Black Mountain Side (2014): Superstition Reigns Supreme In The Great White North

I'm a real sucker for films that take place in ridiculously remote locations, in particular if it boasts arctic temperatures and an immeasurable amount of the white stuff.  It is for this reason that I love films such as The Thing and The Last Winter.  And it is for this reason that I watched Black Mountain Side.

In a remote cabin in the great white north of Canada, a group of archaeological researchers have uncovered what appears to be a stone monument ages and ages old. Unsure of just what they have found, they set about to secure funds and assistance to dig out the evolving mystery.  When superstitious local workers dig around the large stone, attempting to bring to light the meaning of the strange writings on the artifact, they one by one disappear from the site, eventually leaving the researchers high and dry unless they are to continue on their own.   The men, sure they have uncovered the greatest find in archaeological history, attempt to forge ahead, with disastrous results.

The film immediately evokes an expected sense of frigid claustrophobia, which is something I can really dig into.  The woods around the cabin were ominous, even more so because of their far-north location - it was only light out for around 5 hours a day.  Which leaves a lot of time to look out the cabin window and see something.....what was that?.......at the edge of the treeline.  The cinematography was really stunning, as nothing is more beautiful than snow falling upon snow, with a large expanse of woods behind it.  And as spectacular as that is, it is so much more unsettling when the sun is going down and shadows abound, casting an eerie blue light on the snow right at dusk. The snow is all-too suffocating, made even worse when trapped by situations out of your control.

Soon after the workers start disappearing, the men begin to hear strange noises outside the cabin.  Voices are telling them to do things, to hurt someone else or themselves. They start seeing disturbing images that are not easily explained.  Supplies start to run low and they are unable to contact the base station to send help when the bizarre illnesses and startling injuries start piling up.  Is it all because of the strange stone monument?  Are the legends the locals tell true?  All of this feels very familiar, and truthfully we've seen it all before, many times.  So it's all in whether or not you are willing to travel this same road again, with a new cast of victims.

One thing that I felt didn't work to its full potential is the fleshing out of the individual characters.  By the end of the film I couldn't recall any of their names or personalities.  They all seemed to run together and no one truly stood out.  In comparison, a movie like The Thing works so much better because you become vested with those characters - you know them.  You care what happens to them.  Here, a man loses his arm, then another his hand.  And you know what?  I can't remember either of their names, nor their purpose for being there.  And while we're at it, could they not have had a different body part removed to put some distinction between the characters?  I mean, it wasn't like it was a movie directly about people losing their upper limbs.   I think the director wanted us to know the difference between the men, but the only one I can actually recall is the obligatory doctor, because he was always treating someone and we saw him frequently.  Everyone else was either playing poker or trading barbs around the table.  Which works wonderfully in films like The Thing and Alien - because we rapidly find ourselves getting to know and care about the characters.  And that's why those films are vastly superior to this one- but in all honesty, this is not a bad indie film at all.

Despite its few character flaws, Black Mountain Side is a truly atmospheric and mostly-fun time, but it's a slow, slow burn.  Don't expect things to move along with any real speed, as the heart of the film is the slow, desperate realization that perhaps no one is getting out alive.

Winter Horror: Staying Within Reach Of The Storm

On this, our last day of celebrating winter horror (and almost conveniently during a major Nor'easter), I thought I'd highlight some of the films that are not specifically horror films but have hints of horror/terror/fear, etc. 

Just rounding up a group off the top of my head actually turned out to be fairly extensive.  Mind you, this is not a definitive list of every film that has snow or winter in it, but there are a lot here.  They are all scary in some way, whether it is man against nature, crimes against others, or just the struggle to survive the elements.

And since we're at the end of the winter horror road, I wanted to again thank James Gracey for being a part of these two weeks with Marie and I.  His writing talent is endless, and quite frankly makes us look like plebes! THANKS!

And thank you, readers,  for tuning in - and stay warm!

A SIMPLE PLAN (1998)
Three men find a crashed airplane with a dead pilot and what equals 4 million bucks inside. It's the classic question of morals - do they tell someone or keep it for themselves?  The harsh winter plays host to several murders, causing events to spiral out of control and raise the question of whether the "simple plan" was really worth it at all.

ALIVE (1993)
The gripping true story of a team of Uruguayan rugby players whose plane crashes in the Andes and they are forced to turn to cannibalism (of their deceased family and friends) to stay alive. The weather is completely in your face throughout this entire film - it is the reason that they are there, the dangers that they have to face (freezing to death, avalanches, etc,), and the deep snow they hike through to finally search for help.  The cannibalism aspect of the film is truly secondary - this is a film about determination, grit, and survival.

