What scares
Andrew Goodridge?
He’s giving us a month to find out.
Follow along with Andrew as he plans to get into the spirit of his favorite holiday by watching a different horror movie every day in the month of October.
October 17
“Frozen” will give you chills
“Frozen”
Directed by: Adam Green
Screenplay by: Adam Green
In my first column for this series, I wrote that I don’t understand the appeal of being scared. I kept coming back to that idea the entire time I watched “Frozen” (2010), which is possibly the most intense, powerful, disturbing, and scariest movie I’ve ever seen.
In writer-director Adam Green’s third feature (following the great 80s-slasher throwback, “Hatchet,” and the fascinating schizophrenic drama, “Spiral”) three college students are stranded on a ski lift at an empty ski park. They’ve got a scant few options. They can stay up there until someone finds them. But that’s no good. They’re up there on Sunday and the park won’t open again until the following Friday, and they’ll easily freeze to death in the winter weather. They could jump off the lift. That option is no better. They’re at least 50 feet off the ground. Or, they can climb across about a hundred feet of cables to reach the closest ladder. Again, that’s no good. The cables are razor sharp and covered in ice. And if they were to manage to get across, they’d have to fend off a pack of hungry wolves that have stationed themselves below the trio.
Horror movies typically allow for audience interaction. How many times have we yelled at the characters on screen in a scary movie? “Don’t go up the stairs!” “Why are you walking toward the strange noises in the middle of the night?” “Shoot him again; he’s obviously not dead!” But the characters in “Frozen” do all the things we would probably do in this situation. It’s just that every option sucks.
I’m sure some will draw comparisons between “Open Water” and “Frozen.” Both are low-budget movies about people in completely hopeless situations. The biggest difference for me was that I couldn’t wait for the sharks to eat the two obnoxious divers in “Open Water.” In that movie, the characters started out interesting and became insufferable once they were left to die. As “Frozen” began, the guys seemed like typical frat guys and the girl seemed whiny. I figured I’d be rooting for the wolves and frost bite. But once they’re stranded on the chairlift, they become sympathetic and relatable. For a movie with little action and lots of dialogue, this is very important.
I can think of a lot of descriptions for how I feel about this movie. I admire it. I respect the filmmakers’ vision and their ability to transfer that vision to screen. It was effective and challenging and successful in doing what it set out to do. But I have a hard time saying I enjoyed it. It was a difficult 90 minutes, and while I am very glad I saw it, I know I have no interest in ever putting myself through it again.
I first became familiar with “Frozen” after hearing about its world premiere at the Butt-Numb-A-Thon film festival in Austin, Texas. BNAT is put on by Ain’t It Cool News, and it’s a 24-hour festival specifically for genre fans. People who go to BNAT love horror and typically have no problem with gory or disturbing movies. But “Frozen” made headlines after audience members passed out during the screening. Then the same thing happened again at Sundance. At the time, it seemed like marketing hype. But I can believe it.
It’s important to point out that “Frozen” is not a particularly gory movie. In retrospect, I feel like it was gory as hell. But most of the gore was implied and actually happens off-screen. One scene in particular is very difficult to watch (you’ll know it if you see it), but the blood was relatively subdued. I think it’s a sign of a talented and confident director if a movie can make you believe you saw more than you really did. Adam Green’s “Hatchet” is what some might call a “splatterfest,” but “Frozen” relies more on atmosphere and tension than gross-out imagery.
I have to admit that I thought there would be no column today. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through “Frozen.” But I’m glad we did. Afterward, Lindsay and I had to immediately put on something happy to help us readjust to normal life. Some might take that as a big “thumbs up” review for a horror movie. I’m not so sure what it is, though.
“Frozen” is definitely the most effective horror movie of the year, but that’s not to say I like it. It had the strongest impact on me of any film I’ve seen during this HMAD festival, but that’s not to say I’d ever watch it again. It’s the kind of movie every serious horror film fan should see, but that’s not to say I’d recommend it.
Whatever the case, I’m looking forward to tomorrow night.
Andrew Goodridge likes movies so much that he married one. He teaches Audio/Video production, Filmmaking, and Film & Television History in Fort Worth, Texas. He would one day like to have a Pug, or maybe a Bulldog.
Andrew Goodridge can be reached at goodridge@everythingnac.com
well i did want to see this but now i’m not sure if i’m brave enough