Hey, look, you’re already shivering, right?
Why not make the most of the atmosphere and take the opportunity to watch some of the most chilling movies ever made?
Here’s a guide to some icy horror to watch in the winter weeks ahead, with selections from old to new, from serious to silly, from 0 to -32 degrees.
In no particular order…
1. The Thing
From the opening shots of Antarctica’s icy cliffs to the final foggy breaths from the survivors, no other film in horror history uses cold to its advantage like John Carpenter‘s paranoiac masterpiece.
When a shapeshifting alien infiltrates a research station, the already half-frozen, stir-crazy scientists have to figure out who among them is still human before it’s too late…
2. 30 Days Of Night
Sometimes a new setting can turn even the oldest monster stories fresh.
Vampires may be ancient, but when they attack an Alaska town where it’s night for a whole month, all the rules are out the window!
And when these terrifying predators are after you, every crunchy footstep on the ice and boot imprint in the snow just adds to the suspense.
3. Misery
For you, curling up under a blanket while the snow pours will be a treat! For this novelist “rescued” by a crazed stalker? Not so much…
Kathy Bates gives an iconic, Oscar-winning performance as Annie Wilkes, the number one fan you least want at a meet-and-greet while James Caan, as trapped novelist Paul Sheldon, gives pain face like you’ve never seen.
The blizzard outside serves as a white prison wall keeping Paul trapped in a sadistic snow globe.
Put your feet up and enjoy Stephen King‘s personal nightmare!
4. Krampus
Up on the housetop, click, click… RUN!!!
The titular monster from folklore is a demonic anti-Santa who comes calling with a list of who’s been naughty.
The snowstorm he brings turns the suburbs into a wintery nightmare — and makes Christmas feel like the most terrifying time of year.
5. The Shining
Stephen King may hate this adaptation, but he’s alone in the cold on this one. Just about everyone else considers it a high watermark of the genre.
When a man brings his family along to take over as the caretaker of a haunted hotel, the sweater strings unravel with the quickness.
The cold creeps into every pore of the story, making the Overlook Hotel feel like the entryway into a frozen hell.
6. Let The Right One In
If you haven’t seen this tale of a young Swedish boy’s friendship with the vampire next door, it is an absolute must-watch!
The bleak permanent Winter helps to convey the coldness of Oskar’s world — which makes him befriending a literal monster all the more likely.
7. Thelma
A young girl from a frozen lake in Norway finds everything she knows tested when she goes to college — and falls in love with another girl.
But that’s just what cracks the ice — what’s underneath is actually pretty terrifying…
Terrifyingly good! Norway selected the award-winning horror film as their entry for Best Foreign Film for 2017 at the Oscars!
8. Jack Frost
A serial killer comes back to life as a snowman — an abominable one!
Don’t confuse this direct-to-video flick with the Michael Keaton family comedy which came out the following year (complete with the same title and magical device).
At least, not unless you want to explain to your kids why the snowman is murdering everyone!
A fave for those with a soft spot for so-bad-it’s-REALLY-bad slasher movies.
[Image via Universal Pictures/Ghost House/Columbia Pictures/Legendary/Warner Bros/EFTI/Orchard/A-Pix/YouTube.]
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