Wind Chill [DVD]

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Product Description ------------------- Psychological horror. During Christmas break, a young college student (Emily Blunt) who has just broken up with her boyfriend is seeking a lift home for the holidays. Upon checking the student 'ride board' she sees that there is a boy (Ashton Holmes) offering a ride in her direction and she decides to take it. Racing to beat a severe winter storm, the two young travellers take a shortcut down a remote country road, only to find themselves forced into a snow bank by a mysterious oncoming vehicle that seems to be playing a game of chicken. Over the long, cold night that ensues, an intense relationship develops between the pair as they slowly realise that there is more to fear than just freezing to death... Synopsis -------- Wind Chill takes the conventions of the haunted house film and transs them to a dangerous stretch of road where the unfortunate victims of prior events haunt those unwise enough to drive on it. Director Greg Jacobs's film is the tale of an unnamed young student (Emily Blunt) at a Northeastern College in need of a ride home to Delaware for Christmas break. Deciding to check the ride board, she finds a fellow student (Ashton Holmes, A History of Violence) going her way, though an impending blizzard promises to make their ride treacherous. Very early into their journey, he opts for a scenic route, only to be run off the road by a reckless driver. Stuck in the snow, with no cell phone service, the two are forced to get to know each other under the worst circumstances as they learn of the area's frightening history and try to save themselves from perishing in the cold. A sparkling addition to the realm of holiday-themed fright films, Wind Chill sidesteps gratuitous gore and murderous Santas in favoUr of chilling images of ghostly figures in a snowy landscape. Creating ample suspense with a story that unfolds largely within a car, director Gregory Jacobs (Criminal) keeps the abrupt jolts to a minimum, relying on mood and a compounding sense of dread. Writers Joseph Gangemi and Steven Katz give us two characters--realised through fine work by Blunt and Holmes--whom we learn to care for as we watch them endure a realistically horrific situation. Claustrophobic, understated, and painted with a snowy glow of cool blue, this is a classy, spooky safe haven from gratuitous gore and hastily made remakes and sequels. Though the name connotes discomfort, Wind Chill is a more likely to be a breath of fresh air for discriminating genre fans.