Frozen
2010 
Dir. Adam Green
Hoping to spend some quality time at a tranquil ski resort, a trio of twenty-something friends Joe (Shawn Ashmore), Dan (Kevin Zegers) and Parker (Emma Bell), instead experience a chilling nightmare when they are unexpectedly stranded on a ski-lift shortly after the resort closes for the week. Unknowingly left dangling high above the ground and with no apparent safe way down as night begins to set in, with increasing panic they soon realize that the threats of frostbite and hypothermia are the least of their worries.
Forced to take extremely desperate measures in order to survive the bitter cold, overcome unexpected obstacles and attempt to reach safety, the three friends are driven to ask not only if they have the will to survive, but also to consider what are the worst ways to die… Having already caused quite a stir on the festival circuit, prompting responses from critics such as “terrifying… will do for skiing what Jaws did for swimming” Frozen is the latest shocker from writer-director Adam Green (Hatchet; Spiral) who is fast making a name for himself as a director of low-budget, highly effective and fun horror fare. Taking a simple and highly relatable premise (much like the makers of titles such as Adrift and Open Water did) and milking it for all its terrifying potential, Green has crafted a highly compelling, frustrating, chilling and hand-over-mouth suspenseful man vs. nature flick. Squeezing every last drop of tension and anxiety from this simple premise, the uneasy atmosphere evident from the opening scenes, with shots of the imposing mechanics of the ski-lift and the establishing shots of endless mountains and snow, builds throughout the film to an almost overwhelming maelstrom of intensity.
The circumstances that lead to the characters being stranded are a little contrived, but hey, this small series of seemingly inconsequential events – and staggering incompetence – was necessary in order to place the three characters in the dire situation that forms the basis of the film. Once they’re trapped and the realisation of their dangerous and potentially fatal situation sinks in, then the real fun begins and the tension mounts as they become more desperate and frenzied to get out of the ski lift and down onto the ground.
Of course this film, like similarly designed ones (the incredulous Adrift immediately springs to mind), have niggling little flaws and are guaranteed to have viewers shrieking at the characters on-screen as they make wrong decisions and suffer the ghastly consequences. Because of course, we the audience, would never be so dumb. Right? Wrong. Green throws in a number of twists to silence smug viewers and is able to convey how people react differently in moments of extreme circumstances. The film also has fun in subverting character types and as events progress; we learn more about the characters, their hopes and dreams, fears and short-comings. The actors carry off their roles well and we’re provided with the bare minimum of information we need to at least care a little for them – if even on a merely human level. This is a taut thriller after all, solely designed to provide suspense, anxiety and give the old adrenaline glands a work out. Which it does with relative ease.
The nature of fear and how we deal with our own fears is addressed at several points throughout the course of events – to begin with, it is simple enough: characters discuss fears such as heights, sharks and death, which provokes a debate about horrible ways to die – some of which are slyly reflective of events to come. Many scenarios and plans to make it to the ground are offered and discussed before being implemented, with any conceivable dangers carefully hypothesised. Of course, as we know, things don’t go according to plan; unexpected events occur that add further peril and distress to the situation. Not wanting to give too much away, I shall say no more. Except that when the first blood-curdling howl of circling wolves cuts through the chilling night air, your blood might run appropriately cold.
Green also successfully conveys a sense of how long the survivors are stranded for, and more importantly, a sense of their isolation, fluctuating despair and the freezing temperatures they’re experiencing. The eerie shots of them hanging, suspended in the all-consuming darkness are wonderfully realised. The use of sound is key here – whether it’s the frenzied roar of an oncoming blizzard, the crunch of breaking bones or the sparse, echoic emptiness of the snowy late night/early morning air – it helps create a chilling, evocative atmosphere.
Boasting cameos from Rileah Vanderbilt (Hatchet; Spiral) and Kane Hodder (Jason from Friday the 13th parts VII - X), Frozen is an effective, gruelling and tightly coiled film that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats and maybe make them think twice about that skiing trip they were planning.
Frozen (Momentum Pictures) will be released in UK cinemas from 24th September 2010.
Dir. Adam Green
Forced to take extremely desperate measures in order to survive the bitter cold, overcome unexpected obstacles and attempt to reach safety, the three friends are driven to ask not only if they have the will to survive, but also to consider what are the worst ways to die… Having already caused quite a stir on the festival circuit, prompting responses from critics such as “terrifying… will do for skiing what Jaws did for swimming” Frozen is the latest shocker from writer-director Adam Green (Hatchet; Spiral) who is fast making a name for himself as a director of low-budget, highly effective and fun horror fare. Taking a simple and highly relatable premise (much like the makers of titles such as Adrift and Open Water did) and milking it for all its terrifying potential, Green has crafted a highly compelling, frustrating, chilling and hand-over-mouth suspenseful man vs. nature flick. Squeezing every last drop of tension and anxiety from this simple premise, the uneasy atmosphere evident from the opening scenes, with shots of the imposing mechanics of the ski-lift and the establishing shots of endless mountains and snow, builds throughout the film to an almost overwhelming maelstrom of intensity.
The circumstances that lead to the characters being stranded are a little contrived, but hey, this small series of seemingly inconsequential events – and staggering incompetence – was necessary in order to place the three characters in the dire situation that forms the basis of the film. Once they’re trapped and the realisation of their dangerous and potentially fatal situation sinks in, then the real fun begins and the tension mounts as they become more desperate and frenzied to get out of the ski lift and down onto the ground.
Of course this film, like similarly designed ones (the incredulous Adrift immediately springs to mind), have niggling little flaws and are guaranteed to have viewers shrieking at the characters on-screen as they make wrong decisions and suffer the ghastly consequences. Because of course, we the audience, would never be so dumb. Right? Wrong. Green throws in a number of twists to silence smug viewers and is able to convey how people react differently in moments of extreme circumstances. The film also has fun in subverting character types and as events progress; we learn more about the characters, their hopes and dreams, fears and short-comings. The actors carry off their roles well and we’re provided with the bare minimum of information we need to at least care a little for them – if even on a merely human level. This is a taut thriller after all, solely designed to provide suspense, anxiety and give the old adrenaline glands a work out. Which it does with relative ease.
The nature of fear and how we deal with our own fears is addressed at several points throughout the course of events – to begin with, it is simple enough: characters discuss fears such as heights, sharks and death, which provokes a debate about horrible ways to die – some of which are slyly reflective of events to come. Many scenarios and plans to make it to the ground are offered and discussed before being implemented, with any conceivable dangers carefully hypothesised. Of course, as we know, things don’t go according to plan; unexpected events occur that add further peril and distress to the situation. Not wanting to give too much away, I shall say no more. Except that when the first blood-curdling howl of circling wolves cuts through the chilling night air, your blood might run appropriately cold.
Green also successfully conveys a sense of how long the survivors are stranded for, and more importantly, a sense of their isolation, fluctuating despair and the freezing temperatures they’re experiencing. The eerie shots of them hanging, suspended in the all-consuming darkness are wonderfully realised. The use of sound is key here – whether it’s the frenzied roar of an oncoming blizzard, the crunch of breaking bones or the sparse, echoic emptiness of the snowy late night/early morning air – it helps create a chilling, evocative atmosphere. Boasting cameos from Rileah Vanderbilt (Hatchet; Spiral) and Kane Hodder (Jason from Friday the 13th parts VII - X), Frozen is an effective, gruelling and tightly coiled film that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats and maybe make them think twice about that skiing trip they were planning.
Frozen (Momentum Pictures) will be released in UK cinemas from 24th September 2010.
