Movies.ie prepares you for the season with five frosty films for winter!
Ok, so the weather outside is frightful but we are lazy to light that delightful fire. If you are feeling somewhat icy (let’s see how many winter puns we can fit into this) about the cold weather, then let us help you try and get through it. How you ask? Well through the miracle of movies we can remind you that no matter how bad it is outside right now, it could be an awful lot worse. Movies.ie takes chilled approach to the weather as we bring you some of the coldest, frosty films out there – so wrap up warm and grab some cocoa but expect some romantic Christmas movies… we show you the true terrors of winter!
The Day After Tomorrow
With a budget of almost 150 million dollars, it was tipped to be one of the best science-fiction natural disaster movies ever made and they weren’t wrong! Grossing nearly four times what it cost to make at the box office, The Day After Tomorrow is a gripping story of a family’s fight for survival as the effects of global warming usher in a new Ice Age. Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) is a paleoclimatologist who tries desperately to warn the world about the impending doom we face if we don’t manage to change our polluting ways but his warnings come too late and the world heads straight for disaster. His son Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) is in New York and as the weather begins to turn for the worst, the father and son are separated by tornadoes, tidal waves and ice showers. For its killer effects, nerve wracking action and general doom and gloom scenarios, The Day After Tomorrow is one to remind you that if it’s bad outside now what would it be like if global warming gets its way?
Whiteout
In 1957 a Russian plane travelling over Antarctica crashes killing all those on board and burying a secret under the pure white snow. Flash forward to the present and US Marshal, Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale) is stationed on the frozen Tundra. There she works with friends Doc and Delfy and on one night they receive a call to retrieve a body spotted out in the snow. Her investigation uncovers the body is that of a scientist working as part of a team searching for meteorites and soon Stetko realises that someone is out to kill them as the man’s death was no accident. With only hours before their location is lost in a blizzard whiteout, Carrie must fight for survival and uncover the truth about a mystery long buried beneath the snow and ice but when you are trapped in a snowstorm and the weather is just as likely to kill you as the maniac wielding an axe, where can you run? Perfect for reminding us that while we complain about the cold and frost at least we’re not being hunted by a lunatic with a hatchet!
The Thing
One of John Carpenter’s greatest movies, the 1982 classic sci-fi horror still terrifies audiences today. An American Antarctic (why are all movies about cold based in the Antarctic?) Research station is woken from its cold slumber by the sound of explosions and gunshots. Overhead a helicopter flies through the air firing at dog. In the confusion the helicopter is destroyed killing one of its passengers the other escaping and continuing to pursue the dog only to be killed by one of the Americans. Not knowing what else to do they adopt the dog and head out to investigate the Norwegian base camp. MacReady (Kurt Russell) discovers the camp in ruin, the staff dead and the remains of botched dig as well as some sort of charred human like creature. Back at their base things begin to turn sour and the helpless dog is actually host of a parasitic alien organism intent on consuming all life. One by one the crew fall victim to the monstrous creature and with the cold settling in there are little options left to them except freeze to death or fight the creature.
30 Days of Night
Once more a hard winter and chilling snowstorm is about to set in (but this time it’s in Alaska) and to make matters worse a period of 30 days where no sun will shine begins and the townsfolk of Barrow settle in for a cold dark period. Starring Josh Hartnett and Melissa George, 30 Days of Night, is the story of a town stalked by vampirish creatures that use the harsh climate and long spell of darkness to ravage isolated communities and eat like kings.
In the first few nights/days the town is destroyed, the majority of people picked off by the terrifying creatures and as the weeks draw out, numbers dwindle further and those who survived are tortured by the dropping temperatures, lack of food and the blood curdling cries for help of those captured by the creatures.
Death by vampire or death by cold? Tough choice!
Dead Snow
Zombies + Snow = amazing movie!
Dead Snow follows Sara and her Norwegian college friends as they settle in for a weekend away in her remote and lavish log cabin in the remote frosty countryside. A weekend of fun, frolics and good times turns sour as Sara is chased through the woods and devoured by… Nazi Zombies. Her friends and boyfriend blissfully unaware of her fate as a Zombie morsel are soon made aware of their impending doom when a hiker shows up and fills them in on the local history – Nazi soldiers were murdered by locals after they spent three years harassing and torturing the villagers and stealing all their valuables. The Zombies rise from their snowy graves and begin to pick off the students one by one.
Gore, death and zombies… a perfect winter treat!