The Chill Factor

This capsule review was published - in an actual newspaper, remember those? - on October 15, 1993, when it was first released on home video by AIP Video (not the same as American International Pictures, by the way) four years after being made:

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DEMON POSSESSED (R) - AIP Video: EVIL DEAD's 'spam-in-a-cabin' routine and WITCHBOARD's ouija board antics are mixed to not-bad effect as six snowmobiles (this has to be the world's first snowmobile horror flick) take refuge in an abandoned children's camp where they are systematically chunked up by an in-house shadow demon (or something like that). Shot in 1989 as THE CHILL FACTOR, this ultra-low-budgeter falters a bit in the logic department (especially when an otherwise eerie narration doesn't connect with the film's Twilight Zone ending), but showcases some tame-but-effective gore and a cast and crew of ambitious amateurs.

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Short stuff, for sure. When I reviewed this in '93, my weekly column focused on direct-to-video titles, particularly schlock like this, which could routinely be found filling up shelf space in video stores (especially mom 'n pop shops) but which was rarely reviewed outside of the back pages of horror mags, assuming you had access to them, and big-city fanzines, assuming you had access to those (the internet, still in its infancy, was essentially useless in this regard). Now, 30 years later, I'm tagging this old review to an IMDb listing in which most of the other reviewers have the advantage of Arrow Video's supplements-laden Blu-ray edition of Chill Factor. As they say, things were different back then, but the spirit of stumping for (or dumping on) b-movies hasn't changed much at all. We're just conditioned by the likes of Arrow, Vinegar Syndrome, Severin et al to believe that all of these films - no matter how crappy and opportunistic - are somehow unheralded classics deserving of special editions loaded with supplements and collectors' booklets. It does get to be a bit much, but if it introduces new fans to old junk, what's the harm?

"The Chill Factor" follows a group of snowmobilers stranded at an abandoned religious camp where they uncover a strange ouija-like game, and proceed to unleash demonic spirits that start taking hold of them one-by-one.

This utter oddity was filmed in the late-1980s but went unreleased until several years later when it surfaced on video under the title "Demon Possessed." Make no bones about it, this is a low-budget flick, and has all the hallmarks of a cheap horror flick: Bad acting (especially from the extras), silly gore effects, and a plot that seems to have been invented on the fly (a voice-over narration from an apparently chain-smoking grandmother attempts to tie up the loose ends). Even with its pitfalls, however, I found myself enjoying "The Chill Factor" for what it is.

The film's greatest strength is that it's quite atmospheric, and recalls other snow-set horror films such as "Curtains" or "Ghostkeeper," which feel like distant cousins. Conceptually, the plot has potential, and is just weird enough to be attention-grabbing; the execution, however, is not quite up to speed, but one can see the seeds of something ominous buried underneath all the ineptitude. I won't attempt to make a case for "The Chill Factor" being a good film, because it isn't, but it is so bizarre and so wonky that one cannot help but get somewhat absorbed in it. There are a handful of decent death sequences, and the finale boasts a snowmobiling showdown that is ridiculous but somehow not out of place.

"The Chill Factor" is worth a watch for horror purists who enjoy cheapjack possession horror flicks; it melds the demon film with the slasher, and packages it in a late-'80s aesthetic that is as perplexing as it is amusing in all its weirdness. 5/10.

Prior to its fancy release on BluRay (thank you, Arrow Video) I had never heard about "The Chill Factor". This can mean two things. Either it's an unjustly obscure and undiscovered masterpiece, OR there is a good reason why it got forgotten over the years; - namely because it's terrible. Usually, it's option #2 and that's also the case for this one. However, this doesn't mean it can't be entertaining and - luckily - that's also the case for "The Chill Factor".

What we have here is a textbook amateur horror flick, thriving on enthusiasm and goodwill rather than on competences. The year is 1993, but everything looks & feels mid-to-late 80s, the plot is ultra-thin, half of the footage is time-filler, the dialogues are embarrassing, the wannabe atmospheric & foreboding voiceover is pointless, and most of the cast and crew members have only this insignificant title on their resumes.

The plot revolves around a group of six twenty-something dimwits, three couples, that get isolated in an abandoned cabin near a frozen lake after a trip on their snowscooters. These scooters appear to be the pivotal gimmicks of the movie. It feels as if someone in the group had the idea of renting snow scooters, and then use them in horror movie because you don't see that often. "What will the movie be about?". "Who knows. Who cares because we got snowmobiles, right!". So, after an endless hour of scootering footage, macho racing contests, and a dumb accident, there comes a silly story about possession by an ancient evil entity that gets unleased via a sort of Ouija board. It turns into a supernatural slasher with a couple of gruesome kills (notably the icicle in the eye), shots of girls in their underwear, and some hysterical screaming. The second half is quite fun and it's over before you know it.

A trio of young couples is on a snowmobiling holiday when one of them is seriously hurt in an accident. Desperate for shelter, they happen upon an abandoned lodge in the middle of nowhere.

After noticing religious artifacts everywhere, they decide to play a "wheel pf fortune"-type game (think: Ouija board) they've found. Bizarre occurrences and deadly "accidents" soon follow.

THE CHILL FACTOR is a slow-moving supernatural horror movie with a few ghoulish set pieces. While the characters are pretty vapid, they're not annoying enough to ruin everything. Gorehounds will find sustenance here, especially during the death-by-icicle sequence!

If you have a taste for the occult and don't mind a bit of gruesomeness, then this might hit the spot...

This movie was extremely awful. The cover looks cool. I will never again do that rent a movie just for the cover, they probably spent more money on the cover than the movie itself. The acting, storyline, and everything else is painfully awful. Everything you expect in a B-movie. This movie wasn't too bad, it's funny. It's just plain BAD!!!!!

I give this film 0 out of 10