Freeze (I) (2022) User Reviews

Dear God, NoOoOoOoooO!!

[Patient444 · 3/10 · 16 April 2023]

Don't get me wrong now, I absolutely love the horror industry, and when considering movies, I do my very best to find excuses for weaker ones. I can talk about the budget, the experience of the people involved in the making, the conditions, the meddling from the studios and so on.

Freeze failed on absolutely every aspect:

• terrible monsters. The costumes weren't abysmal but their movement, the sounds just amateur all the way.

• killshots. Whenever it is time for a killshot or for some suspense, we get fade to black and a scream.

• effects. Practical but sadly all bad.

• plot. Definitely not ok. You witness more dialogue than anything else.

• no tensions, eyecandy, nudity, gore.

Sadly it really is a prime example of how not to do a horror. For me it looked more like live theatre, also done very badly. It just did not work and it is absolutely impossible to take it serious.

You need about 15 minutes and you realise that this one...is not good.

Cheers.

Disappointing

[okpilak · 3/10 · 11 March 2024]

The movie gives a nod to H. P. Lovecraft, and uses creatures that would be at home in a Roger Corman movie. It is not a movie of a ship being stranded in the Arctic for years, and their survival. Although they are in search of the crew and Captain Streiner, who set out to try and sail to the North Pole, so this was set in the 19th Century, with sailing ships. Their ship also get trapped in the ice, and then creatures, ichthyoids, come aboard and do some killing. What is left of the crew flees the ship, and there is also a woman who was a stowaway on the ship who also leaves. They are able to find a cave, which also has quite a few ichthyoids present, and they also find Captain Streiner, but his crew was all killed, but he managed to survive. The scenery is interesting, a vast snow wasteland, but when the people are outside, they really aren't dressed for the cold. Coats unbuttoned, no hats and only in one scene did they have gloves on. It could have been really interesting, but instead missed the mark.

Better than a 1, but not by much

[kirachloe · 3/10 · 19 March 2023]

This had potential, but WAY too, and I mean WAY TOO MANY corny devices. A script that uses poor concepts to limit the number of actors, a sad sack son of a ship owner, a stowaway, script devices that make no sense in the real world (locating 'just the right cave' before everyone freezes, even though two different expeditions had never been there). Creatures that look and move like a bad 60's movie. Oh, a stowaway women becoming the 1800's version of the of Rambo. PLEASE!

The scripts tries to use monologues and scene setups that make you think you are part of some cinematic experience., like placing the watch with the captain.

Such potential, like good sets and several good acting shots. Yet the director was more worried about short speech snippets in the first and last minutes of the movie than spending 5 minutes of screen time to setup realistic situations and making sure actors that were supposed to be in blistering cold were actually dressed appropriately to last the time they spent in the cold.

If you were making something you thought good to show your movie-making professor, you did OK, but for public consumption, yuck.

So it turns out that I have standards

[highwingremnants · 2/10 · 19 March 2023]

I used to believe I'd happily watch any old crap if it was connected to the Lovecraft mythos. I don't believe that anymore.

There's this constant sense that you're watching adults perform in a film written and directed by precocious children. Emotional reactions and behaviour are unconvincing, to put it charitably, and you don't have to know the specifics of history to instinctively know that those uniforms, those guns, that ship, Beatrice Barrilà's hair, the Zippo lighter, a grammaphone and the pastiche of 1930s-ish orchestral jazz that's playing on it do not remotely fit together in the same year. Anything is allowed to be here as long as it's vaguely old-timey; why make any more effort than that? And that's before the captain starts Duke-Nukeming quips such as "Eat this!" or the movie's cackling villain tells the captain that his "puny human brain can't concieve" of how good and fun his plan will be, mwa-ha-ha-haaaa. That's not even the only time that character says "puny human". It's so bad.

The only reason those costumes are here - really, the only reason this film exists - is because of season one of The Terror (which, lest we forget, was set in the 1840s). It's painfully obvious. Every diversion the plot tries to make from that can only be made via yet another crudely impersonated drama: Apocalypse Now, Aliens, The Thing. Please don't think, "Hey, I like all of those things!" You won't like this. When you're watching a Deep One wriggle on the spot as if there's a musical number playing, it'll also put you in mind of The Mighty Boosh. It's hard to square the idea that this monster type is your evolutionary superior with the visual appearance of a Halloween house worker.

Cliché-riddled community theatre, and it can't even be bothered to complete its very simple mission by the time the credits roll.

