Wind Chill (2007)

48% of critics liked it
(25 reviews)
33% of users liked it
(7,652 ratings)

Two college students heading home for the holidays break down on a lonesome stretch of highway, only to find themselves targeted by the malevolent spirits of other travelers who met their end on the same road in a supernatural road movie directed by Greg Jacobs, and produced by Steven Soderbergh and… More Two college students heading home for the holidays break down on a lonesome stretch of highway, only to find themselves targeted by the malevolent spirits of other travelers who met their end on the same road in a supernatural road movie directed by Greg Jacobs, and produced by Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney. All she (Emily Blunt) wanted was to make it back home to Delaware for the holidays. Though her classmate (Ashton Holmes) has a working car and is happy to oblige by offering a ride, it quickly becomes apparent that the boy has been admiring her from afar for the entire semester. After hours of traveling on the lonesome snow swept roads, an ill-advised shortcut finds the young pair side swiped by a speeding car and hopelessly stuck in a massive snow bank. Now stranded in a cell-phone dead zone with nothing to eat and no heat, the pair gradually begins to suspect that they're not alone in this beautiful but foreboding landscape. After a run-in with a malevolent cop (Martin Donovan) provides little hope for rescue, a series of frightening apparitions begin to emerge from the chilly surroundings to suggest that these two students weren't the first to face a life or death struggle on this treacherous stretch of road. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 31 min.
Directed By: Gregory Jacobs
Written By: Steven Katz, Joe Gangemi
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Horror

In Theaters: Apr 27, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Sep 4, 2007
Studio: Sony Pictures

Critic Reviews

Lou Lumenick, New York Post
Almost always, you can expect the worst when a studio dumps a film without advance screenings. But the well-crafted thriller Wind Chill, with rising star Emily Blunt, is the very rare case where somebody (in this case, Sony) goofed.
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Wind Chill, for all its flaws, is an often spooky and imaginative ghost story that contains a genuine creepiness.
Andy Webster, New York Times
A moody, spooky tale, rendered with laudable economy.
Justin Chang, Variety
Wind Chill blows into increasingly nightmarish and ludicrous territory, introducing frostbitten ghouls, priestly apparitions, a nasty cop, and a cycle of hallucinations.
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Elevates familiar fright motifs to levels of shivery dismay.
Ed Gonzalez, Los Angeles Times
Wind Chill doesn't advance the mechanics of the horror genre, but it gives audiences fed up with the Michael Bay School of Horror something of a breather.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...a refreshingly adult horror effort that boasts a pair of phenomenal lead performances.
Brian Holcomb, CinemaBlend.com
Imagine a campfire story told by Jack London after downing a bottle of Jack Daniels. The chilly atmosphere would be in full force but the plotting might be a bit punch drunk.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
There is a couple of very nice extras on the disc.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
After a great set-up, we're left stranded by the side of the road, wishing the filmmakers had come up with a conclusion at least somewhere close to as good.
Scott Weinberg, FEARnet
At the very least, it's an old-fashioned ghost story with half a brain -- and that's got to be worth more than a casual glance.
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, This is London
As clunky as it is emotionally unconvincing.
Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph
The passage to ex-rental DVD bins will be swift for this lethally pretentious bit of low-rent schlock.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
Ropey, derivative and very, very boring horror-thriller.
Jim Hall, Film4
Spooky, smart and subtle.
Tae Mawson, BBC
Promising elements never quite bind.
Mark Dujsik, Mark Reviews Movies
Could have worked, if only I had given a damn.
Timothy Knight, Reel.com
Wind Chill suffers from an underdeveloped screenplay, which feels like a first draft, erroneously deemed ready for production.
Brian Orndorf, eFilmCritic.com
Wind Chill deserves a merit badge for even trying to tell a horror story without resorting to tired and amateurish shock value. The picture's puzzle might not piece together properly, but the effort is appreciated.
Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly
Well before day breaks, it's the movie's plot (which would have made for an outstanding Outer Limits episode) that has come to seem stuck in an endless loop.

