Although Wind Chill starts like your classic serial killer movie, I assure you things will get more complicated later on. But I guess that’s what they’re trying to do here. To make you think one thing and then spring on you something totally different. We follow two young college students on a chilly drive home when strange things start happening. The first twenty minutes of this movie can be a bit tedious as we’re slowly getting into the mood for something supernatural.
To be honest, I was expecting this to be more of a survival movie but I’m not complaining. Now, the story is quite familiar and dare I say formulaic. A long drive, snowy weather and then someone says I know I shortcut. I mean, we all know where this is going. The atmosphere is creepy and foreboding but above all, mysterious. We don’t know what’s going to happen and that’s when we first see signs of authenticity and original writing.
We never learn the names of our characters played by Emily Blunt and Ashton Holmes adding to this sense of mystery. However, the clunky script that fails to maintain suspense means that Wind Chill is probably good for one viewing only. There were some nice ideas here and the snowy setting helped immensely with the atmosphere but ultimately the main story should’ve been better.
Christmas is just around the corner and students from all over the country are anxious to spend the holidays with their families. The same goes for two young Pennsylvania university students as they set off on a five-hour drive home to Delaware. At first, everything seems to be going well but soon things will take a turn for the worse. They will find themselves alone, freezing, and scared shitless in the dead of the night…
Wind Chill feels like a minimalist indie movie although it’s a big production. It’s a very subtle and subdued movie without almost any graphic scenes or action. As such it’s pretty easy to watch, as long as you’re not expecting something big from it. So, if you’re looking for a casual horror movie with a couple of good performances, it’s a perfect choice.
Finally, I must recommend that after you’ve seen it, you check out Dead End. It also follows a group of people driving home for Christmas but it’s much more original and intense. And if you’re looking for more of a classic horror experience, do check out The Dyatlov Pass Incident or Devil’s Pass. It’s based on true events and directed by Renny Harlin.
Director: Gregory Jacobs
Writers: Joe Gangemi,Steven Katz
Cast: Emily Blunt, Ashton Holmes, Martin Donovan, Ned Bellamy, Ian A. Wallace
Fun Facts: All exterior scenes were shot on an actual cold snowy road.
Rating:
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486051/