Turned it off

[hampersnow-41369 · 1/10 · 18 March 2023]

I sat down with a friend to watch this believing it to be a monster horror film. My friend will watch almost anything, the worst TV shows, low budget garbage, really anything at all, but 15 minutes into this and he asked to turn it off. It really is that bad. This movie , in what we saw, has nothing going for it. There is no atmosphere of horror, it looks like they could only afford partial costumes for some of the cast, the acting was like bad dinner theatre, the one female cast member had a modern haircut and looked like she stepped in from some other film, the monsters looked like cheap knock-offs from the Creature from the Black Lagoon films, and everything about this looked cheap and amateurish. Had we continued watching maybe it would have become a so bad it's funny movie, but my friend who'll watch the worst junk out there insisted we give up and I agreed.

Not even ridiculous

[abrauneis · 1/10 · 4 April 2023]

Well, I've seen it. You need to see it, otherwise you would not believe that something like this is possible in the year of 2022. If this movie would have been shot, let's say in 1925, it might, perhaps, have been a mediocre movie, despite the bad acting, the ridiculous monsters and the obvious disregard of the fact, that it is cold, in fact, freezing, when all around you is covered with snow, and so on., I do wonder who was willing to finance such a disaster, and find actors desperate enough to participate in such a movie. I guess the producer must be a very convincing person with an hypnotic aura.

Freeze Sucks!

[cynet-52332 · 1/10 · 18 March 2023]

Poor acting, poor costumes, poor looking monsters and this is just the 5 min of the movie. Poor acting goes into over acting by hamming it up like a cheap thespian on stage in Bognor Regis. The creatures remind me of the Jon Petwee , Dr Who series run of rubber monsters. Seriously this movie is not worth your time because it sucks on a huge scale. 1/10 for being the worst movie to call itself an horror movie. I haven't left any spoilers in this review because there is no worthy spoilers to be given away in truth because the film is just so awful. If anyone can justify making this movie I will be astounded but I am going for tax loss reasons!

Don't bother. Just don't bother. (minor spoilers)

[ruble-huff · 2/10 · 1 April 2023]

I did not turn this movie off. Looking back, I should have. To call it awful would be praising what it really is. I would almost call this a 'no budget' film. An English warship with less than ten people of its crew seen. Uniforms that look almost closet-fresh after two+ years of Arctic conditions. A stowaway that manages to elude being seen for at least a number of months.

There is kind of a story, but is threadbare and riddled with plot holes. Supposedly possessing supplies for literally years, one of the first topics is going to half-rations and impending starvation. Everyone is pursuing their individual agendas with near-religious fervor. Even the crises they face are not enough to compel them to work together.

The movie is listed as being in the horror & thriller genres. Freeze couldn't scare or thrill a five-year-old. Like other movies made of late, it was even more of a disappointment than I expected. What effects they tried for were beneath poor quality and laughable. Logic was all but absent. Steer clear of this film and put that time to something more engaging, like watching paint dry or an earthworm crawling across a stone.

Disappointing and Lacks Atmosphere

[icocleric · 2/10 · 27 December 2023]

I love creature features, and Lovecraften horror. So the premise of this was pretty exciting, and they had nice details with the Lovecraften monster type drawings, but it had literally no atmosphere.

At no point did this film feel like a horror, there was no tension, any danger felt more like action adventure type fighting. The acting was next level bad, but even though some of the characters were ridiculous. It wasn't entertaining bad. Like the villain you know who he is the second he opens his mouth, because he is muhwhahahaha pantomime evil.

And the script and lines just felt really awkward.

The monster design is really generic and uninteresting, and were so obviously fake. All round it was just disappointing.

Was hoping for it to get better...nope!

[psxexperten · 1/10 · 20 March 2023]

Pure garbage!

This movie starts off with 35 minutes of pointlessness.

That's act 1. I don't want to write spoilers here so I'll just tell you it doesn't get better, it gets worse and worse and worse.

The plot holes are massive. I mean you would have to suspend all reality of society to believe some of the things that occur to set up the "story" or "plot" or whatever this thing is.

There are other parts where you will just shake your head and ask: Why. That's the main question. This is utter nonsense. Unless you're into watching a plot that moves in ways that confuse you and make you annoyed, I would avoid this movie. Not good.

An Accomplisment

[riquigley · 9/10 · 28 March 2023]

I'm giving this film 9 stars. I rarely give out 9 stars. This may seem confusing to some people because I'm a harsh, but honest critic. Now, the be certain, this film has flaws. Many flaws. Those flaws have already been mentioned in other reviews and anyone who has seen a movie in their lifetime could point out Freeze's shortcomings instantly.

