Chiller - Kalt wie Eis

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.