Read all 22 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Robert C

Would have made an excellent short story a'la Twilight Zone, but as a feature film it was stretched a little too thin to be really powerful.
Lewis C

"There's been some pretty bad accidents on this road over the years." I'm a huge fan of Emily Blunt, and I enjoy horror movies to the point that even the mediocre ones are usually worth me checking out. Both of those things are fortunate, because Wind Chill is a… More
"There's been some pretty bad accidents on this road over the years." I'm a huge fan of Emily Blunt, and I enjoy horror movies to the point that even the mediocre ones are usually worth me checking out. Both of those things are fortunate, because Wind Chill is a mostly average horror movie that really is only worthwhile for fans of Blunt. Wind Chill is a supernatural horror flick, but you'd be forgiven for not drawing that conclusion from the first 30 or 45 minutes or so of the movie. It initially seems like it could be a thriller, as one stranger gives another one a ride home for college during the Christmas break, and he appears to be lying to her about several things, including his rather unhealthy obsession/infatuation with her. Then they have a car accident on a deserted snowy road, and the movie shifts gears again and seems to be about them trying to survive being stranded alone in the cold and ice. That goes on for a while, and then we finally get to the (somewhat underwhelming) ghost story. If Wind Chill commits one real sin, it's the fact that it's mostly boring. There's nothing scary about it. There is a bit of a mystery behind what happens to our two characters that makes the film a bit more involving as it goes on, but the horror part never "clicks". Anyway, there were some interesting ideas here, and I applaud that Wind Chill didn't just copy and paste the good parts of horror movies that came before, like modern scary movies so often do. And Emily Blunt was definitely gorgeous, and carried her role in the movie quite well. But, I find it hard to give this movie anything more than just a "fair" rating, because it's just not frightening on a psychological, visceral, or any other level.
♥˩ƳИИ &

CAST: Emily Blunt, Ashton Holmes, Martin Donovan, Chelan Simmons, Ned Bellamy DIRECTED BY: Gregory Jacobs SUMMARY: Two college students share a ride home for the holidays. When they break down on a deserted stretch of road, they're preyed upon by the ghosts of people who… More
CAST: Emily Blunt, Ashton Holmes, Martin Donovan, Chelan Simmons, Ned Bellamy DIRECTED BY: Gregory Jacobs SUMMARY: Two college students share a ride home for the holidays. When they break down on a deserted stretch of road, they're preyed upon by the ghosts of people who have died there. MY THOUGHTS: Not as good as I was hoping, but interesting none the less. It was spooky and had it's creepy moments, but failed to be scary for me. But did keep me interested till the end. Worth the watch, just don't expect much from it. Thought Emily and Ashton were good, and it really depended on their acting considering they are the main focus throughout the film. Take a look at it if you haven't.
Dead A

The ending was pretty sad. This movie was good. Not scary though.
Film C

its an alright movie, scary in places and intrestig but nothing ive not seen before!
Nani V

It really wasn't that great. I was hoping to like it, but I just couldn't. I found the story and characters on the road a little confusing.
Lorenzo v

"There Are Worse Things Than Dying" Two college students share a ride home for the holidays. When they break down on a deserted stretch of road, they're preyed upon by the ghosts of people who have died there. <center>"There Are Worse Things Than Dying" Two college students share a ride home for the holidays. When they break down on a deserted stretch of road, they're preyed upon by the ghosts of people who have died there. <center>REVIEW</center> Not a bad, little film. A fairly tight script that relies heavily on the two main characters (Emily Blunt being the better of the two, and I look forward to seeing more of her), and they don't disappoint. The film never quite lives up to its early promise and it just misses on getting the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up. The explanation for all the "goings on" are perhaps not pointed out well enough, and the character with the eel issuing from his mouth seemed as if he belonged in a different film altogether. There were a few parts of the story that seemed a bit incongruous and that could have been improved upon, but overall it's a very worthy effort at creating a film that veers more towards suspense than actual horror.
Dean !

