Frozen

I'm late to the game on this one. I haven't seen the Hatchet films in their entirety, but I've seen enough of them to know that Adam Green has a general idea of what horror fans want to see from knavish, unprincipled slashers. It's hard to fuck up a wall-to-wall splatter circus (or at least it should be). But how would he approach survival horror? Would he be able to generate suspense? Would he know how to flesh out his characters without using a pick-axe? After viewing Frozen, I'm of the mind that Green can maneuver around any genre, though I hope he decides to stick to his bloody roots.

Frozen follows three friends who spend a weekend at a ski resort. They convince a lift operator to let them have one more run down the slope before the lodge closes for the week. Long story short, a spell of miscommunication impels the staff to cut the power while our leads are suspended fifty feet in the air. Oh, snap! Did you like Open Water? If not, don't rent this movie. If so, Frozen could be up your alley. Just replace "water" with "snow" and "sharks" with "wolves." I don't mean to suggest that this is a tripe duplicate. I enjoyed both films myself. However, you will squirm a little waiting for the plot to unfurl.

Of course, the methodical exposition allows us to acclimate with the cast. Emma Bell and Shawn Ashmore anchor the script as Parker and Lynch, respectively. I actually got attached to them, and I'm the guy who wants everyone in every movie to die. Literally. Kevin Zegers was irritating as Dan, but his performance was believable. Somewhere along the way, I got the impression that he was supposed to be foolhardy, so I can't yammer about his character flaws. Inevitably, the pace is torpid and deliberate. Others may disagree, but I never found Frozen to be boring. Once the foundation was set, I was hooked until the ending credits began to roll.

Drawbacks? I must admit, I was troubled by the logistics of it all. How could this ever happen in modern day America? They didn't tell anyone where they were going? Really? And they didn't bring a single cell phone? The homicidal wolves were sketchy as well. Those who know me know that I rarely get caught up in the plausibility (or lack thereof) of a storyline, especially if we're talking about a horror film. But Frozen struck me as unrealistic. Nonetheless, I recommend it to fans of austere, atmospheric experiments in tension. Keep tabs on this Adam Green fellow. He has serious potential, assuming that he doesn't shackle himself to a slasher franchise. Quit while you're ahead, dude!