Available at Amazon.com ^[1]

A Japanese terror movie remake is frequently a bad idea, but an American horror movie that looks like one is worst. “Wind chill” tries to tell a declared true story in a Japanese way. That means to use a claustrophobic atmosphere, an aesthetic style and especially a plot based on spirits that want revenge. But in the end, it’s just a nothing-happens movie with bad acting and lazy direction.

The story is based in declared actual events occurred in 1950. A college-girl (Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada) take a free ride to Delaware from a strange classmate. The guy seems to now everything about her. Suddenly, he decided to take a shortcut and they had a crash. Now, they’re under a snowstorm without any idea what are going to happen.

Actually, nothing happens for a long time. It takes almost an hour to the real plot begins (maybe the director is trying to say how bored is to be under a snowstorm. Well, it works very well). When something begins to happen, we realize the director doesn’t have the sense and the rhythm of suspense. He is slow when nothing happens and fast when something happens, but the style of suspense is exactly the opposite.

In some horror movies, acting is the only thing to make them worthwhile. Bu it’s not the case here. Emily Blunt is better wearing Prada than running away from terror. The truth is that horror needs a lot of from actors, because the risk of over-acting and lack of rhythm. Emily Blunt´s expressions are too affected that sometimes we’re afraid of her, not of the terror itself. She also runs in a too I’m-acting way that seems making cooper, not running away. Besides that, the interaction between her and Ashton Holmes (A History of Violence), who plays her classmate, isn’t good in the whole movie.

Sometimes a horror movie is good as “serious” because a message. For example, John Carpenter’s “The Thing ^[2]” (1982). In the most of times, horror movies are just funny because humorous plot, strong scenes and sexy actresses. For example, “Van Helsing ^[3]” (2004). But “Wind Chill” isn’t good neither as “serious” nor as funny. Eating an ice cream under a snowstorm is more exciting.

Review by Douglas Lobo

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