Sommerleigh – Senior Writer
Sleigh Rides, Let it Snow, Dreaming of a White Christmas. There are so many songs (and movies) about how beautiful it is to experience this snowy time of year. Personally, I haven’t yet had the privilege of experiencing winter myself, but as someone who watches a ton of horror movies, I know that this season can go from Magic to Maniac in ten seconds flat!
Let’s take a look at the TOP 5 WINTER THEMED HORROR MOVIES:
#5 Frozen
No, not that one, although if I hear Let it Go one more time, I’m liable to take a snow plow to the next person I see. Frozen (2010) tells the story of three friends who decide to go skiing and get stranded on the chairlift. With no help in sight they’re forced to make life or death choices, or risk freezing to death.
This is a hugely underrated film in my book, especially when you watch the behind the scenes of what went into making this ambitious movie. It was almost a case of real life imitating art when you hear about how cold it got having to stay put in basically one location, on a frozen mountain, dangling hundreds of feet in the air. Just watching this movie makes me feel like I’m freezing my butt off, and the story is just plausible enough to make you think twice about taking up skiing…or snowboarding. Hell maybe just stay home and watch the Winter Olympics instead.
#4 Dead Snow
This movie just showed up recently on my Top 5 Zombie Comedies to watch and here we are again. But this time it’s not just that you’re going up against Nazi Zombies (cause you thought things couldn’t possibly get worse), you’re also stuck in the middle of a hellscape made of snow!
I vividly remember the opening scene of a girl running at top speed, in pitch darkness, in about four feet of the white stuff and I’m amazed she even makes it as far as she does (Spoiler Alert: not far enough). How people even WALK in that much snow is astounding. Can you imagine having to pull your best Usain Bolt impression in that much snow?!! I just know I would have to kiss my Caribbean-born backside goodbye.
#3 Let the Right One In
The winter-covered suburb of Blackeberg Stockholm is so vividly captured in this movie, you can almost feel the cold harshness of it sitting right there on your couch. It’s a perfect metaphor for the feeling of loneliness that permeates off of our two characters Eli, a 12-year-old girl, who’s been 12 for 200 years (yup, she’s a vampire), and Oskar, a bullied 12-year-old boy who dreams of revenge.
It speaks volumes how well this film is shot, that the frost covered location is almost as terrifying as Eli herself. Almost.
#2 30 Days of Night
As Cinderella’s wicked step-mother in Ever After said “No matter how bad things are, they can always get worse.” She must be a huge fan of this movie.
Alaska is one of those places I’ve always wanted to visit, as it almost seems like it’s on another planet with 30 days of perpetual darkness (although from what I’ve read, it’s more like 60). But a beautiful winter filled with starry nights would quickly turn into the ultimate nightmare, if a pack of vampires descended on your town and there was literally no hope of escape come dawn.
Not only did our unfortunate heroes have to face blood suckers trying to kill them at every turn, you also had to deal with snowstorms that would slowly kill you if you tried to make a run for it. So now you have to decide which is worse: having your throat ripped out by the undead or freezing to death in the dead of winter. Decisions, decisions.
#1 The Shining/ The Thing
It’s a tie because there was no way I could choose from just one of these snow-filled nightmares. Both films have our protagonists trapped in the middle of nowhere, with a killer relentlessly stalking them. Both movies show just how easy it is for claustrophobia and paranoia to take over when the cold harsh winter surrounds you, and you have no choice but to sit there with your thoughts (and possibly an alien parasite/supernatural entity) trying to take you or your companions over. Both movies show how the inescapable winter outside can be just as horrific as the monster you’re forced to face inside.
So while for some people “it’s the most wonderful time of the year” for folks like myself, who some might argue watch “way too many horror movies” (pfft, like there’s such a thing), winter can be just as chilling, thrilling and downright killing, as any of the monsters out there.
Winter is coming folks. Bring protection!
So did I miss any of your favourite winter-themed horror films? You can mention them in the comments. And if you enjoyed this you can check out Deck the Halls With 5 Non-Traditional Christmas Movies for more wintry horror flicks here.
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes. Double Tap Baby!
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