Frozen Review

• 21st Sep 2010

Adam Green has been making swift progress as a film maker since his, questionable, yet funny, homage to the slasher genre in Hatchet. He has gained critical acclaim from the little seen Spiral, made us laugh even harder with the yet to be released Hatchet II which premièred in the UK at Frightfest this year and here he delivers in the horror genre he knows so well with Frozen.

This tale though isn’t the body count blood fest he has delivered before though, rather a small cast of three main characters stuck on a chairlift in the freezing cold high in the sky, with no one to help them down.

What starts as a “It could happen to anyone” type of situation turns into nail-bitting (or is that frost bitten?) tension as our three youngsters have to decide how to realistically save themselves before the cold sets in and they freeze to death.

Of course there is no other easy way out, climbing or jumping could well prove just as hazardous to their health, especially with a pack of hungry wildlife setting up a picnic below.

This film is financed on the cheap, but really makes the most of every buck and it’s helped in no small part to the three realistic characters we get to spend time with as their initial shock leads to despair and tension mounts between the three of them before they can decide what each to do in order to survive.

To pinpoint some of the strongest moments of this film is to spoil what lies in store for each of them. Let’s just say that none escape unscathed and it isn’t pleasant what they have to endure sometimes to wince inducing effect.

There is the odd quibble – like why don’t they zip their jackets right up to the top (obviously we’d have trouble hearing and seeing them if they had- so we throw that one down to artistic effect). You will argue some of the ideas they have when it comes to escaping as I literally did shout ideas at the screen. But then who is to say that our ideas would be any better under pressure?

The extras are also very impressive with the stars and director providing a commentary and a wealth of mini features on the films production which are all surprisingly informative and entertaining. Frozen is a rare treat that comes along and is more effecting that you expect it to be and is easily a conversation starter.

Steven Hurst

Frozen is on theatrical release on 24th September and is out on disc on 18th October.