THE GREY (2012)
Liam Neeson stars as a man whose job entails killing wolves that try to attack an Alaskan drilling team. While that sounds bad enough, it gets much much worse when he and his team are leaving and their plane crashes - forcing them to endure ridiculously frigid temps, tons of snow, and very hungry wolves. The elements are only part of the story here, but the men fighting their way through the snowstorm in an attempt to get free of the wolves territory and search for a way out of the woods makes for highly entertaining film watching.

THE EDGE (1997)
Another "lost in the wilds" film, The Edge puts three men (Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin, and Harold Perrineau) in the Alaskan wilderness with nothing but their good intentions to get them out.  And when you add a 1500 pound Kodiak grizzly bear to the equation it doesn't bode well.  They can run a lot faster than you'd think. Forced to camp out in the snow doesn't help matters, as braving the elements is more than just a little difficult with a bear on your trail and you're flat-out freezing to death!.  Super adventure thriller, highly recommended.

SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS (1999)
Based on an award-winning book by David Guterson, this film is the tale of a murder trial that takes place during a miserable snowstorm. In 1950's Washington (state), a Japanese-American is accused of killing a white man. Times are already precarious due to poor Japanese/American relations after WWII.  A reporter (Ethan Hawke) further heightens the issue by falling in love with the accused murderer's wife.

THE SWEET HEREAFTER (1997)
A tragic bus accident in a small Canadian town in the dead of winter sends its residents into a complete funk, reeling with hard feelings and hoping for justice by way of a class-action lawsuit. Now a paraplegic, 15 year-old Nicole (Sarah Polley) is her parents' only hope for a settlement, but she's not sure she wants the added attention, much to the dismay of attorney Mitchell Stephens (Ian Holm). Relationships falter and feelings are toyed with in this affecting drama based on a novel by Russell Banks.

VERTICAL LIMIT (2000)
Directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale), this adventure film full of highs and lows (quite literally) is about a group of mostly arrogant climbers tackling the world's second largest peak (and most difficult climb). Obviously attempting a go at K2 isn't easy at any time of the year, with the near-summit locations being among the worst conditions anywhere in the world. Filmed in breathtaking locations including Pakistan (where K2 is) make for a death-defying trip to the heights of the world.

K2 (1991)
Sometimes if these types of adventure films would just stick to the action and leave out all the melodrama I think they would fare better at the box office.  Regardless of whether or not it was a hit or not (not), K2 is another great look at the world's tallest peaks and the horrific weather conditions that surround them and the people crazy enough to scale them. Another group of self-centered climbers risk life and limb to get to the top of the earth.

TOUCHING THE VOID (2003)
A fascinating yet very tense documentary tale of survival about two men who are climbing Siula Grande (20,540ft) in the Peruvian Andes. By now you have realized how much I love these kinds of films by this, the third mountain-climbing film on the list. But this one is different in that there are only two men involved in the strugle for life and death on the mountain. Scary stuff.

INTO THIN AIR: DEATH ON EVEREST (1997)
The last of my 'death on the mountain' films, Into Thin Air is the made-for-tv movie based on the book by Jon Krakauer. It reenacts the story of the author and a duo of climbing teams that face the worst imaginable weather at quite literally the top of the world. While somewhat melodramatic at times, there's no doubt that winter and all its fury are alive and well on Mt. Everest 24/7, and until people respect it for what it is, there will be stories like this to tell.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980)
It's been a whole lotta years since I've seen this movie, but not too long that I don't remember the famous battle on the ice planet Hoth. I've read that this was the most difficult production in Star Wars history - with budgets running amok and temperatures in Norway (where some filming took place) plummeting to the basement. The cast endured one of the worse Norwegian winters in history. But it was worth it, right??

THE ICE STORM
A crippling ice storm in 1973 Connecticut is just the catalyst for the even more catastrophic problems facing two families as they struggle with the difficulties of the time. The film deals with their young teenaged children experimenting with drugs while the adults get blind drunk and sleep with each other. The storm wails outside and the two families are forced to come face to face with their problems.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
An extremely unique role in film, the title character (played by Rooney Mara in the US adaptation of the hugely successful novel by the late Stieg Larsson) Lisbeth Salander has a special skill-set, enabling her to decipher a notebook given to her by Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig). They work together on an investigation into the disappearance of a wealthy man's great-niece. With the cold winter of Sweden ever-present, this brilliant thriller was well-received and is the first in a trilogy.

