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Winter is upon us, which means it’s time to crack open some nice chilly thrillers—or chillers, if you will. Horror has always been fortunate enough to have an abundance of wintery gems. We see people get hunted in the snow all the time. We even have classics like Misery and The Thing (1982), which are always available on VOD and worth every penny. I also highly recommend checking out The Lodge if you want something bleak after rewatching those two for the billionth time. This constant stream of atmospheric dread is one of the things I look forward to every year. So, of course, I needed to make it a streaming guide problem. I also needed it to be a little worse by ensuring all the characters are trapped in awful weather with their big evil. After all, if death is not almost guaranteed, what’s the point?
With that in mind, I sat out to find five chillers that will make your blood run cold. They also happen to be streaming on the usual suspects because our wallets could use a rest, too. I hope you find something that scares the holiday spirit right out of you. Or at least make you appreciate that the craptastic weather you’re enduring isn’t as bad as what some of these movies serve up on a freezing cold platter.
30 Days of Night (dir. David Slade)
Where You Can Watch: Pluto TV
A gang of vampires attacks an Alaskan town right as it is plunged into darkness for a month. This 2007 gem made vampire movies cool again, and I love it so much! It also made my generation’s obligatory shared crush on Josh Hartnett even worse. Melissa George and Danny Huston join our teen heartthrob in this snowy bloodbath. This movie is delightfully vicious and arguably one of the most brutal vampire films set in the snow. 30 Days of Night is also one of many horror scenarios that I would not survive. Between the freezing temperatures and the rude vampires, I would simply give up. I complain a lot about Midwest winters, but when I watch this movie, I remember that Alaska has it so much worse. If you are a completionist, then Pluto TV has the sequel 30 Days of Night: Dark Days.
Frozen (dir. Adam Green)
Where You Can Watch: Plex, Prime Video, The Roku Channel, and Tubi
Three people get stranded on a chairlift as a ski resort shuts down during a severe storm. They find themselves making some harrowing decisions as they try to avoid freezing to death. If I were a skier, Frozen would terrify me enough to give that up. This survival chiller stars Shawn Ashmore, Emma Bell, and Kevin Zegers as the three unluckiest people on this mountain. They might have it worse than any other characters on the list because they do not even get shelter from the elements. Watching them freeze is awful enough, but things get much worse for these kids. This movie is referred to as a psychological horror thriller, but I think it’s more psychological torture. If you try to watch this snowy hell, keep your eyes open for a Kane Hodder sighting before the snow hits the fan.
The Last Winter (dir. Larry Fessenden)
Where You Can Watch: AMC+
Tensions rise between an environmentalist and the chief of an oil crew in the Arctic. However, they find they have even scarier problems once Mother Nature unleashes her wrath on their isolated base. As a millennial playing catch up with Larry Fessenden’s filmography, I was happy to check this film out this month. Not only is it an environmentally cautious chiller, but it gets just weird enough to match my vibe. The cast includes Ron Perlman, Pato Hoffmann, and Connie Britton, whose characters are in a tricky triangle. I found it fascinating and timely. Plus, the ending took me by surprise. If you’re itching to see people actually battle the elements, this is the movie for you. This cold little gem has a lot going on and leaves you with quite a bit to chew on as the credits roll.
Storm of the Century (dir. Craig R. Baxley)
Where You Can Watch: Hulu
A blizzard cuts a small town off from the outside world as a mysterious stranger appears in time to terrorize the community. This miniseries has been my favorite Stephen King film since childhood. Storm of the Century had no business being this vicious on broadcast TV. The kills are fantastic, the youth are very much in danger, and it captures King’s iconic use of small-town chaos as the battery for evil. I was as obsessed with the gossip as I was with the dread. I sometimes randomly quote lines from Tim Daly and Colm Feore’s characters because this miniseries is permanently etched into my brain. If you are serious about embracing your chillers era, clear a Saturday and start here. It’s a thing of wicked beauty and has one of the most upsetting endings I had ever seen at the time. I still want justice for Michael Anderson 25 years later.
Werewolves Within (dir. Josh Ruben)
Where You Can Watch: AMC+ and Shudder
A small group of townsfolk find themselves trapped in a snowstorm as a werewolf feeds on their community members. It felt like we could use a few chuckles after all the heavy movies listed in this streaming guide. While Sam Richardson, Milana Vayntrub, Harvey Guillén, and the squad do deliver the laughs, don’t get too comfortable. The sudden deaths are fun and will lead you on a journey you never saw coming. This horror-comedy video game adaptation of a werewolf whodunnit was a pleasant surprise. Whenever I see all the subgenres and categories listed, I know it should not be nearly as good as it turned out. That is one of the many reasons I want Josh Ruben and Mishna Wolff to collaborate again. I revisit this chiller often, but it feels more appropriate during the winter with a warm beverage.
What chillers are you watching this weekend? We should trade titles and get cozy at @misssharai.
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