Product Details

• Actors: Shawn Ashmore, Emma Bell, Kevin Zegers, Ed Ackerman, Rileah Vanderbilt
• Directors: Adam Green
• Writers: Adam Green
• Producers: Amanda Essick, Cory Neal, Don Schain, Jason Richard Miller, John Penotti
• Format: Widescreen
• Language: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: ANCHOR BAY
• DVD Release Date: September 28, 2010
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (185 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B003L1ZWG2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,140 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Frozen [Blu-ray]" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

A typical day on the slopes turns into a chilling nightmare for three snowboarders when they get stranded on the chairlift before their last run. As the ski patrol switches off the night lights, they realize with growing panic that they’ve been left behind, dangling high off the ground with no way down.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars When Nature Has the Upper Hand, February 22, 2010

By 

Chris Pandolfi (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Frozen (DVD)

We've seen so many thrillers in which the threat comes from something unnatural, be it a ghost, a zombie, or a masked serial killer that cannot himself be killed. This is partly why "Frozen" is such a refreshing experience - nature itself is the threat. Human beings are capable of withstanding a great deal, but there's always a breaking point, and this movie does a pretty good job of searching for it. It begs the question: What would you do if you found yourself in a similar situation? Is there anything that could be done? Or is it merely a matter of waiting to die? For something that very easily could have been a mindless shock fest, "Frozen" is instead an effective story where suspense builds from a fairly plausible situation.

As far as the plot is concerned, there isn't all that much to describe. In fact, it can all be summed up in one sentence: At a mountain resort, three college kids struggle to survive when they're left stranded on a ski lift. Everything depends on how the plot advances, and this includes character development, which is surprisingly strong. Dan (Kevin Zegers) and Lynch (Shawn Ashmore) have been friends since the first grade. Because of Dan's new girlfriend, Parker (Emma Bell), Lynch now feels that their friendship is in jeopardy; their skiing trips have traditionally been a Guys Only thing, and yet here she is, tagging along. For the first twenty minutes or so, Lynch repeatedly tells Parker, as nicely as possible, that she's in the way.

Hoping to get in one last hill before the ski lift closes for the night, the three smooth-talk their way onto the ski lift. Unfortunately, there are two lift operators, and the second one doesn't realize that the three skiers who have just descended are not the same three currently ascending the mountain. The lift is subsequently switched off. Dangling above a snowy slope on a bleak winter night, Dan, Lynch, and Parker remember, with horrific clarity, that the resort will remain closed for an entire week.

You can probably imagine what they now must face. Obviously, the cold, which quickly leads to frostbite in spite of their warm clothing. There's also the heat of the midday sun, which will probably lead to sunburn. And that howling off in the distance? I can assure you that it isn't coming from rescue dogs. So what can Dan, Lynch, and Parker do? Shout for help? Try to pull themselves across the sharp wire carrying the suspended chairs? Jump off and hope they don't break their legs? Throw their ski equipment to get someone's attention? Lose control altogether? Take your pick. No matter what they decide to do, it sure as hell won't be easy.

Had the characters not been properly developed, there would be no conceivable way to successfully make this last for just over ninety minutes. Writer/director Adam Green, who had previously directed the slasher homage "Hatchet," goes in the right direction by giving each of the three leads some well worded dialogue, most of which focuses on memories and primal emotional outbursts. There are some good moments between Parker and Lynch, who eventually understand that hating one another will get them nowhere. One of the best scenes shows Parker tearfully panicking over the fate of her new puppy, who was left alone in her apartment. Stupid, you say? What would you think about if you were in her place? Exactly.

If there is a weakness to "Frozen," it's that some of the suspense is wasted on scenes of overbearing makeup effects, which I can't describe for fear of spoiling the plot. What I will say is that movies like this work so much better when it relies on psychological horror; the idea of falling off, of freezing, of being attacked, of losing your balance, etc. is always more effective than seeing it. Of course, there would be no resolution if nothing physical happened, so maybe it's a moot point. Regardless, I felt the human scenes were stronger than the action scenes, where the characters were reduced to little more than infernal screamers.

The long and short of it is that "Frozen" is better than I thought it was going to be. In an age when horror movies are about little more than young people dying elaborate deaths, I realized that I actually cared about these skiers and what was happening to them. While it occasionally falls victim to conventional thriller tactics, it still tries for something more, getting under your skin not through visuals so much as through the overall situation. The idea of being left alone in a hostile environment with no resources is genuinely frightening. The idea of zombies eating your brains? Fun, maybe, but certainly not frightening. There's no chance of that happening in real life, despite Max Brooks' evidence to the contrary.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Harrowing And Character Driven Tale Of Survival--"Frozen" Is NOT A Horror Film, October 7, 2010

By 

K. Harris "Film aficionado" (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Frozen (Amazon Instant Video)

A dubiously labeled "horror" film--"Frozen" is actually a surprisingly strong film about survival. If you were disappointed by "The Blair Witch Project" (a harrowing film about being lost, not about witches) or "Open Water" (a film more reliant on the drama of helplessness than on shark scares), then you will probably see little point to "Frozen." If, however, the very real frights of those films unsettled you--this film should tap into the same sensibilities and be right up your alley. An incredibly tense tale of three friends who are stranded on a ski lift, "Frozen" explores very real and powerful feelings of isolation and desperation as the trio comes to terms with their situation. Realizing that to survive is to act is only the first hurdle. Unfortunately, it seems as if nature itself is conspiring against the kids.

"Frozen" is a surprisingly sophisticated drama despite its very simple premise. The terror is understated and real (not at all what I was expecting from the director of the middling horror/comedy "Hatchet"). Kevin Zegers, Shawn Ashmore, and Emma Bell do a fantastic job bringing this unpleasant experience to life. From joking bravado, to quiet desperation, to regret and recriminations, to acceptance and action--you really feel tapped into the emotions and fear of the protagonists. That's why "Frozen" is so disturbing and so great. The middle third of the film is so intense and memorable, it will definitely stick with me as one of the most horrifyingly bleak things I've seen this year! And while the film does strive for a "scary" payoff with a bigger action sequence at the finale, the palpable sense of danger of the film's quieter moments is never equaled.

I truly think it is a disservice to market "Frozen" strictly in the horror category. It is most definitely a character driven drama. The horror of the premise is real and not manufactured for maximum scares. Great characterizations, effective performances and a slow-build tension distinguish "Frozen" as a harrowing and heartbreaking journey of human emotions. I hope that people will come to discover and appreciate "Frozen." It is my choice for one of the biggest sleepers of the year--I'm absolutely stunned by how well it achieves what it set out to do. A serious recommendation that extends beyond horror to all mainstream audiences! 4 1/2 stars. KGHarris, 9/10.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Yet another fail due to obnoxious, cliche characters, September 26, 2010

By 

moonlighteye "moonlighteye" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frozen (DVD)

As it's been mentioned already, this is movie is exactly like Open Water, but on land and with wolves instead of sharks. The movie could have worked as a land adaption of Open Water, but it starts off in the most off-putting way possible -- it has the typical, cliche obnoxious 20-something character types that NO ONE ever cares about and therefore makes you almost want to root for their demise. This is yet another movie I had to edit via the FF on the remote because there's just so much boring, uninteresting dialog from characters that are stereotypes.

The film does strike a chord for me though, because I grew up snow skiing and occasionally the lift will stop to accommodate someone having a hard time getting on or off, and almost every time that happens, I can't help but think of the "What if there's no way off but to jump" scenario. Although I can't ever recall worrying about wolves waiting for me on the ground.

And come on, out of the 3 of them, none of them had their cell phone with them?