THE X-FILES: FIGHT THE FUTURE (1998)
Tucked in between seasons 5 and 6 of the popular sci-fi/horror television show, this movie further elaborates on the conspiracy theories of the possible alien colonization of earth. Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) reprise their roles as FBI agents determined to seek the truth about what the government is apparently hiding. Following the mythology angle of the show, the agents end up in the frozen Antarctic where the infamous cigarette smoking man has hoarding an alien space ship.

EIGHT BELOW (2006)
An adventure movie starring the wildly attractive Paul Walker, Eight Below tells the semi-true story of a group of sled-dogs that are left behind to fend for themselves in the frigid Antarctic. Walker plays Jerry Shepard, an Antarctic guide whose group gets caught in a horrific storm and are forced to leave their sled dogs behind. Five months later Shepard returns to hunt for the dogs, who have been on their own. Really a great film, especially for older children.

SNOW ANGELS (2007)
An unbelievably depressing yet realistic film starring Kate Beckinsale as a down-on-her-luck waitress with an alcoholic estranged husband (Sam Rockwell), a missing daughter, and a guilty conscious for sleeping with her best friend's husband. The search for daughter Tara throws a small town into turmoil even as winter seems to close in even tighter around them, proving that life doesn't always have a happy ending.

FARGO (1996)
This Oscar-winning film by the Coen brothers pits Marge Gunderson - a very pregnant police chief - (Frances McDormand, Best Actress) against two criminals who have kidnapped the wife of one Jerry Lundegaard (William H Macy). Jerry has hired said criminals because he is down on his luck financially and intends to seek ransom from his father-in-law. The hilarity that ensues, combined with the true-crime aspect of the movie, make it one of the best films of the 90's. You betcha!

Winter Horror: Ten Bloodless Deaths In The Snow

Though I've highlighted several deaths in the snow on the two Sunday Bloody Sunday weeks included in the Frozen Fortnight, it doesn't mean every death in the snow is bloody.  Some are, but sometimes death comes quietly and without fanfare- like perhaps being frozen in the ice or starving to death in the cold.  And sometimes it comes violently, by way of a snowy car accident or even a plane crash in the mountains.  For whatever reason death comes, it's generally not very pleasant. 

THE SHINING
Jack Torrance met a frosty end in one of the penultimate snowy deaths in horror. Hard to believe little Danny outsmarted his nutty dad by covering up his footsteps in the snow, leaving Dad alone to wander the hedge maze in a confused stupor.  This left him unable to find his way out before he froze to death.

THE THING
Nothing says creepy like a parasitic alien being taking over your body and imitating you perfectly.
Poor Bennings didn't make it too long into the film before he is attacked and starts to morph into one of the 'things'. He's quickly killed via flamethrower, but his death howl haunts my dreams.

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THE LAST WINTER
When a team of oil employees attempt to establish a drilling station in the Arctic, strange symptoms including hallucinations plague the group. When one worker inexplicably walks out into the tundra naked and freezes to death, the rest of the team attempt to leave but end up stuck in some of the most unforgiving conditions nature has to offer. Not only that, but the spirit known as a wendigo isn't about to let things lie.

INTO THE WILD
While the winter isn't exactly the cause of Christopher McCandless's death, it didn't help that he lived in a bus in the dead of winter - in Alaska.  His supplies ran low and eventually he mistakenly ate some berries that were poisonous, died, and wasn't found for two weeks by some hunters. How grim is that?

WHITEOUT
While not the best of films, the untamed ferociousness of the Antarctic is in full display here with violent winds, frigid temperatures, and a murderer on the loose. This all blends together to make conditions as dangerous as they come. Well, if there wasn't a murderer out there somewhere, that is...

THE SWEET HEREAFTER
In a critically acclaimed film, a horrific bus accident claims the life of several children. The harsh Canadian winter is ever-present in this tale of heartbreak and deception in a town forever changed by one singular event.

JACK FROST
If there's one thing Shannon Elizabeth should be embarrassed about, it's certainly this film in which she gets screwed to death by a snowman. Hey, I didn't say all these films were two thumbs up! But what you do have is snow. And a lot of it.

GHOST STORY
Winter plays a more gruesome role here, as several characters meet their untimely death during a snowstorm or frigid weather.  All that snow makes for an even more enchantingly creepy film, as four men try - unsuccessfully - to put their pasts behind them.

