Customer Reviews

Wind Chill (+ Digital Copy)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

(3 1/2 *'s) George Clooney and Stephen Soderbergh have teamed up once again to produce `Wind Chill,' a horror movie that's more and less than one expects from a horror film. First of all, it's equally a survivor story and a stalker/romance as well as ghost story with a colorful history. Don't get me wrong, there are some scary moments in the movie, but the film admirably relies more on suspense and ambiguity in its presentation. All of it comes together in a way that's as invigorating as a cold, arctic blast from Canada.

The movie starts with some familiar on-the-road setup, complete with the car that breaks down and everything goes wrong. From there the developments are often different, however. Mysterious without names, the "Gal" (Emily Blunt) foregoes the plane ride from college exams before holiday break and decides to take the Greyhound bus. That is until she gets a text message during an exam inviting her to hook up with a ride from the posted message board. She finds someone who's headed to Delaware, so on a lark she calls to make the connection.

The "Guy" (Ashton Holmes) seems wholly accommodating, except they both are in many ways a mismatch. She finds him asleep at the wheel, waiting in the parking lot. She doesn't have much room to put her stuff, but has less room to complain when she shows up late in the first place. He shows a keen interest in her, even imposing on her cell phone calls and demanding her to engage in conversation as "her part of the deal".

Things aren't as they seem, and, ambiguity is a cornerstone to the movie's development. It turns out that he knows a great deal more about her than she would expect, and his interest becomes more than practical, especially when he refuses to let her pay her share of the gas money. When they come upon a remote gas station, gaunt, shadowy figures surround her. She gets an unnerving sense that the journey is stacked against her, but not all the evidence adds up. Is she a little paranoid and overly suspicious? Is he chivalrous in an old-fashioned, but patronizing way, or is he a stalker? When they leave the gas station, he abruptly turns out on remote Highway 606 much to her chagrin. Soon they get into an argument, one that escalates as an oncoming car, forces them off the road in an accident that has alarming consequences looming before them.

Stranded they are left to encounter a barren area that contains a haunted past, one that fills their dream life until reality and supernatural start to blur. More pressing is the need for the basics of survival as the radio announces the night will bring a 30 below wind chill, and they notice the gas tank is slowly leaking along with their prospects. In the meantime, not only is the area haunted with a violent past, but the "Guy" has been keeping secrets from the "Gal" that slowly unfurl like a weather vein.

`Wind Chill' is as much of a drama and a mystery as it is a horror film. Having seen the all-too-familiar developments of campfire horror films like 'Vacancy,' 'Wind Chill' is ahead of the front with a thoughtful, yet chilling development.

My spotlight reviewer buddy, JP, got me interested in this film and all I can say is thanks for the night of no sleep, JP! :>)

I'm going to keep this review short as JP's Picks, a current Spotlight Review, really got all the details dead on (I couldn't resist the pun), and today I am enjoying my 22nd anniversary with my wife; however, I have a little time here to write this review about this wickedly intense little chiller that is low on gore, sex and violence and high on chills, storyline, and character development. Of course, this may explain the love it or hate reviews you see posted. I'm okay with that as this kind of chiller really isn't for everyone tastes and many small films are like that as they are targeted at a specific audience.

I found the performances by the two leads to be exceptionally believable and layered. Emily Blount is a real standout in her role as "the girl" simply trying to get home from college by bumming a ride off a "guy" (no names in this flick) who may or may not be what he seems. Both characters are extremely well written and the kind of people you'd swear that you've met before in your life. They may even be representative of you yourself.

The story is deliberately slow moving, which will frustrate the action/violence lovers who may stumble upon this film; however, the action does increase, as does the suspense with each unfolding "episode" of terror in this story.

The plot of the story does have a "been there done that" feel, but there are numerous clever twists that play out in this somewhat familiar tale and that's is why I'm really reluctant to get into any details of the plot, but let's just say that this trip home the "girl" makes feels like a bad acid trip in the isolated Yukon with Stephen King at the wheel.

`Nough said. :>)

To be honest, the cover of the movie alone would cause me not to see it. I even avoid the genre of low budget 'horror' b-movies altogether. So why did I see it? Emily Blunt. And I couldn't be happier about givng this movie a chance.

The movie does lack on the horror side of the story, with not much originality. And the movie isn't really all that scary, but it's not trying to be, and I think them not trying so hard is why this move is so good. They rely on acting and character development, with a good romance development, and anything scary that happens is only a means to develope the relationship between these characters.

Expertly acted and directed, it would be a shame if you passed this small gem up for the reasons I almost did. And I can assure you that you would enjoy it even if you don't know, or care, who Emily Blunt is.

Emily Blunt is a great actress, and it's a good thing since the acting is all this movie has going for it. The plot's nothing special; a guy and a girl (they don't have names?) find themselves being attacked by an evil spirit after their car gets stuck on a snowy road. Throughout the whole movie I was waiting for something shocking to happen, something to make this movie stand out from the rest. But it never came. This is just a typical ghost story, with better acting than most horror films. The character development between the guy and the girl is good, but it's for nothing since there's hardly a plot.

