Baby, it’s cold outside. And, as it turns out, some fantastic horror has taken place buried under a blanket of snow. With the upcoming release of Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead (review), Dread Central decided to look back at our favorite frozen horror features.
We recently spoke with horror veteran Derek Mears, who plays Stavarin in Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead, and he summed up the film in a way that’s sure to get viewers excited. Mears said, “If Dead Snow 1 were Evil Dead 2, then Dead Snow 2 is Army of Darkness times 10 on steroids.” With a recommendation like that, how can you not be looking forward to diving into another round of frozen zombie mania?
We have a few honorable mentions to throw at you before we get to the Top 9. Larry Fessenden’s atmospheric chiller The Last Winter with Ron Perlman jumps immediately to mind when we think Arctic horror. Also, the 2013 indie thriller Whitewash, starring Thomas Haden Church, was a pleasant surprise set in the wintery woods of rural Quebec. And nothing says post-apocalypse like a new ice age and cannibalism, which is exactly what’s going on in The Colony, featuring Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Zegers and Bill Paxton.
Now put on your parkas and snuggle in. Here are the Top 9 Frozen Features in Horror.
Frozen (2010)
Filmmaker Adam Green had us rubbing our hands together for warmth in his 2010 movie Frozen. In a recent interview with Dread Central, Green mentioned that he didn’t at all mind the fact that Disney came out with their own Frozen that usurped the title. “I think it’s great,” Green said. “It’s only going to help us. So many people have ended up finding my Frozen because of it. And I think the way that some parents sit their kids down in front of the TV and order VOD, hopefully there are a lot of kids scarred for life because their parents weren’t paying attention. I take great pride in that. I think that’ll be very funny.” In addition to potentially scarring the youth of America, Green’s Frozen succeeded in creating a claustrophobic environment in the most open space you could possibly find, the side of a mountain. It’s a simple concept that Green makes completely compelling. And a Kane Hodder appearance and a Joe Lynch mention make it all the better.
Snowpiercer (2014)
It’s not very often that we get to include a brand new movie on one of our “Top…” lists, but Snowpiercer just screams to be included here. Set in a post-apocalyptic new ice age brought on the world by man’s own errors, Snowpiercer is a horrific sci-fi thriller that condenses an entire society slotted into a caste system and crams them into a train. This train happens to be a self-sustaining vehicle that has traveled continuously around the Earth for 17 years and holds the only life left on the planet, which was plunged into an ice age when mankind tried to reverse the trends of global warming. Director Joon-ho Bong created an environment that held one deadly foe after another for the lowest class citizens living in squalor in the back of the train, who finally decide to rise up and spread out the wealth. The cold in this film is so intense it’s used as a form of punishment. An arm held outside the Snowpiercer for a few minutes doesn’t last long.
30 Days of Night (2007)
One of the most creative ideas to ever find its way into a comic book and eventually onto the big screen, 30 Days of Night is brilliant. It’s a fantastic new look at the vampire legend which has the fanged beasties descend on Barrow, Alaska, just as the town is preparing to get its last looks at the sun for 30 days, which means 30 days without having to worry about that pesky sun burning them to a crisp. Thirty days to feast on as many humans as they could get their hands on because, quite frankly, Barrow did not seem to be that concerned with staying connected to the outside world. So after 30 days of uninterrupted binge eating, the vamps only had to make it look like a fire ravaged the small town and they could take their full bellies and fly off to the next location, keeping their existence a secret. “The finest trick of the devil is to persuade you that he does not exist.” -Charles Baudelaire
More Frozen Horrors on the NEXT Page!
Let the Right One In (Låt den Rätte Komma In) (2008)
This Swedish vampire movie is another splendidly refreshing take on the vamp sub-genre of horror. Although the cold and frost were not the threat in this movie, they formed such a powerful part of the scenery that the falling snow almost became a character in itself. It’s a love story and a revenge story. It’s a story of commitment and empowerment, and it’s all told through the eyes of two 12-year-olds. Well, one of them has been 12 years old for a really, really long time. Such a powerful story, Let the Right One In blew international audiences away as the frozen tale unfolded in a wash of blood and promises. Oskar and Eli would go down as one of the most memorable couples to arise from a horror film in a long, long time.