ALIVE
Man vs. Nature is never more present than in a true story of boundless courage and determination. A group of rugby players live through a horrific plane crash only to be stranded high in the Andes Mountains. With no hope of rescue, very little shelter to protect them from the punishing blizzards, and nothing to eat. Until....

WIND CHILL
Two college kids are trapped in a snowstorm after they lose their way and end up on a deserted stretch of back-road. Stuck in their car as temperatures drop, they try to devise a plan, only to discover they are not as alone as they think they are. Creepy stuff.

Snowbound: Winter Horror Films To Keep You Warm ~Part 4

 THE THING (1981)

If you want to get the full experience of winter, Antarctica is the place to go. Now that is a creepy place in itself; no divide between day and night, just a never-ending pallid landscape. Add a creepy disgusting alien and you've got yourself a quality horror movie. I mean, we're talking the best, a classic. Kurt and his pals are alone in true isolation as a group of scientists who are faced with the unthinkable, a highly intelligent, shape-shifting alien that can imitate organic matter and take on the appearance of the people it kills. Tensions are high; emotions are a blur between seething rage and fear. This film has some wicked special effects, and is not exactly for the weak of stomach. It is an unforgettable tale of terror, one that has been treasured by horror fans and film connoisseurs alike.  With iconic moments and a stellar performance by Kurt Russell, the man, John Carpenter stole our hearts and froze us with fear in, what I consider to be, the epitome of winter horror. /MR

THE FROZEN (2012)

A weekend snowmobile trip in the mountains is abruptly interrupted by an accident, leaving a couple stranded in the snowy wilderness without cell service or a way back to town. At first glance, The Frozen may seem like it’s not opening any new doors here (stranded in the woods, no way out - been there, done that!) - but stay tuned.  Adding severe winter weather to the mix really takes it to a different level, and while I can’t say this is the best example of a winter horror film, you could do a lot worse (I.e. Hypothermia).  Newly pregnant Emma and her baby-daddy Mike are off to an obscure camping location when they wreck their snowmobile and have no way out.  Spending the first night in the dark woods has them hearing noises not unlike The Blair Witch Project. When Mike goes missing the next day, it’s up to Emma to find a way out of the woods. But that’s not the end of the story. There is someone in the woods watching Emma. Maybe more than one someone. And all is not what it seems.  Confusing at times near the end but still worth a watch for the frigid frights and worthy atmosphere. /CH

WENDIGO (2001)
If you were thinking that Native American legends just don’t get enough play in horror, then I have a movie for you!  Larry Fessenden drags out the legend of the wendigo in this quiet yet affecting little film.  George (Jake Weber), his wife (Patricia Clarkson) and their young son Miles (Erik Per Sullivan) are heading to a mountain cabin for a well-needed retreat from the stresses of daily life.  Regrettably, the stress levels only increase after they hit a trophy buck with their car and anger some local hunters who had been tracking the huge deer.  Tempers flare and even though the family finally gets to the house, it takes a while to settle down from the uneasiness of the day.  In fact, things take a downward turn from there when during a shopping trip to town, Miles picks up a small wooden replica of a wendigo and hears the legend from a local shopkeeper. This scares Miles and he is further frightened when his dad is injured when they are sled riding the next day and Miles is chased by what he can only assume is the evil wendigo. The question is, was it indeed the supernatural monster in question or is it just coincidence that brings about the menacing turn of events?  In any event, the ever-present frosty scenery helps set the entire tone of the film here, and the above-average acting helps elevate it into an effective entry into the winter horror sub-genre. /CH

STORM OF THE CENTURY (1999)

As Little Town Island faces the titular "storm of the century", a demonic force in the shape of a mysterious stranger shows up to wreak havoc.  The storm has rendered the small community helpless, unable to leave the island and forcing them to deal with not only this horrific weather event but with the devastating reality that evil has come to their safe harbor.  Town constable Mike (Tim Daly) has the unenviable task of investigating the events that are unfolding, beginning with the murder of one of town’s elderly residents. When the stranger, André Linoge (Colm Feore) implores “Give me what I want, and I’ll go away”, it is up to Mike to discover just what he means before time runs out.  Meanwhile, a storm the likes of which has never been seen begins to bear down on the village, driving the townsfolk to seek shelter at the church. Linoge reveals to them, only after casting some sort of spell on the children of the town, that he wants a child of his own to take over his devious work.  He pit’s the residents against each other by divulging nasty secrets about their personal lives, announcing their sins and admitting that he can make the whole town “go away” like he did with the Roanoke settlement back in the 16th century.  What makes this television mini-series so effective is the storm itself, which is a major player in Linoge’s insidious scheme.  The wind howls, the snow piles up, and people disappear into thin air as whiteouts become the norm.  It’s all part of the fun.  Fun that can only come from the mind of Stephen King. /CH

THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951)

A group of scientists discover an alien spacecraft frozen under the ice in the Arctic. Retrieving the alien pilot, they take it back to their outpost to conduct research. When the ice in which it is entombed thaws out, the creature sets off on a bloody rampage. Based on the short story Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell, The Thing From Another World is one of the earliest, and most successful amalgamations of horror and sci-fi. Released during the Cold War Years, it also forms a near perfect allegory of America’s fear and mistrust of communism. The paranoia rife throughout the short story, and indeed John Carpenter’s masterful, visceral and chilling remake, is sadly absent from this adaptation, but it still emerges as an effective exercise in suspense and atmosphere. It really benefits from its isolated location and chilly atmosphere. The moody lighting and limited sets create a creepy atmosphere – those shots of the long corridors fading off into shadowy darkness could have been lifted right out of a Val Lewton production./JG

DEAD OF WINTER (1987)

Mary Steenburgen stars in not one, not two, but three roles in this mystery-thriller directed by Arthur Penn.   Katie (Steenburgen) plays a down-on-her-luck actress who gets hired at an audition and quickly agrees to travel to an upstate location with Mr. Murray (Roddy McDowall). They drive through a punishing snowstorm to the home of wheelchair-bound Mr. Lewis, who proceeds to tell her that the previous actress hired for the role had a nervous breakdown and can't finish the role.  Katie is aghast, when shown a picture of Julie (the bat-shit crazy actress), she could be her doppelganger. This is just the first in an alarming amount of disturbing occurrences that Katie goes through. Once she finally deduces that something is terribly wrong with the entire set-up, she is being held captive in the house and when she dares try to escape (during a punishing blizzard, no less), Mr Murray is waiting for her at the crest of the hill to bring her back to the house. She was hired for a job and is expected to see it through! The scheming and all the bizarre circumstances Katie finds herself in are only exacerbated by her inability to leave the residence due to the horrific snow storm. Essentially she is trapped - snowbound, if you will - with no real hope of getting out. A rather creepy and unsettling addition to the winter horror wheelhouse./CH

Trifecta Of Terror! : Winter Horror On The Edge.

Welcome to the newest feature on Fascination with Fear.  As an obsessive horse racing fan (yes, I am obsessed about something else besides horror), I decided to use a bit of horse racing terminology here at the blog.

A trifecta is a bet in which you must predict which horses in the race will finish first, second and third - in the exact order of finish.  It's extremely difficult, to say the least - but the payoff is usually rather sweet, especially in the event that you have a long shot finishing in your top trio. 

How the term will be used here is that I will give you three movies to consider watching together- all in the same night, or perhaps the same weekend.  They will be in the same sub-genre, as in:  1) Rogue 2) Lake Placid 3) Alligator; all movies about killer crocodiles (or alligators as the case may be).  Generally I will try to put them in the order of preference, meaning I feel Rogue is the best of the three (the "win" film), Lake Placid comes in second (the "place" film) and Alligator (the 1980 classic about a murderous gator in the sewers of Chi-town) would be the "show" film.  Every once in a while I will throw in a "long shot", a film that got in the top three somehow, but may not be remotely near the quality of the other two. And on rare occasions there will be a "dead heat", in which two of the films finish together- as in, they are both so good (or bad) that I can't decide which is first (or last). Got it?

Unfortunately, there is no prize money, no tickets to cash in.  But hopefully you do get at least one winner! So with that in mind, I start you out with a winter horror trifecta.

I've highlighted a fair amount of terrifying films since Frozen Fortnight started, but we never really talked about films that are just on the cusp of horror.  Movies that have certain elements that are horrific, but aren't all slice & dice or cabin-fever frights. So I decided to pick three snowy, weather-oriented films that are right on the edge of horror and star winter as one of the characters. These films all have their moments, and I know you'll agree.