Wind Chill is actually better and more entertaining than most horror movies you'd find these days, but that's not saying a lot. Rent this for a creepy hour and a half; you most likely won't want to watch it again.

Honestly, I thought this movie was fantastic. I have been excited to see this since I read about it in Fangoria a few months back. The only other film I had seen Emily Blunt in was Devil Wears Prada, which was not my cup of tea, but she was best part of that film. And there aren't a lot of people that 'do' creepy as good as Martin Donovan's cop; and he does not dissapoint in this either. Emily's co-star, Ashton Holmes, from History of Violence, was perfect as the shy, slightly stalkerish 'guy'. The non- use of character names for Blunt and Holmes' characters just adds to the erieness (?) of this film. However, the story is so friggin good that you don't notice these two don't have names! And the fact that these two are, for the most part, the only two faces on the screen for 90% of the film, is a statement to their acting ability that they can hold the audience. I felt kind of sad as I read some of the other reviews of this film, as I relaized that no one gets scared, or better, creeped out anymore by something as simple as a blurred figure walking by a wrecked car, with a girl inside, in the middle of a snowbank. Think about it, you're alone in a car that just crashed, on a desolate road mind you, into a snowbank. The driver leaves to find help, leaving you to attempt to tape up the gap in the window. Your breath has fogged the windows to the point that you cannot clearly see outside. There isn't a soul insight. Or so you think. Suddenly there is movement outside the window. You can't see who it is; assume it's your friend...except this figure keeps shuffling by the car...oblivious to it and the person inside. It's pitch black, snow is falling and you need help. What do you do? Obviously you have to see this scene to really get the idea of what these characters went through. But it was creepy as hell. I think, unfortunatly, that we have all become so desensitized (sp?) to blood and gore that when we see a horror film we expect bloodshed. And when we don't get it, then the movie is no good. think Phantoms with Affleck, McGowan and O'Toole. A phenomenal movie! Unreal sounds (C'mon, when has Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces" given you chills, in a scary way?) and visuals etc...A town, completely void of humans, when only hours before it was a normal, operating town. Well, Wind Chill has a very similar feeling to Phantoms. It's just plain creepy and spooky. No, there isn't bloodshed, or chainsaws ripping through people, and mind you, I love those movies as well, but this does it with atmosphere, pure and simple. Please give this movie a chance. Don't go in with expectations other than "I wanna be scared and creeped out." If you expect Hostel or F13, you will be disappointed. And remember, The Changeling, The Others, and Ghost Story were horror movies too. Each without (or close to it) a drop of blood hitting the screen. They all did it with story, atmosphere and acting. And so does Wind Chill.

WIND CHILL is an excellent horror movie & character study of a male & female college student driving home for the winter holiday break--and who end up in a snow-enclosed, terrifying Twilight Zone. Emily Blunt & Ashton Holmes are the students and both are very good actors. Emily Blunt is particularly impressive as the cynical & control freak co-ed who just wants to get home with a stranger she begins to suspect is up to no good--but it's not the self-effacing male student who proves to be her worst nightmare.

The theme of Nietzche's "Eternal Return" pops up in the student's initial getting-to-know-you chit chat--and forshadows the terrifying events to come. This is more than a 20's-something angst. All the creative elements indicate a mature vision & production.

This is a keeper. I just watched WIND CHILL for the third time & could even watch it again tonight--and might just do that.

Emily Blunt has the daunting task of arranging transportation for Christmas break. Not the easiest thing to accomplish when it's already the 23rd and your college is just now getting around to saying "Class dismissed". But what is this on the campus bulletin board? Someone looking for a driving companion to Delaware, where darling Emily needs to go? Ahhh, another Christmas miracle! Ok, so Ashton Holmes' ride isn't in the best of condition and space inside is limited due to him being in the process of moving, but beggars can't be choosers. However, Emily does begin to wonder if perhaps taking the Greyhound instead would have been a better option when her poverty row chauffeur begins to reveal how much he really knows about her and getting caught in telling lies. The road trip then turns from suspicious to flat out disasterous when an ill-fated desicion to take a less travelled "scenic route" culminates in a snowy dead end right off the road... by a vehicle from the opposite direction that left no tire tracks in the snow... Surely, when night falls for our stranded odd couple and the horrors of the road's past unearth, one may ponder if the Scenic 606 got the middle number wrong. The isolated winter atmosphere does pay off in dividends and the "less is more" approach to the supernatural storyline was the correct way to go. Yet, it's hard to pull for the two main characters when they possess rather unappealing personalities (though Emily's, ahem, attitude becomes justified after a while). Not as predictable as I thought it would be, but not as satisfying as I wanted it to be, either. 6/10

i love this movie,i'm glad i was able to find it. its really good. condition fo movie was good,got here on time.

Clooney/Soderbergh's "Wind Chill" has been misjudged very harshly by most viewers--perhaps the problem lies with that first 15 minutes (character development, plot building) and the noticeable absence of people being set on fire, stabbed, led into porn/grindhouse brothels, etc. These are the kinds of old tricks most "horror fans" expect these days.

