‘When Hell freezes over’
Frost is a 2022 American thriller about a young woman and her estranged father fighting to survive after being stranded in a snowstorm on a remote mountainside. Worse, a hungry wolf soon appears…
Directed by Brandon Slagle (The Flood; Arena Wars; Attack of the Unknown; The Dawn; Crossbreed; House of Manson; Dead Sea) from a screenplay written by Robert Thompson based on a story by co-executive producer by James Cullen Bressack (director of Hot Seat; Fortress; Captors; Survive the Game; Blood Craft; Bethany; Pernicious; Blood Lake).
Produced by Devanny Pinn and Tim Yasui. Executive produced by Brian Perera and Yvonne Perera.
The Cleopatra Entertainment-Snow Leopard Entertainment co-production stars Vernon Wells, Devanny Pinn and Venus DeMilo Thomas.
Our review:
Surely some horror fans have come across the French term “contes cruels” from time to time, a literary subgenre of nasty little short stories in which grotesque and terrible things happen to victims who did not necessarily deserve it. In the English language, the master of the form was Charles Birkin, though you can argue that the grownup “Tales of the Unexpected” by Roald Dahl had such qualities. Though Dahl’s characters tend to earn their comeuppance, like the misbehaving children in Willy Wonka’s factory. In a true conte cruel there is just a sense of a sadistic universe making people suffer agonisingly and needlessly. Be glad you are not one of them. At the moment.
This makes a windy introduction (but a fair one) for Frost, a downbeat, extreme-survival thriller (that may also owe a debt to the Open Water movies, but I like to ramble on and show my fellow stupid Americans that I read Charles Birkin). Filmmaker Brandon Slagle’s elemental feature is a particularly wintery, grim item. Short take: not an uplifter.
Co-producer Devanny Pinn and longtime genre trouper Vernon Wells (given more depth than usual) comprise the two-person cast, on an uncomfortable father-daughter fishing trip to mend their broken relationship, miles from anywhere in the mountains, before a predicted snowstorm arrives. But Grant steers the car off the road, where it stops perilously on the edge of a precipice, pregnant Abby impaled by broken glass and branches in the passenger seat. She still manages to free her father, who staggers off, promising to find help. Viewers already know from the chilly flash-forward opening that help won’t be arriving soon.
For a feature largely confined to the cramped interior of a wrecked car, Frost holds interest in its seemingly hopeless central situation. It makes a difference that the leading man here is not a typecast hero type like Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks or Robert Redford (who had his own conte cruel solo film, the sea-going All Is Lost). Sketchy, minimalist details about these characters and their interplay are more of an asset to the suspense than a detriment; how do we know Grant did not deliberately contrive this horrific predicament?
Horrific it is, and several viewers will want to look away from the increasingly gruesome ordeal. Some may give Frost points for not backing down, but it’s a warning that we see the “based on a true story” come on up front. Is this rightfully “entertaining?” Well, no question director Brandon Slagle (with a background in hard rock and heavy metal music) succeeded in achieving the effect he was after, just as the unpleasantness of Mr Birkin does.
Charles Cassady Jr, MOVIES & MANIA
Other reviews:
“The premise is well-executed, the narrative does a fantastic job maintaining the mounting tension, and an ending that is to be seen to be believed is a satisfying conclusion to the events that preceded. Another strength is the visuals and how effectively they showcase the snow-covered landscapes. Ultimately, Frost is a riveting thriller that far exceeds expectations.” 10K Bullets
“At less than 80 minutes, Frost still doesn’t move fast enough to sustain itself. Maybe that explains the choices made to turn the last chapter so explicit, shocking the audience awake, and mindlessly, uselessly turning morbid.” DoBlu.com
“The survival-thriller veers hard left into grisly horror at the end but it lacked the tension and that would truly make it a nail-biter. Kudos to the decent camerawork and special effects which include frosty faces, blacked frostbitten digits and some gruesome gore that is sure to be a bridge too far for some who thought they were just getting a survival thriller.” McBastard’s Mausoleum
“A very tight little thriller that manages to keep tension and suspense high throughout while going for a slow burn approach – until the third act goes for full shock, that however makes perfect narrative sense […] And both Pinn and Vernon Wells’ grounded and natural performances really carry the movie, while a solid direction keeps things tight at all times…” Search My Trash
“Frost works for the most part and is a tightly wound thriller up until the final act. Where it goes from there will stick in most viewers’ minds. But whether they remember it as a bold move or merely cheap sensationalism is another matter.” 3.5/5, Voices from the Balcony
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