If I were going to name this "race", it would be "The Nature Fights Back Handicap". 
Coming in first, we have:


THE GREY (2012)

Any film starring Liam Neeson is okay with me, but when you put him in circumstances that are out of control and watch him strike out in defense and proceed to be a kick-ass leader, that's where he really shines.  In The Grey, he stars as John Ottway - wolf killer extraordinaire. And while that sounds simply awful, it's a job that has to be done because the wolves are quite hungry and threaten the workers at an oil drilling site in remote Alaska.  It's his last day on the job and he's busy writing a note to his wife explaining that he fully intends to take his own life. He doesn't get the chance when a wolf comes 'a calling.  After tending to his duties, he and his team board a plane home, which promptly crashes during a raging snowstorm. After the loss of one of the team during the crash, the others build a fire and try to determine the best course of action. They don't get too much time to think about it before the first wolf attacks.

The Grey is one of those awesome adventure films that you get completely immersed in from start to finish. The men and their fierce drive to survive against the worst possible weather imaginable and a pack of hungry wolves is both terrifying and admirable.  When the men kill one of the wolves and the brazen jackass of the group throws the head back towards the pack, one of the other men comments that in nature, wolves are the only other creature besides man to seek revenge. And they may do just that.

In second place we've got:


ALIVE (1993)

Alive is the harrowing true story of a team of Uruguayan rugby players that crashed in the Andes Mountains in 1973. By now I'm sure everyone knows they had to resort to cannibalism to stay alive, but I think people forget the incredible bravery of the men who eventually hiked out of the mountains to try and find help.

Family and friends joined the rugby players on their flight to Chile for a match back in 1972 when high over the mountains, the plane apparently misjudged its height and slammed into a mountain peak, breaking the plane into pieces and sending it crashing to the snow-covered hills below. Several are killed on impact, a handful are critically injured. They rip apart the seats to use for cover and blankets and build a fire, intending to assess the situation at hand the next morning. But as dawn breaks, it's overwhelmingly obvious that they are not only high in the Andes, but it's doubtful anyone is looking in the right place for them because they got so off course. As days pass, food becomes scarce, and those who were mortally wounded succumb to their injures. And after hearing on a battery-operated radio that the search for them has been called off, the men start to think of other options. They eventually vote on whether or not to eat the flesh of their deceased flight-mates.  I think everyone knows where it went from there. Three of the men eventually decide to hike out on foot and hope to find rescue. Snowy weather, ice, frigid temps, and even a terrifying avalanche play an undeniable role in this nerve-wracking movie, in which a snowstorm can be the difference between life and death.

And last but certainly not least:

THE EDGE (1997)

And yet another plane crash strands some hapless folks in the wilds of Alaska.  Charles (Anthony Hopkins) goes along for the ride because his wife is involved in a photo shoot (of course she's a model, and of course she's Elle Macpherson) and he tags along. Charles is a billionaire, after all. He may or may not know that his lovely wife Mickey is having an affair with her photographer, Bob (Alec Baldwin). But he's not letting on as before the actual crash, our group settles in at a beautiful lodge and has an impromptu birthday party for Charles - all the while warning him that all the doors and windows have to be locked and food stored away due to a little bear problem they have.  Little problem is not the word - these are Kodiak brown bears, people!  Mickey and Bob invite Charles along with them and their assistant Stephen, up into the wilds about fifty miles north. They don't get a chance to check out an old Indian's hunting camp because the single engine plane runs into a a flock of birds and hits the side of a mountain, spiraling down into a frosty river below. The pilot dies instantly and quickly they discover there is no search party coming. They set off into the woods to try to walk themselves out but very soon the find they are running in circles, and the close-by snorting of a large predator (one Bart the Bear)  has them running for their lives. Full of fear amidst weather conditions akin to what the Donner Party no doubt dealt with, The Edge is a fantastic adventure film not to be missed. And if you like your horror truly horrifying, nothing screams terror quicker than getting eaten alive by a Kodiak bear.

So there you have it, the first TRIFECTA OF TERROR! Stay tuned for more pairings suitable for long, lazy afternoons sipping bourbon - or just a Friday night with a pizza and some beer!

Snowbound: Winter Horror Films To Keep You Warm ~Part 3

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (2008)

Scandinavian filmmakers all seem to have the same quiet and beautiful approach to storytelling, this movie being no exception. You feel as if you are in a dark fairytale, there is a sense of mysticism about it. The plot centers around Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant), a young boy who is troubled at school by bullies and at home by apathetic parents. He finds a friend in the mysterious Eli (Lina Leandersson), who appears to be the same age but is in fact a fierce but lonely vampire. Their relationship is strange but beautiful; the movie is thoughtful, emotional but also chilling and haunting. The presence of the snow adds to the tone, it lays hushed and soft like the secret the pair hold between them. Breathtaking cinematography and acting are just two of the elements that make this an unforgettable film, and arguably one of the best vampire stories ever told. /MR

