People who ride Ferris wheels can’t help but think what might happen if the wheel stopped and left them at the top of the ride, stranded indefinitely.
A similar thought grabbed writer/director Adam Green about ski lifts.
“Anybody skiing has gone through that scenario in their heads,” Green says.
That kernel of fear inspired “Frozen,” a new thriller opening in select theaters this weekend. The movie follows three friends who bribe a ski lift operator for one last pass before the park closes.
A series of miscues leaves the trio up on the chair lift, in the dark, and at the mercy of the elements.
Green initially wasn’t sure he could sustain the tension such a scenario evokes for 90 minutes, but once he started writing the screenplay his worries vanished.
“Actually, I had to cut stuff out,” says Green, known in horror circles for his cult hit “Hatchet.”
Shooting the film was another matter. Green and his crew welcomed the chilly weather, but capturing the film’s precarious sequences meant putting themselves in danger. For some scenes, Green dangled in front of the actors wearing harnesses to get the necessary shots.
“And I’m afraid of heights,” he admits.
Green’s “Hatchet” played by the horror genre rules – gore, gross-outs and a serial killer running amok. “Frozen” couldn’t fall back on any of those tropes.
“It’s a lot easier when you can rely on special effects and gore,” he says. “’Frozen’ is a horror movie without an ounce of violence, there’s no sex or swearing and it‘s performance driven.”
Tomorrow: Green talks about showing “Frozen” at the Sundance Film Festival and doesn’t mince words about horror fans who refuse to support indie horror films.
(Photo: Writer/director Adam Green, right, goes over a scene with actor Shawn Ashmore in “Frozen.”)
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
“Frozen” kind of sounds like a winter version of “Open Water”. Hope it’s as good as that movie.
I missed Open Water … then I heard the ending which spoiled things a bit for me. But I still wanna see it.
For “Frozen” you have to buy the situation which has some logic flaws. Once you do it’s a pretty engaging ride.