Yet, I'm giving Freeze 9 stars because of it's mere existence. Lots of people talk about writing a horror movie script, especially HP Lovecraft fans who would like to see more movies based on his fiction, but rarely does anyone actually attempt to write a script, let alone finish it.

Lots of people talk about producing a feature length film, and hardly anyone actually puts forth the effort to make it happen.

Hardly anyone who actually get a film produced can get that film in front of an audience. Any audience. Especially low budget films. And most low budget horror movies are claustrophobic, tired tales of people being chased by serial killers in the woods.

So to produce a film with a tiny crew that takes on a Lovecraftian story set in the Arctic is, quite frankly, incredible.

I don't know Charlie Steeds, or anyone else who made this film, but I will offer this advice should one of them come across this review. Charlie, your talent isn't as a director. Nor is it as a great cinematographer or writer for that matter. You, sir, are a producer. And you could be a producer that shakes the world. To have the motivation, drive, ambition, and guts to put together this movie and actually get it made is a feat that only those who have tried it themselves could ever appreciate.

For your next project, you need to embrace the role of producer. Pour over scripts until you find one that one cultivated by someone who understands story and dialog, and that personally moves you. Go recruit some fledgling director who has a talent for telling stories using the art of film. Go find a young, hungry cinematographer who is dying to show the world how they can paint with light (they're easy to recognize because they all have very strong opinions about prime lenses). Go find an art director who is passionate about building a color palette with costumes and props. And please, find a sound person who will insist on getting just the right mic placement, and a composer who is dying for the world to hear their music.

Build up this team, convey your dedication and enthusiasm. Get them caught up in a shared vision and others will naturally gravitate to you and your next project. If you can make Freeze with a skeleton crew, imagine what you could do with a team of people each dedicated to different aspects of the craft.

I hope to see more of your films in the future.

A nice foray into the Lovecraft Mythos...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 14 March 2023]

When I sat down to watch the 2022 movie "Freeze", I had never heard about it, so I didn't know what I was in for, aside from it being some sort of horror movie with some amphibian creatures. And that actually sounded interesting enough to make me pick up the movie and give it a twirl.

The storyline in "Freeze", as written by Charlie Steeds, who also directed the movie, was actually entertaining. It was definitely something a bit more different than what I had imagined, as I assumed it to be another run-of-the-mill creature feature. But it turned out that "Freeze" was actually a movie taking place in the Lovecraft Mythos. See, if I had known that beforehand, I would have tracked the movie down, because I thoroughly enjoy the cosmic dread spun in the Lovecraft Mythos.

"Freeze" was a movie that definitely felt like it belonged within the Mythos, because it was somewhat reminiscent of the "At the Mountains of Madness" story from H. P. Lovecraft, but also connecting with the "Dagon" story as well. There were lots of obvious references, and also some more subtle ones.

The acting performances in "Freeze" were good. I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in this 2022 movie from writer and director Charlie Steeds. But I will say that they put on good performances.

Visually then "Freeze" was quite good. The sets, props and wardrobe definitely felt like an era-set movie. But especially the Ichthyoids - the amphibian arctic-dwelling creatures. For being all practical effects and such, I was really impressed with what they accomplished here. Great creature designs and they looked realistic - well, as realistic as make-believe monsters can - on the screen.

If you enjoy the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, then you most certainly have to sit down and watch "Freeze", should you have the opportunity to do so. I was genuinely entertained by this movie. "Freeze" is a good addition to the cinema set in the Lovecraft Mythos, whereas many other such movies tend to be dubious results. This one is worth the time, money and effort.

My rating of "Freeze" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Lovecraftian Horror done right!

[stewsith · 9/10 · 30 January 2023]

I thought I'd check out this movie as I am a fan of director Charlie Steeds previous work which includes the really fun A Werewolf in England which was very inspired by the wacky horror fun of Evil Dead II. Freeze is a much more serious film and fans of Lovecraft will find lots to enjoy here. It reminded me of Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness meets The Terror, particularly with the elements of an expedition gone wrong and an ancient civilisation being uncovered in the arctic.

The cast is strong, with some returning faces from Steeds previous work and genre favourites like Johnny Vivash (Book of Monsters) who gives a particularly fantastic performance. The creatures are entirely practical effects and are on screen enough to keep monster fans happy. The locations in the film are also incredible, with scenes taking place on a ship, a cave and the arctic tundra. It's clear these are real locations and not studio sets or green screen, giving the movie a very authentic feel. I must admit that I felt the cold and sympathised with the freezing actors as they trudged across the deep snow.

It's clear that Steeds spent his small budget well and every penny has been spent on the screen, successfully conveying the desolate dread of the unrelenting arctic and the secrets the crew uncover there. One to check out for fans of Lovecraft and creature features!