30 DAYS OF NIGHT (2007)

Based on the graphic novel by Steve Miles, the premise for this frostbitten tale of terror is one of the most irresistible in vampire film history. Traditionally vampires are extinguished when they encounter sunlight; but what happens when there is no sunlight for days on end? When the Alaskan town of Barrow is plunged into darkness for a month, its residents are set upon and torn asunder by a bloodthirsty tribe of vampires. Setting a vampire film in a place where sunlight vanishes for days on end is a stroke of genius. Barrow, the northernmost town in America, is 300 miles from its closest neighbour, and every year it endures 30 days of sunless night. From the opening shot – an aerial view of the town which renders it a slight blemish in a seemingly endless blast of white - immediately showcases just how isolated the place is. With many residents heading south for the duration of the polar night, those who remain seem particularly vulnerable. With dangerously low temperatures, wind chill and white out conditions from blowing snow; they are essentially trapped here until spring. If the elements aren’t enough to off the remaining residents, the small matter of the horde of vampires stealthily encroaching upon the town sure will. With no sunlight for such a period of time, Barrow proves too irresistible for the ravenous fanged ones, and they arrive in droves; all razor-teeth, glinting black eyes and incomprehensibly thirsty for blood. Far from the romanticised version of vampires audiences may be more accustomed to, this lot are animalistic predators who natter in an arcane language and hunt in packs. Taut, chilling and compelling, the film follows the increasingly desperate citizens of Barrow as they try to wait out the days of darkness and survive vampire attacks. Empty white streets run crimson before long./JG

FROZEN (2010)

Sometimes the simplest idea can be the most frightening.  When an entire film takes place in a single location, the thought that it could be boring does come to mind. But if done right, it can pack a real punch.  Adam Green’s Frozen puts the three main characters in what seems like a hopeless situation - wait! It IS a hopeless situation.  Dan  (Kevin Zegers), Joe (Shawn Ashmore), and Dan’s girlfriend Parker (Emma Bell) are spending a leisurely Sunday at Mt Holliston, a local ski resort.  They talk the ski attendant into discounting their lift prices and then later into letting them take one last ride up the mountain for a last-ditch effort at the slopes.  Unfortunately for them,  the attendant is called away and replaced by someone who has no idea our trio is on the lift. Because of an impending storm they close the resort early - and accidentally leave the three friends stranded in the lift, far above the ground below.  At which point the real tension starts.  I can’t express how uncomfortable this film made me.  In the same respect that Jaws made people afraid of the water and Open Water drew people away from open ocean diving, Frozen made me never want to ski - ever.  As if it isn’t bad enough that the three are stuck high in the air, you add the snowstorm, frigid temperatures, and finally - a pack of hungry wolves, and you have a film that should keep you on the edge of your seat and make your stomach churn with anxiousness.  It’s quite possible that freezing to death would be better than the alternative. / CH

DEAD SNOW (2009)

A group of medical students on a skiing holiday in Norway come face to face with marauding Nazi zombies. Yup. Nazi zombies. Dead Snow is an outrageous comedy-horror which not only features an abundance of striking imagery (there’s a LOT of blood on snow), but also takes a familiar story (teens menaced in secluded cabin by otherworldly evils) in a frantic and refreshingly entertaining direction. The Nazi zombies cut an imposing swath through the snow covered landscape, and the amount of blood they splash across pristine snow is astounding, as the special effects become splashier and gorier; no doubt sating the appetite of even the most ravenous gore hound. One utterly gripping scene involves a lone character setting up a tent in a blizzard in the middle of the night. Sensing he is not alone, he looks outside his isolated tent and we follow his torch light across the dark, snow covered ground to reveal the shocking vision of a figure in unmistakable WWII garb looming out of the snow-flecked night… What adds to Dead Snow’s effectiveness is the sweeping snow strewn location of Øksfjord in the far north of Norway; all blindingly white vistas encroached upon by the blackest forests in which all manner of evil seems to lurk./JG

FROSTBITTEN (aka FROSTBITE, 2006)

A Swedish comedy-horror film, Frostbitten uses some of the same elements of 30 Days of Night by having a location in the Arctic circle, giving them thirty days or more of utter darkness due to the polar night closing in. When a Annika moves there to escape a bad marriage, she finds a job at a local hospital working under a famous geneticist. Her daughter Saga finds friends a goth friend and attends a party in which strange pills are being passed out that seem to heighten all the senses.  What we find out soon enough is that the mysterious Dr. Beckert is the last survivor of a World War II-era massacre by a group of vampires.  The cold Arctic wind and snow provide the perfect backdrop for a film that boasts not only a death scene involving a gnome, but a talking dog.  Better yet -the man seems to understand the dog perfectly. /CH

The Frozen (2012) : Camping In Summer Is For Sissies!

