Wind Chill (2007) review – An atmospheric but tonally frozen ghost story

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are checking out Gregory Jacobs‘ 2007 supernatural horror Wind Chill.

An interesting concept

This movie follows the story of a young woman (Emily Blunt) as she hitches a ride home to Delaware with a fellow student (Ashton Holmes). After a tense and uncomfortable first hour, or so, the pair take a detour down a supposed scenic route. Not realising that they are about to find themselves trapped on a road that is haunted by spirits of the deceased.

The premise of Wind Chill is fairly interesting. I am a big fan of road trip movies and the similarly car confined Christmas horror Dead End is one of my favourite horror movies of all time. The claustrophobic vehicle setting makes for dialogue heavy movies but the character building can lead to some genuinely compelling interactions and stifling tension. When done right, it works very well indeed.

Wind Chill aims to tap into some of that potential tension straight away. Not the horror movie kind of tension you might expect, though. It’s more of the interpersonal kind that comes from two characters with distinctly different personalities clashing over minor things. I suppose this type of conflict is needed to drive the story along. After all, it takes awhile to get to the spooky supernatural goings on. We need something to fill the void.

A rather dull opening

The problems start fairly early on, however. The characters, here, aren’t all that interesting and they are relatively underdeveloped. “Boy” is a bit of an awkward dude who, very clearly, has an ulterior motive for offering “girl” a ride. “Girl” is an obnoxious, self important, asshole who is both abrasive and a bit off-putting. The first third of the movie consists of taut interactions between the pair and little else. These characters aren’t all that likable and really aren’t all that easy to invest in, either.

“These characters aren’t all that likable and really aren’t all that easy to invest in, either.”

The festive themes take a back seat; acting, predominantly, as a tool of character motivation, a soundtrack and a conversation piece. Instead, the bulk of the dialogue consists of two characters hashing out their immediate issues with each other’s personalities and the intricate unpicking of personal problems and social inadequacies… Yay! Not exactly exciting if you came for horror.

Their relationship being so immediately frayed gives you a pretty good hint as to how things will go down. The predictable roller-coaster of emotion that comes from two people experiencing a harrowing situation together doesn’t exactly make for too many thrills.

The character development is slow and formulaic. Leading you to, at times, question just how much crap “Girl” is willing to accept to avoid feeling like she is entirely alone in her ghostly predicament. A part of me feels like this movie has already aged pretty poorly as far as certain character actions go. With “Boy’s” motivations seeming more creepy and concerning than cute and endearing.

Speaking of which

The supernatural shenanigans are fairly basic and follow a well worn path of horror movie paranormal story telling. The usual, campfire-esque, tales of a location that is plagued by ghosts and haunted by a malevolent spirit is something that has been done a million times before.

Wind Chill isn’t exactly original but it can be very satisfying. If you are a fan of paranormal horror movies then there is a solid chance you will enjoy the second half of this film a lot. I think the majority of ghost story fans know exactly what they want from their films.

A spooky vibe is essential, a sustained feeling of ominous tension is a must, and a consistent sense that there is something unexplainable beyond the veil is paramount to making these films work. Wind Chill has all of that going for it and more. It’s unsettling but in a way that suggests there is a greater spiritual tale to be told. It does keep you guessing, as well which helps a lot.

Effective and deliberately restrained

Gregory Jacobs shows some noteworthy restraint when it comes to weaving a story. Taking a significant amount of time to bask in the claustrophobic confines of the snowed in car and relate the tale of ghostly goings on slowly and carefully. Wind Chill can be, at times, rather tense and quite atmospheric.

“Jacobs uses the heavy snow and pitch black darkness to keep the exterior equally as claustrophobic as the interior.”

The location looks great, too; it is clearly an actually snowed in road which makes a world of difference aesthetically, and both actors do an admirable job of relating the difficulty of the situation. The few trips outside of the car are a visual treat and Jacobs uses the heavy snow and pitch black darkness to keep the exterior equally as claustrophobic as the interior. You never quite know what is hiding in the snow storm and that works to the film’s advantage.

One thing I find difficult to ignore is just how messy and convoluted the story can be. It feels as though it jumps around a lot. Certain plot points are not made all that clear and messy editing leads to a few moments of genuine confusion. Speaking of which, the direction and editing can be a big problem. For every place that Jacobs succeeds, he fails in another.

Some shots are terrible, some of the cuts are spasmodic, and the continuity is all over the place. Some of the scenes are, frankly, jarring for their disconnection from the one that preceded it. I admire the attempt to do things a little differently with the presentation but it rarely works all that well.

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Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.

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