An enjoyable enough indie creature feature that has a few minor problems

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 7/10 · 22 October 2023]

Attempting an expedition to the Arctic, the crew of a ship trying to find the Captain's long-lost friend gets stranded in the ice and must seek shelter in a series of local underground caves where everyone finds their target but must also escape a race of human/fish hybrids under his command.

Overall, this one manages to generate a lot to like. Among its finest aspects comes from the rather enjoyable setup that works incredibly well at bringing together several fine elements. After initially seeing the determination of the captain to find his missing friend and the means through which he'll drag the others along on the quest, this all gives the first half quite a lot to like. It serves us well enough to know the crewmates onboard before being stranded in the Arctic so that when it happens and the revelations made about the origins of the creatures and their connections to the stranded sailor they're trying to rescue which ties in some Lovecraftian mythos amongst everything else. Altogether, these provide a stellar setup to everything which is all fun to see play out. That gives us a great setup for the creature action to be highly enjoyable and entertaining. The first encounter with the creatures in the ship when they attack and drive the crew from the ship to the icy tundra is a solid first encounter that lets their surprise presence run this one quite nicely. The later scenes involving the race of creatures hunting and stalking them through the underground caverns and tunnels feature a lot of solid creature interactions providing some great gore in the kills as well as the fine practical creature costumes. In addition to all this, there's a highly creative and unique means of finally stopping the creatures that have some fun energy involved to bring about some fine twists as well as the action featured, all providing this with some fun aspects overall. There are some issues to be had with this one. One of the main factors to be had with this one is a disconcerting storyline structure that strands the group on the ice incredibly early in the film and has some bizarre choices as a result. The pacing stalls considerably as a lot of the conversation derives around means of staving off hunger or the wounded rather than dealing with the fish creatures. The numerous interactions with the possessed target clearly show him to be in league with them yet wastes plenty of time trying to unnecessarily reason with him so there are too many obviously misaligned speeches ignoring the creatures to make the misguided captain the villain at the expense of the fish creatures so they disappear for a pretty big section of the film for no reason. These are the main drawbacks of this one.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

I seemed to like it more than most

[bowmanblue · 7/10 · 15 February 2024]

Found this low budget horror film on a streaming service and decided to watch it. And I'm glad I did. It was only now I've come to review it did I find how much of the minority I seem to be. I'm guessing it's set about 100-150 years ago when a sail-ship takes an expedition to the North Pole in order to find a previous lost vessel. Naturally, they find something pretty nasty waiting to take a bite out of them in the frozen wastelands.

As I say, it's low budget. Don't expect any amazing set pieces, but what I enjoyed was the cast. They were older than your average cast of a modern horror film. Most cases have actors barely out of their late teens cast in roles which should really go to middle aged people. Here, I actually believed that the men on the crew were hardened sailors - especially the captain himself, who I was really rooting for.

Now, don't think that I'm saying that everything is perfect here. The monsters are nice - for the budget, but they're basically men in costumes and the lack of movement was really visible when the creatures had to attack humans. Because the monsters' mouths obviously weren't designed to move and be seen to take bites out of people, they just sort of rub their hideous, slimy faces against the people. It was actually quite comical, unfortunately.

Plus there's a woman on board. Yes, the 'in story' explanation is that she's a stowaway, but her character seems really out of place, like she's had Ripley's ('Alien' franchise) personality imprinted on her. She even tapes two guns together in a weird throwback to that classic scene from 'Aliens.' It's very out of place.

Then you have the human antagonist of the film, who chews up every piece of scenery even harder than any beastie could. He's more evil than a thousand Dr Evils and he shows it.

Yet, I watched it right until the end. I actually enjoyed it. It had its flaws, but the casting and story was different enough to keep me entertained. Although, perhaps its strongest 'selling point' (for me!) was that it was set a long time in the past and this is the first new horror film I've seen in a while where the teens don't have to point out that their cell phones don't have any reception.

A Fun Lofvecraftian Film

[nmiddlephoto · 7/10 · 19 March 2024]

Pulling inspiration from H. P. Lovecraft's stories, this is a great mix of action, a story where you fill in many blanks with your imagination, and decent acting for the budget. It's well shot film, and really captures the weird fiction vibe well, while not taking itself too seriously. The two captains particularly do a great job of their roles, showing the madness that occurs in the arctic when stranded. If you liked the series Terror, you'd likely enjoy this as well! My only criticism is there should have been a little more exposition to the first captain's journey, and more about the stowaway's story.

All in all it was a fun film, highly recommended for the budget it was likely working with.