Friday, February 8, 2013

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.



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