What we have instead, fortunately, is a genuinely frightening exercise in a re-emerging horror technique that rarely fails to deliver: two young people (Emily Blunt as a very unappealing, rude, cold girl who undergoes a transformation a la Nietzsche through extreme physical duress) and Ashton Holmes (a bookish guy who, at the beginning, we imagine may be a little like Ted Bundy--the film plays with our perceptions very aptly) find themselves accidentally stuck on an obscure stretch of road near the college they attend. The director suggests that the babyfaced but extremely creepy Holmes may have done this on purpose, but it seems that it really was an accident, or a disturbing hand of occult fate which shoved them into a confrontation with a power too tortured to be alone for very long.

The wintry, cold feel and the imaginative detours which turn out not to be imagination at all but the supernatural answer to "deja vu" make the whole sequence of events deeply disturbing. The ghost of a murderous sherrif from the past continues his quest via the psyche of these two young people who are freezing to death. The scenes in the car with the two are really show how two people can connect, even under real suspicious circumstances, when the comforts of civilization are stripped away. Emily Blunt makes it all totally believable. Rather like an enhanced episode of "Night Gallery", this may represent a turning point in horror, and I hope it does.

I consider myself a pretty big movie buff, especially when it comes down to Horror films. I've been watching them since I was a little kid and it's become some what of a hobby of mine. The more I watch, the better! Ever since the likes of HELLRAISER, POLTERGEIST, THE AMITYVILLE HORROR and THE EXORCIST entered my life, I've been hooked to the genre. Horror movies have some of the best aspects of film making, when it comes down to the wide world of cinema. To truly unsettle the audience is a hard thing to capture.

Now, I came into the movie WIND CHILL with no prior knowledge of what the film was about before hand. As a matter of fact, I only dropped about $3 bucks on it at a local department store as an impulse buy. Sometimes I like doing that because I've been pleasantly surprised in the past with some random films. Which is the case with the movie at hand here. Reading the synopsis on the back, I didn't think too much about it at the time. I thought it would be an average Horror film about a psychopath and nothing more. As it turns out, my assumption was wrong. Dead wrong!

First of all, an interesting thing about the movie WIND CHILL is that it's produced by George Clooney. 'Yup! You heard me right. For seemingly no reason at all, Mr. Clooney has decided to grace us with his production presence on the random Horror film WIND CHILL. Now, I know George Clooney is no stranger to the world of Horror (FROM DUSK 'TIL DAWN) but what I want to know here is "why?" Did he like the script? Did someone pitch the idea to him as a favor? It just seems a little out of nowhere if you ask me. WIND CHILL is a good movie never the less.

Basically it's about this young College girl (never named in the movie) who is trying to go home for the holidays. She doesn't have a car and she doesn't want to fly or take the bus home for some strange reason. So she decides to check some local College personals for someone who is heading home in her direction. Personally I find this whole concept a little strange. I've never heard of any College having a "Ride Board" (a wall with flyers on it of people asking for rides or giving them) but then again, maybe I'm just not "hip" with todays College youth.

Anyways, this anonymous College girl meets a guy on this board (also never named in the movie) who happens to be going to her exact destination. Well, in these type of movies, things aren't always what they seem. As the movie progresses forward, our main female character starts to discover that her driver hasn't been truthful to her from the start. Paranoia sets in for her and finally the guy admits that he's been stalking her for a while. This news sends the girl into a panic and as they argue in the car, a mysterious driver coming the opposite way down the road, almost gets them all into an accident. Their car crashes into a snow embankment, getting stuck in the ditch.

Eventually the girl accuses the guy of planning the whole thing, even the car running them off the road! As you're watching the movie, you start to think this is the only aspect of WIND CHILL. Creepy guy stalking and lying to the girl, both stranded together on some dark and snowy highway, a paranoid thriller in other words. That is until the ghosts come into the picture!

What I liked about WIND CHILL the most was the acting, pacing and atmosphere. Normally with most lame and over the top Hollywood PG-13 ghost stories, the movie ends up being nothing more than a boring exercise in mediocrity. No zest, no passion, no Horror! WIND CHILL is the rare modern ghost story that isn't afraid to have an R rating. Sometimes you need to use adult subject matter to make a successful Horror film. Using a bunch of trendy themes, lame CGI and keeping the movie PG-13 really drags down the image of what a true Horror movie is. I'm talking about such films as BOOGEYMAN (2005), THE SKELETON KEY (2005), PULSE (2006) and THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT (2004), all of which are luke warm at best. WIND CHILL is a hundred times better than those other films.

Gore Hounds, check it out for interesting ghost effect make-up. The over all movie isn't very bloody but then again, it doesn't need to be. This is more about tension and atmosphere, not blood and guts. It's not a perfect Horror film (a few parts had me just scratching my head) but it's better than most. You get the feeling the director took the project seriously and the end result truly shows. This is an unexpected treat. Give it a shot, you might find that you liked it!

I've said my bit. Over and out.