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Film: The Chill Factor
Year: 1993
Director: Christopher Webster
Writer: Julian Weaver
Starring: Dawn Laurrie, Aaron Kjenaas and Connie Snyder
Review:
This was a film that I learned about either through a podcast or a documentary. It went on my list of films that I would check out at some point. From what I’m gathering, this is an independent film that would be considered regionally made. Other than knowing that this took place in the winter, I did come into this one blind.
Synopsis: a group of snowmobilers become trapped on a lake and have to hole up in an abandoned camp once used by a religious group.
We start this with voice-over narration from Jeannie (Dawn Laurrie). What we’re seeing are a couple of snowmobiles and Jeannie was talking about when she was younger. She had a nightmare about this event and when things progressed toward it, she couldn’t stop them.
It then shifts to meeting our group as they snowmobile to a bar. Jeannie is with Tom (Aaron Kjenaas). I think they might be engaged. With them is his sister, Karen (Connie Snyder), who they seem to be a bit too close. She is seeing Chris (David Fields). He is a medical student and his birthday is soon. He butts heads with Tom as they’re constantly competing. We also have Lissa (Eve Montgomery) and Ron (Jim Cagle). He’s a football player who’s been invited to the Minnesota Vikings training camp.
This group meets the owner of the bar, Bessie (Bekki Vallin). Chris and Tom are debating who would win in a race on snowmobiles. The former is convinced that over distance, he’ll win, where Tom believes with the modifications he’s made, his will with speed. Bessie tells them of a frozen area on Black Friar Lake where it can be decided. This doesn’t seem like a good idea, but everyone heads that way with a map they’re given.
It is here that we see Jeannie’s nightmare play out. Tom is flung from his snowmobile and hits his head on a tree. They have to find either a way back to town or somewhere to warm him up as he’s unconscious. That is when they find the abandoned cabin. Chris gives him medical treatment. Ron decides he’ll go into town for help. Everyone else looks for supplies and to start the fire.
While they’re searching, Karen finds a box of items. Inside of it is a variation on a Ouija board called Devil’s Eye. There is an arrow with an eye on it that goes in the middle. Jeannie seems to know how to get it to work, even though she doesn’t think it is a good idea. Tom is bleeding, which seems to be a sacrifice as they do this ritual. There is a dark entity with them that has an open vessel with this hurt guy and Jeannie’s nightmare becomes a reality.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I’ll start is that this film isn’t working with a large budget. It has its flaws while also having charm. What I love is the setting. Being that we have people who are riding snowmobiles getting stranded at this remote cabin is a good touch. Then having one of the guys get injured raises the stakes. If they don’t get back to town or get someone who is there to take him, he will die. The elements are unforgiving. Then giving this place a history, these are all things that work.
Delving more into where this takes place, I love the idea of this being a religious camp. They find an image from the 1950s that has an odd phrase from the bible about keeping the beast in the fields. Our group tries to figure out what sect of Christianity ran this place. The deeper they dig; it turns out to be something dark. I’m a sucker for that. This doesn’t get as fleshed out as possible though.
That will then go into another issue that I have is that the writing here isn’t great. The character dialogue is stiff. It doesn’t fully make sense at times either. It feels like the writers were too concerned with getting certain things said or what they thought were funny. It doesn’t necessarily feel natural. The actors were probably amateur as well, so that doesn't help. Laurrie, Snyder, Fields and Montgomery were all fine. Kjenaas was given a bit more to work with. Cagle brings good size to his role. The rest were serviceable aside from what I’ve said.
The only other themes to bring up are relationships and sexual tension. This is a supernatural horror film but it does play with slasher tropes. There are odd dynamics here like Tom and Karen flirting when they’re supposed to be siblings. Chris and Jeannie notice it. There are also characters who will kiss, then get called out for potentially turning on that character. The supernatural element does factor in here but does need more fleshing out to fully work.
All that is left then will be the filmmaking aspects. I’ve already said that I love the setting, both the isolated cabin and the snowy exteriors. How they captured those along with the action sequences on the snowmobiles were good. Something else solid were the effects. They were practical. They are limited by the budget but the blood we see looks good. There is a more subdued element with the supernatural that surprised me. We get a variety of interesting kills. Other than that, the soundtrack didn’t necessarily stand out or hurt the film.
In conclusion, this is a fascinating, if flawed, regional independent film. It succeeds admirably in establishing a compelling, isolated setting and raising the stakes with the immediate injury of a main character. While the execution is hampered by stiff writing, awkward dialogue, and likely amateur performances, the film possesses a distinct charm, especially in its use of practical effects and interesting supernatural elements blended with slasher tropes. Though it doesn't fully develop the dark history of the religious camp or resolve all the strange character dynamics, it remains a worthwhile watch for fans of low-budget, regional horror looking for an engaging winter-set tale that prioritizes atmosphere and intriguing premise over polish.
My Rating: 5 out of 10