A pretty decent low budget thriller, although it does start to get a bit weird. Overall watchable, especially if you like any of the More like this films mentioned!
Summer W

This was a pretty solid little horror movie. It takes place in my area which may make it a little more interesting for me, but there were a couple of parts that made me jump pretty well. Decent on the suspense, but the FX were pretty goofy.
_kelly .

Can't believe I didn't write up a lil blurb at least for this one. But then, some movies are so mediocre, that like the ghosts in this movie, you completely forget about them until the thought hovers on your periphery and you decide to take note. This is a straight-forward… More
Can't believe I didn't write up a lil blurb at least for this one. But then, some movies are so mediocre, that like the ghosts in this movie, you completely forget about them until the thought hovers on your periphery and you decide to take note. This is a straight-forward ghost movie. It's better than your average tv show/movie with the same plot, but it's no great movie. I don't even recall it being scary, but the young actors really gave it their all, and some fans of "stranded with ghosts" genre may enjoy this.
Brian D

Great liitle chiller with two great performances from the leads. Was on the edge of my seat.
Dean M

An okay spooky and imaginative ghost story with The Devil Wears Prada's Emily Blunt and believe it to find out this supernatural thriller from executive producers George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh.
Dr Blood

I watched this on the plane from London to New York and thoroughly enjoyed what I saw of it before the announcements about landing cut in and I missed the end. I still have no idea what the denouement amounted to but I liked the acting and the situation seemed credible enough even… More
I watched this on the plane from London to New York and thoroughly enjoyed what I saw of it before the announcements about landing cut in and I missed the end. I still have no idea what the denouement amounted to but I liked the acting and the situation seemed credible enough even though it was yet another not very scary ghost story. The girl in it, Emily Blunt, was in "The Devil Wears Prada" but she had a bit more depth to her here and didn't just rely on her looks so much. The characterisation is really well done and the relationship that develops between the two leads is what keeps your interest since the ghosts aren't all that spooky. When I find this on DVD, I will probably give a fuller appraisal as what may be entertaining at 37,000 feet may not hold up when back on solid ground.
Drew S

Wind Chill's just not a very good movie. It's an orgiastic mess of convoluted non-scares, unanswered questions, and a ton of false climaxes. It alarms me that a movie with a screenplay this poor can get not only made, but also executive produced by George Clooney AND Steven… More
Wind Chill's just not a very good movie. It's an orgiastic mess of convoluted non-scares, unanswered questions, and a ton of false climaxes. It alarms me that a movie with a screenplay this poor can get not only made, but also executive produced by George Clooney AND Steven Soderbergh. Surely they must have seen something here. Profit? How filthy of them. I don't think Wind Chill even intended to be a generic bang-for-your-buck teen horror. It's different. The setting is evocative and the most frightening part of the movie, and the characters forced into it are dynamic. They don't seem like much at first, but they grow into genuinely interesting people who you wish the best for. Special mention goes to Emily Blunt for this feat, who is simply excellent in her role. It's just a shame that these strengths feel totally wasted in a pedantic, stupid narrative. The initial eeriness of the movie melts away when one lost soul spits up an electric eel (which is never explained, by the way); there are no frightening properties to electric eels; the movie surrenders almost all of its fear factor there. But then they throw in cultists. Cops with immediate control over time and space who inexplicably throw our heroes through wormholes. Haunted shacks with moving skeletons. And it's all fucking maddening because really, how are these things necessary? They're downright hokey for a movie that simply didn't call for it. The back of the DVD box makes no indication that there are any supernatural elements in this movie. This is a smart marketing decision. The possibility of being stalked by some insane trucker outside of your snowbound, immobile car is far more scary than all of the things we see in Wind Chill, and that's why the movie just doesn't work. Not to mention there are at least four different points where it should end and simply refuses to. It finally settles on an okay note, but something smells oddly of reshooting. My final word on Wind Chill: botched.
Craig S

