Tumbas de hielo

Chiller (1985)

** (out of 4)

Wes Craven's made for TV flick is frozen from the get go and never goes anywhere. In the film, a man returns to life after being frozen for ten years and guess what he does? If you guessed he goes on a killing spree then you've just saved yourself 80-minutes. Just looking at the film you can tell Craven didn't have much hope in the film because you can't see any of the typical Craven trademarks. The story itself is rather lame and it's nothing new so there's not much to get excited over. There isn't any gore since this was made for television but there's also no suspense, no humor and no good performances. Paul Sorvino has a small role but even he's sleepwalking.

This 80s film has a very good concept. What if you died and were cryogenically frozen immediately after, then thawed out years later. Would you be "soul-less?" Watch the film to find out.

Some very creepy moments but it's basically a dated 80s TV movie. Why bother releasing a film to DVD if there is no desire to enhance it? To make money I know, but, it's just wrong. The picture quality is awful and that's enough to make you want to shut it off. The "film" could stand a remake with a much broader scope because of it's interesting premise. There are a dime a dozen horror films out there but I don't think this approach to terror has often surfaced. What makes the film all the more relevant is the fact that man-kind could actually come face to face with this issue for real.

Corporate bigshot Miles Creighton (Michael Beck) employs cryogenics to have himself frozen after his untimely demise. Ten years later, something goes awry and Creighton is thawed out prematurely.

Once revived, everything seems normal, until Creighton takes his place as head of the family corporation. Now a ruthless psychopath, no one is safe from his selfish, homicidal mania.

Director Wes Craven works fairly well within the confines of 1980's television. Like his other made-for-TV movies, CHILLER suffers from the limitations of the medium. Craven does his best work in the R-rated film format. Still, this movie is watchable enough with good performances and a decent amount of suspense.

Co-stars Beatrice Straight as Creighton's blissfully ignorant mum, and Paul Sorvino as a preacher who suspects that something isn't quite right...

Wes Craven through the years directed four different TV movies. To this point I have seen only this one and INVITATION TO HELL (which I liked less than this one). But, as it says above; I think this was a real wasted chance at making a great horror film when you look at all the people involved with it.

It is the story a man named Miles Creighton (coldly played by Michael Beck) who has been frozen cryogenically for almost 10 years. The pod he is in is failing so doctors race and bring him back to life. In the end we see that perhaps Miles isn't the same man he was before.

I do think we have a good premise here written by J.D. Feigelson. But, the film doesn't seem to take us more than a step or two any from this idea. The best comes from Paul Sorvino who plays Reverend Penny who questions if Miles has a soul. Beatrice Straight also stars as Miles' mother Marion. I really enjoyed her in POLTERGEIST, but here I find her almost hammy. Beautiful scream queen Jill Schoelen also stars. Stan Winston also was involved doing FX. I did find the scene involving Miles coming back to the life of the living in the hospital quite formidable in the FX department as this was an 80s TV movie.

So, with that cast, with an FX wiz like Winston and a man in Craven who really did a great job in showing us a new and groundbreaking side to nightmares in A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET just a year earlier they really missed in making perhaps one of the best horror films of maybe the 80s. I think if they allowed Craven to expand upon the script and take it away from some of the trappings of TV they may have had a great film here.

Corporate exec Miles Creighton (Michael Beck) dies, and is cryogenically frozen in the hopes that he can be revived. Ten years later, the procedure is a success, and Miles returns -- without his soul.

So you have director Wes Craven, writer J. D. Feigelson ("Dark Night of the Scarecrow"), special effects from Stan Winston and an incredible actress with Jill Schoelen. How can you go wrong? One suspects the film is better than generally given credit for, but few have actually seen it in a format that actually allows the full effect of the film to be felt.

There is absolutely terrible DVD quality (both picture and sound) on the Digiview Entertainment version (it appears the film fell into the public domain). Most likely, this version was transferred from a second or third generation VHS. It does not do justice to the film, and if a better version exists, get that one instead.