Horror isn’t usually the sort of film I like, not because I get scared too easy it’s just that some of the concepts of horror films sound more suited to be a comedy film, so three people trapped on a ski lift over night is just right, hell this is nearly a rip off from the best episode of Bottom.
Frozen, the 2010 film written/director by Adam Green, The plot is simplest by any means of measurement. A boyfriend, a girlfriend and the third wheel go skiing, and get trapped on the ski lift over night. Needless to say two die and one lives. That’s pretty much it, no great depth or reflections on today’s society.
Now a common and my biggest grip with the horror genre in general is the bloody stupidity of the characters, and while watching the trailer one of the characters stays true to form, taking off her gloves and holding on to the metal handles. WHY would you do that? In what possible scenario would that ever happen? They better bloody have a good reason to do so in the film.
Well they don’t, they just drop their glove trying to get a cigarette, which make the rest of the film really distracting as they keep putting their hands on the bar, like it’s no big deal and when finally they do get their hand frozen to the bar and rip it off, there is no pain or after thought. This is breaking the third wall in a master class.
With my limited understanding of what make great horror films surly atmosphere is everything, and while for the first 15mins when they are in the dark trapped it does build up quite nicely, but then it’s all downhill as we get a lot of time to reflection while looking at the pretty mountain side, what we are meant to be reflecting on I’m not sure, as nothing really interesting happens. Well ok someone does get eaten by wolfs, but we don’t see anything, and strangely these wolfs are very tidy eaters, in all later shots when look below them, there isn’t so much as a drop of blood.
There are some good aspect to the film, the pacing is just right, it’s just long enough without starting to drag out. The actors all do a good job, by no means Oscar stuff but ok none the less. So it seems that Adam Green does have timing down, now if he could get a better script I would be nice to see what he can do. The music is also fine, it builds atmosphere but it’s sadly not memorable.
So is this film worth seeing? No, its quite frankly dull and no scary. As a horror film its main job is to scare people, and without atmosphere or developed characters, you can’t get scared by it.
© BRWC 2010.