Directed by: Gregory Jacobs. Starring: Emily Blunt, Ashton Holmes. This film I bet will hardly be seen by many people, as it is a strangely limited release and will probably appear onto DVD if they don't… More
Directed by: Gregory Jacobs. Starring: Emily Blunt, Ashton Holmes. This film I bet will hardly be seen by many people, as it is a strangely limited release and will probably appear onto DVD if they don't expand the release, its a film that I could have very easily given a 4.5 rating (my highest rating), but it suffers from only one problem..... A terrible script.....OK, not quite that bad, the plot is simple, familiar but interesting, it does follow formula for the most part and thankfully the film offers some interesting plot points and ideas, but the characters are just terrible. The screenwriters appear like this is there first writing draft straight out of high school, without any deep knowledge of building characters effectively, they introduce them from a wrong angle and they end up to be very dull and poorly underdeveloped....and when they once again, attempt to develop these characters, its too basic and by then, we just don't care. But away from that one bad point, there are many other brilliant elements. Gregory Jacobs direction, a man who is only known as a Second Unit director for Steven Soderbergh, does his second directional attempt here and by god is it impressive. He keeps in mind what can truly make a psychological thriller/horror effective and that is thick atmosphere, slow, chilling tension and doesn't rely on cheap scares, he uses very few to get the audience's attention (2:32am is all I'll say), but he does it so effectively with slow tension to make it sudden and you never get chance to slow your heartrate down before the chills start again. From there, what came as one hell of a surprise was seeing Clint Mansells name at the beginning of the film as the films composer, the man behind the epic Requiem for a Dream score, the score for this film is amazingly beautiful, haunting and truly chilling, its one of the best horror scores in the past 10 years and it is very effective. And last, but not least, is Emily Blunts performance, although her character is very dull and underdeveloped, she keeps us engrossed with her very solid and controlled performance, she is an amazing actress and is forming into something great. So there you have it, if you ever see this film at your local cinema, do yourself a favor (if you love effective horror films) and see it, the scripts characters are terrible and dull and the attempt at development is very basic and poorly done, but we are kept engrossed with Gregory Jacobs amazing direction, Clint Mansells outstanding score and Emily Blunts brilliant performance. With slow, chilling tension and a creepy atmosphere, this is one hell of an effective psychological thriller/horror film that could have been the best english speaking one in a decade, if it hadn't been for the poor script.
Andreia C

I wasn't expecting much from this movie, but it was actually good and intelligent a rare thing in horror movies, I really liked it. Emily's performance in it was quite good, but that isn't news really, she's a superb actress...
William G

Moderately eerie low-key spooker boasts prime performance from Blunt.
Adam M

It's a shame this film turned out to be not that interesting or scary because it's not a bad idea and the actings pretty good to. A pretty female student needs a ride home and accepts a lift from a fellow male student who seems to know a bit to much about her. On the way… More
It's a shame this film turned out to be not that interesting or scary because it's not a bad idea and the actings pretty good to. A pretty female student needs a ride home and accepts a lift from a fellow male student who seems to know a bit to much about her. On the way back the car crashes in a remote area and the two begin getting haunted by previous people who died in that area. Like i said, not a bad idea but overall this film is pretty dull.
alan j

Lowwww budget and unremarkable acting; the ghosts look like haunted house extras from another movie set..not scary and filled with your typical cliches..geared more to the teens crowd. Ho-hum...
Rose G

I just didn't like the idea of mixing a romance in suspense/thriller movie. The plot and the characters were just so unrelateable. I personally liked Emily Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada and this movie showed a different side of her acting, however, there wasn't really much… More
I just didn't like the idea of mixing a romance in suspense/thriller movie. The plot and the characters were just so unrelateable. I personally liked Emily Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada and this movie showed a different side of her acting, however, there wasn't really much material for her to work on. Most parts dragged on too and there wasn't a particular scene that really made feel scared or anything.