[Editorial] 10 of the Best Snow-Filled Horror Movies
Snow has started falling, temperatures continue to drop, and the nights are getting darker and darker, so it’s the perfect time to look at some of the best horror movies set in the winter and filled to the brim with snow!
The addition of extreme weather to a horror movie makes it all the more terrifying, with snow meaning people end up trapped, without cell phone service, and unable to make it back to safety when things start to go wrong!
Let’s check out 10 of the best snow-filled horror movies to snuggle up with to fight off the cold!
10. Misery (1990)
The trouble for Paul starts when he’s trying to return home after a writing trip and his car is run off the road in the terrible snowy conditions. Unfortunately for Paul, the person who finds him is his number one fan, Annie Wilkes, who decides to nurse him back to health herself.
Because the snow leaves Paul isolated at Annie’s house, he has no choice but to try and stay on her good side as he slowly heals from his injuries. The snow also means that Paul’s abandoned car isn’t found for a long time, meaning no one knows he’s missing.
9. 30 Days of Night (2007)
The town of Barrow, Alaska is preparing for 30 days of solid darkness when a group of very hungry vampires swing into town and decide to use the next month to pick off the entire population. As if that isn’t bad enough, the constant darkness and unwavering snowstorms mean that the surviving residents find it incredibly difficult to stay alive while dodging the vampires.
However, they do manage to use the cover of one particularly bad snowstorm to swap locations without being detected.
8. The Lodge (2019)
Aiden and Mia have just lost their mother, so the last thing they want to do is head to a remote lodge with their father and his new girlfriend, Grace. When their father travels back into the city for work, the two children and Grace are left alone, and things start to go wrong very quickly.
Trapped and isolated due to the snow and lack of reception, the three unlikely housemates have to deal with the power going out, all of their belongings going missing, and the fridge being emptied of food. And with no way for Grace to travel to a nearby town to get help, she slowly starts to lose her grip on reality.
7. Frozen (2010)
There are a lot of horror movies which stem from unlikely scenarios, and three friends getting left on a ski lift as it closes for the night has got to be at the top of the unlikely list. Realising that if they stay seated overnight they’re going to die of exposure from the cold, the three friends hatch an escape plan.
Unfortunately, the snow below them isn’t intended to cushion a fall from a large height, and with hungry wolves lurking as well, the whole thing is a snow-capped nightmare.
6. Let the Right One In (2008)
Let the Right One In is so filled with snow that it makes you feel cold just to think about it. Oskar spends a lot of time hanging around outside his apartment building, and there he meets Eli. And while Oskar is all wrapped up, Eli doesn’t seem to feel the cold at all.
And of course, all that white scenery means that any time blood is spilt, it seems extra violent!
5. The Thing (1982)
I couldn’t talk about snow horror without bringing up The Thing, which is arguably the best example of frosty isolation horror. Set in a remote research station, The Thing sees a small team slowly being overrun by an alien who can hide within people, changing shape to suit its will.
With limited comms and no way to escape, the team are forced to fight the alien creature head-on, all while trying to make sure they don’t accidentally kill a human teammate along the way.
4. The Shining (1980)
Things weren’t going very well for the Torrance family when they first headed to the Overlook Hotel for the winter, but after the snow hits, there’s literally no escape. While Jack is trying his best to get over his writer’s block and spend some time with his family, the darker forces at work in the hotel are determined to rip the family apart.
And of course, we can’t talk about The Shining and snow without mentioning the fantastic finale set in the dark and snowy hedge maze.
3. Black Christmas (2019)
Winter weather features in all the Black Christmas movies, but I’ll never miss a chance to shine a little more light on the 2019 entry, and how brilliant it was. In the opening kill from the latest instalment, college student Lindsay is attacked and killed by a masked stranger.
As she lies in the snow, she flails her limbs in a way which creates a snow angel before she is dragged off into the darkness. To make things even more festive, the killer’s weapon of choice just happens to be an icicle.
2. Storm of the Century (1999)
Stephen King loves using snow to his advantage, and Storm of the Century sees the island community of Little Tall Island cut off from the mainland when the worst blizzard in recent history hits. Alongside power cuts and the whole town relocating to the town hall, they also have to face off against the mysterious André Linoge.
With the town cut off from any help and unable to escape, Linoge forces the residents to play his twisted game. After all, give him what he wants and he’ll go away.
1. Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning (2004)
This werewolf prequel set in the 1800s follows the ancestors of Brigitte and Ginger Fitzgerald as they wander through the Canadian wilderness in the snow. They decide to take refuge in the nearby Fort Bailey to avoid the howling creatures in the woods.
However, the sisters aren’t exactly safe when they make it inside. As well as the violently-religious Reverend Gilbert, there’s also the little boy who is hidden away and already infected by a werewolf.
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