Ellina McCormick in Frozen in Fear (2000)

Clips

Pics

Review

Two thumbs down for this ultra-lameazoid cheese fest, unless of course you have always wanted to see Eric Roberts and Wagnerian Opera, together at last.

Oh, boy! What a mess.

It's bad enough when filmmakers create sordid grade-b junk. But this is arty, pretentious grade b junk. You see, the entire film plays out like grand opera. Only four people live in the town, which is filled with swirling fog. Other scenes take place on the high seas, amid thunder and the howling winds, with people shouting their lines at the top of their lungs, lines like "Oh, God, why hast thou cursed me with a faithless woman".

Meanwhile, while this faux version of The Flying Dutchman plays out in the film, the real Wagnerian opera of the same name is playing in the background. I suppose they used 20-30 minutes of music from the opera.

All I can say is that's some high-concept twisted shit for your basic House of Wax movie, except with ice instead of wax.

What little value this movie might have had was spoiled by a very poor casting decision.
The basic dramatic tension in the movie is based on a single point - is the gifted mute artist a misunderstood, troubled, sensitive guy, or is he a psychotic capable of heinous acts.

Well, you haven't seen the movie, but I'll tell you the part is played by Eric Roberts, so what do you think?

See what I mean?

If the part was played by Edward Norton, OK, it could go either way, so we have some dramatic tension, but Eric Roberts? We knew the KO was coming right from the opening bell.

In addition, Roberts must be the chattiest mute in the history of mutedom. He must be the only mute who talks more than Kathie Lee and Regis put together. I think he must have watched that old Albert Brooks routine about the talking mime.

Tuna pointed out quite accurately that they virtually promised a sequel. Oh, the delicious anticipation. Be still, my beating heart.

By the way, I think that might have been the stand-in in that torture scene, not Ellina McCormick. They cut every single shot at the neck, even though it was choppy and ugly and more trouble to do so. However, I have to say that the DVD includes only a 4:3 print, and it is probably a pan & scan, so there may be much more info off to the sides, precious info which would resolve this key ontological argument.

Tuna seems to have a fair question, though. If they didn't hire McCormick specifically to do the nude scene, then why did they hire her?

IMDB Summary: IMDb voters score it 3.1.

DVD Info: bare-bones.


Written by: Scoopy …courtesy of Scoopy.net