Adam Green arrived as a hot new voice in horror in 2006 with Hatchet, a film that paid homage to the slashers of the '80s golden era while managing to do its own thing. It is not the greatest film in the world and did not quite live up to the hype that had built up around it, but it is still a fun and worthy trip. Adam Green's latest is not a slasher film and can't really be called a horror movie. He has taken a step away from the horror genre and crafted a taut and realistic thriller that steps away from some of the corny elements of Hatchet.
Frozen is based on an idea that seemed ludicrous when I first heard it. It's not that I didn't think it could happen; it's more that I didn't understand how that idea could be turned into a feature film. It seemed more like an idea for a short subject. Well, the movie was made and I was certainly intrigued. My concerns shifted away from the concept — we'll get back to that later — and onto the possibility of seeing it on the big screen. Considering the small number of opportunities for past Green films made it unlikely. Then, there it was on the schedule for my hometown theater! Yes! Now to see if kids stuck on a ski lift can make a movie.
I sat there, opening night, with an audience so small I could count us all on one hand. We all seemed to be in the same boat, anxious to see what it was all about but apprehensive that it would not work. As this thought went through my head the lights dimmed and the movie started. As the company logos began to roll, I realized I don't think I have ever seen Anchor Bay on the big screen before.
If you are wondering what Frozen is about, it has a pretty simple high concept. Three college friends go skiing and when they head up for one last run at closing time, the lift stops, the lights go out, and they are left dangling high above the ground and forgotten. It is the kind of idea that will leave many scratching their heads wondering how this can be made into an interesting feature.
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