First of all, this is NOT the movie about the three snowboarders trapped on a ski lift.  That is simply Frozen.  What we have here is THE Frozen.  Apparently when you stick a the on the front of it, it changes things up.  Implies that something or someone is actually frozen. However, if I'm recollecting correctly, no one actually froze to death in this film.
Anyway...whatever.

And before I give up the details on the actual film, I have to mention that it took me DAYS to recall where I'd seen the leading lady, Brit Morgan, before. And then it hit me! Wham! Brit Morgan played Debbie Pelt on True Blood.  For some reason all I can think of is her exclaiming "They killed my Cooter!" when Alcide shot her redneck trailer-trash werewolf boyfriend.



Emma and Mike (Seth David Mitchell)are preparing for a camping trip in the dead of winter.  Just before they leave Emma is checking a pregnancy test in the bathroom and guess what?  She's eating for two, folks.  She doesn't tell her boyfriend before they leave, and to be honest she sure doesn't seem to be too excited about it.  He tries to pacify her by telling her they will go somewhere warm next time.

They end up at an obscure location in which they have to park the truck and take the snowmobile ten miles into the wilderness to set up camp. I'd have to seriously reconsider a boyfriend that didn't even rent a damn cabin and made me sleep in a tent in the freezing woods.  After learning that Mike has never even driven a snowmobile, it isn't surprising when they crash the thing and end up stranded miles from their car. And of course it starts to snow, so they can't even follow the sled's tracks back out of the woods.  Neither of them are injured very badly (Emma has bumped her head, but they seem no worse for wear) so after Mike is unable to fix the snowmobile they realize they will have to spend the night anyway. 

Setting up camp, the two start a bickering session that ends up with Emma blurting out that she's pregnant.  When she doesn't get the reaction she was expecting (or perhaps hoping for), she tells him she's not keeping it anyway and that pretty much ends that topic and the rest of the day's conversation. It's painfully obvious that the two may have underlying relationship problems before even coming on this trip.

Like The Blair Witch Project before it, The Frozen does emote an incredible 'lost in the woods' vibe that is heightened ten-fold by the fact that it is freezing cold, snowing, and growing quite dark and ominous.  Before laying down camp, they run into an abandoned campsite in which several dead, gutted deer are hanging, which Mike blows off and Emma freaks out about.  When she sees a stranger (Noah Segan) in the woods while Mike is off getting firewood she tries to get his attention, only to lose him in the snowstorm. 

After a relatively uneventful first night, the couple's nerves are rattled and fragile when they can't seem to get going in the right direction, and are constantly quarreling about Mike's lack of helpful skills and Emma's delicate condition.  That second evening is a pivotal one for both the audience and our characters.  Once Mike also sees the stranger in the woods (who completely ignores them when they call out to him), he goes after him - and doesn't return. 

This is the best part of the film, when we witness Emma's survival -and maternal- instincts kick in. She realizes she doesn't want to lose her baby and finds herself against the odds with both the weather and her mind, which starts playing tricks on her.  She's sure she hears someone sneaking around outside the tent, but when she goes outside, thinking it could be Mike, she sees a woman walking in the woods in the distance. She calls out to her but the woman doesn't stop.

After walking in circles and starting to run out of food, Emma starts to panic but because of her pregnancy she makes a vow to get out of her predicament, despite being far from cell phone service, being low on supplies, and it's still snowing. Add to this the creepy-as-hell nighttime woods and more than a few sightings of people lurking in the woods and you have a perfect recipe for misfortune.  There are some elements in the final third of the film which may be somewhat confusing, and I'm not entirely sure they were for the good of the movie, but I can't fault it too much, as Morgan's acting is solid enough to carry it and make it believable.

The Frozen, while not opening any new doors in the genre, is a capable film with very good acting by Brit Morgan - and enough mysterious moments including a semi-twist ending that make this a decent thriller.  Being lost in the woods would be scary enough, but adding in all these factors - snow, no food, the possibility of being hunted - as well as utterly lost - well, there's a lot of dread to go around. 
I'll be interested in seeing what filmmaker Andrew Hyatt has in store for us next...