on for his review and go see if the film is playing at a theater near you when Anchor Bay releases it in theaters this weekend!
During a time when every good movie of the 20th century is being crammed through the Hollywood remake machine, Adam Green’s Frozen centers around a cinematic premise so basic and brilliant, it’s amazing that nobody has ever thought of it before. Three friends get stranded on a ski lift after the resort closes one snowy Sunday night…and the resort doesn’t open again until Friday. Green approaches the nightmarish scenario with an eye on agonizing detail, putting his three central characters through all manner of winter hell with an almost gleeful relish.
When longtime buddies Dan and Joe head up to the New England mountains for a day of skiing, Dan insists on bringing his girlfriend Parker. It’s a move that irritates Joe, who wasn’t planning on spending the day on the bunny hill, but the issue is put on hold after Parker manages to seduce some discount ski passes from a husky lift operator. As in Adam Green’s previous film, Hatchet, much of the first 30 minutes is invested in character banter, and it bears mentioning that not all of it is witty. But even if the early dialogue isn’t quite as funny as it wants to be, it sets an essential stage for the harrowing events to follow.
As the day draws to a close, Joe starts bitching about how much Parker has ruined their day of awesome man skiing, so the boys decide to head up the mountain for one more last run before the resort closes. To Joe’s chagrin, Parker tags along. The husky lift operator is about to shut down for the night, but the trio convinces him to let them board the lift one last time. Needing to talk to the boss about his schedule, the lift operator passes responsibility off to another employee, telling him, “there are three more coming down”. When three guys on snowboards reach the bottom of the mountain a few seconds later, the chair lift is shut down for the rest of the week, leaving Dan, Joe, and Parker stranded halfway up the ski run.
Over the next hour, Green sustains a level of suspense that is almost unbearable at times. From frostbite, to sub-freezing urination, to hungry wolves, if there is an aspect of extreme weather chair lift survival that is frightening or gruesome, you can bet your ass that Adam Green explores it in Frozen. Speaking of the wolves, it’s worth mentioning that Green’s decision to go with actual trained wolves, as opposed to the “we-still-can’t-get- it-right” CG wolves of most recent big-budget flicks, is a decision that truly jacks up the tension.
It’s during the final hour, when the characters’ nerves are stretched tight as lift cables, that the verbal sparring of the first 30 minutes really begins to pay off. As mentioned earlier, Green seems to take an inordinate amount of pleasure in putting his Frozen characters through the physical and emotional ringer. But his enthusiasm for the power of story is palpable, and the result is an independent nail-biter that makes Paranormal Activity look like a drama club skit.
Rating 4 out of 5 Skulls
One of the all-time foundational fixtures in horror is the vampire. That means over a century’s worth of bloodsuckers in film, in various styles and mythology, from across the globe.
As prominent as this movie monster is, with dozens of adaptations of Bram Stoker’s Dracula alone, there’s an overwhelming selection of vampire fare that makes it easy for many worthwhile gems to fall through the cracks. This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to underseen vampire horror movies worth seeking out.
As always, here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Mr. Vampire – The Criterion Channel – Plex, the Roku Channel
This supernatural genre-bender from director Ricky Lau stands far apart from standard vampire fare thanks to its comedy, martial arts, and jiangshi. Taoist priest Master Kau (Lam Ching-ying) guards the realm of the living by maintaining control over the area’s hopping vampires, and other restless spirits. When Master Kau is hired to oversee the reburial of an affluent town elder, he and his two bumbling assistants find themselves in a supernatural battle to the death when the elder’s corpse resurrects as jiangshi. Produced by martial artist and Hong Kong cinema legend Sammo Hung, Mr. Vampire was a huge box office success in Hong Kong and launched a franchise. Still, it’s a charming, lively horror comedy that could use more love among contemporary audiences.
My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To – Plex, Prime Video, SCREAMBOX
Writer/Director Jonathan Cuartas‘s feature debut feels like a spiritual sibling to We Are What We Are in many ways. Both offer meditative, brooding depictions of isolated families far removed from the rest of the world. Both families are willing to commit unspeakable acts on behalf of their loved ones. In this case, siblings Dwight (Patrick Fugit) and Jessie (Ingrid Sophie Schram) find themselves routinely tasked with murder so their sickly younger brother Thomas (Owen Campbell, Super Dark Times) can have the fresh blood to survive. In the vein of The Transfiguration or Martin, this brooding debut feature grounds its vampirism in reality and focuses on the constricting, devastating toll of familial obligation.
The Night of the Devils – Kanopy
A disturbed man, Nicola, recounts the story of getting stranded in the woods, only to find refuge in a charming family’s house. The longer he’s there, the more he uncovers something is deeply amiss. Witches, vampires, and sordid family secrets ensue. Like Mario Bava’s anthology segment “The Wurdulak” in Black Sabbath, The Night of the Devils is also based on The Family of the Vourdalak by Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy. Director Giorgio Ferroni balances the gore and sleaze with haunting Gothic atmosphere and stunning cinematography. While it’s methodical in its buildup, the craftmanship and grim ending make this underseen Italian and Spanish co-production worth the watch.
Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat – Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu), Plex, the Roku Channel
Director Anthony Hickox (Waxwork, Hellraiser III) has a blast with his high concept horror comedy that sees vampires living in the reclusive desert town Purgatory. They seek a peaceful life, with the plan to get an artificial blood factory in operation. Everything goes off without a hitch until Van Helsing’s descendant, Robert Van Helsing (Bruce Campbell), arrives in town. It’s a vampire western horror comedy that lovingly pokes fun at vampire tropes. The simple setup becomes anything but thanks to town politics, new tourists, and Van Helsing’s irresistibility to a vampire (Deborah Foreman). David Carradine presides over the vampire hijinks as Count Jozek Mardulak. For those looking for something fun and lighthearted, this pick is your best bet.
Vamp – AMC+, Plex, the Roku Channel, Shudder, Tubi
This highly entertaining horror comedy features a vampire that doesn’t get nearly enough attention; Grace Jones exudes raw power as vamp Katrina. Robert Rusler and Chris Makepeace star as two fraternity pledges that venture into the city to hire a stripper, all to impress their frat brothers. They find themselves in a shady part of town, unaware that the dive bar they’ve entered is full of vampires. Naturally, they find themselves in an all-night battle for survival. The neon haze-soaked urban setting makes for a refreshing change of pace. The bromance between the leads is as sweet as it is funny. Most of all, though, watch for Grace Jones’ riveting performance.
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