Dead Snow (2009)
Ein, Zwei, Die! Just when you think you’re all set for a nice ski vacation with the coolers packed and nothing but fun on the horizon, what do you run into? That’s right, Nazi zombies. And there may not be any group of individuals harder to get along with than Nazi zombies. They are bastards. In this Norwegian film, writer/director Tommy Wirkola decided the only way to make zombies even worse than they traditionally are was by making them Nazis as well. Yeah, that ought to do it. Dead Snow is a fantastically fun zombie romp set in the frozen landscape of Øksfjord, Norway. And, obviously, when a film is as outrageous as the original Dead Snow was, we all know a sequel can’t be far behind. Which brings us back to our featured film, Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead.
Ravenous (1999)
Sometimes you’ve just gotta eat your friends. It’s a simple but unfortunate fact of life and one that the boys at Fort Spencer in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range learn all too well. Ravenous is such a vastly underrated film as there is so much going on here, and it all happens in front of a backdrop of a frigid winter landscape. Robert Carlyle and Guy Pearce are both fantastic in the movie, and the story itself is simply brilliant. Dark humor, horrific happenings and a great tale that brings it all together make Ravenous a memorable film to be enjoyed by cannibalistic fans far and wide. And always remember: You are who you eat!
More Frozen Horrors on the NEXT Page!
Misery (1990)
Misery returns us to films that features extreme wintery weather as more than just a background. In this film, the snow is one of the main factors that set the entire story in motion. Our hero, author Paul Sheldon, is injured in a car accident and seemingly about to freeze to death or bleed out when a good Samaritan, Annie Wilkes, happens along to rescue him and nurse him back to health. In a fortunate twist, Annie just happens to be Paul’s number one fan. However, in an equally unfortunate twist, Annie is also batshit crazy. In Misery, Stephen King weaves a tale of isolation and confinement, two topics that he revisits often in his work and with much success. Not only is Paul Sheldon trapped by his injuries and psycho Annie, but the weather outside is frightful and makes transportation nearly impossible after he finds himself trapped in a cabin in the woods with his number one fan. Yikes!
The Thing (1982)
Nothing says horror better than isolation combined with an assault by an unknown entity. In John Carpenter’s The Thing, our team of Arctic researchers find themselves in a battle to survive something they can’t identify and have no idea what it is or where it came from. These stranded individuals struggle against a deadly alien presence as well as paranoia that has them fighting amongst themselves as they attempt to wrap their minds around just what exactly has invaded their normally quiet, sleepy bunker. As far as frozen horror goes, The Thing is one of, if not the number one, greatest examples of the style.
The Shining (1980)
As fitting as The Thing is for this list, the only movie that could be an even better representation is The Shining. The weather is so important to this film that the entire story hinges on it and wouldn’t have happened without it. If Jack Torrance could have gone wandering around the topiary every day sunning himself, he might not have gone off the deep end. But trapped in that hotel, getting cabin fever, Jack finally snapped. All work and no play did indeed make Jack a dull boy. Whether you prefer the Stephen King novel, the Stephen Weber-led miniseries or the classic Stanley Kubrick film, the story of The Shining is one that has haunted us for over three decades. Audiences can understand claustrophobia. And the inclusion of a haunting in addition to the very real struggles of the broken Jack Torrance made for an incredible, unforgettable story.
Dead Snow 2 is directed by Tommy Wirkola and stars Vegar Hoel as Martin, the sole survivor of the first Dead Snow’s zombie bloodbath. Martin Starr co-stars alongside Hoel, Jocelyn DeBoer, Ingrid Haas, and Orjan Gamst, who plays the evil zombie warlord Herzog.
Synopsis
Martin (Hoel) hasn’t had the best vacation. He accidentally killed his girlfriend with an axe. He cut his own arm off with a chainsaw. And his friends STILL got devoured by a battalion of Nazi Zombies.
This morning he woke up in a hospital bed with a new arm – but it’s a super-powered zombie arm that wants to kill him and anything else it can reach. Martin’s PISSED. And with the help of his new Zombie Squad pals (Starr, DeBoer, and Haas), he’s gonna deliver some payback to Colonel Herzog and his precious Nazi gold – by raising an undead army of his own.
