ofumalow The idea of Linda Blair, Grizzly Adams and Troy Donahue in one direct-to-video movie would be pretty gold, even without zombies. Actually, it's the zombies that are a problem here--the movie never quite figures out how it wants to depict them, so it tries every approach half-heartedly. Can they talk? Do they hunger for flesh? How decayed are they? Do they remember their old lives? All these things seem to vary depending on the scene, and perhaps fluctuations in a budget that was probably never generous. The film is almost a camp delight, with its weird moralizing that doesn't quite come out and say "Embrace the Lord Jesus Christ," but does repeatedly suggest that cryogenics are a tool of Satan- -a bizarre idea to take so fervently that it apparently fueled this whole project, or at least its clumsy script. Once the action finally kicks in, the pace is decent enough, but as a horror film this is rendered consistently silly by the very lame fight/stunt staging and feeble/scant gore. The name actors would stand out even if they weren't "names," because this is one of those movies where almost everyone in a subsidiary role is very amateurish. (i was surprised to find that the male lead eventually paired with Blair wasn't an executive producer or something, because he is so old, plain and charisma-free that one would expect he must have gotten cast by contributing to the film's financing.) Linda Blair attempts sincerity under circumstances which certainly don't merit or reward it; Haggerty is laid-back and pleasant as usual, though he'd gotten pretty heavy-set at this point; Donahue at least seems to be enjoying himself, chewing the scenery as the villain. More interesting to think about--why DOES this cheesy undead movie always seem on the verge of a sermon?--than to actually watch, "The Chilling" is one of those films you can't really recommend even as a guilty pleasure (though it'll do on a slow night). But conversely I'd LOVE to read someone's behind-the-scenes account of how it came to be made, and then made in a fashion that suggests possible drastic problems occurred during shooting and/or post-production. (It's not unimaginable that two directors are credited because one was replaced mid-production--and it's notable that while neither did much else, one of them did a later movie that was apparently a porn flick.) Anyway, it's a curio that's enough of a misfire to explain why it's so little-known despite the cult-ready combination of actors and genre.

shaneschoeppner1 The Chilling is, as far as I know, the Alpha and Omega of cryogenic zombie films. It's a somewhat original idea, and it's a testament to the filmmakers that they did as well as they did with the material, considering that this was an ultra low-budget affair, with it's share of turbulence during production. Linda Blair stars as Mary Hampton, the assistant to successful Dr. Miller (Tab Hunter), who owns and operates a cryogenic facility. Here, wealthy families pay big bucks to have their deceased loved ones frozen for future resuscitation. Compassionate Mary feels that it is a good place to work, with a solid, respectable mission; that is, until she suspects Miller of deceiving his clients and selling body parts for profit. On Halloween night, security guard Vince (Dan Haggerty) is on duty when lightning from a terrible storm fries the clinic's power generator. When he can't reach Dr. Miller for advice, he moves the containers that house the patients outside into the cold. Before you know it, lightning strikes the metal containers and the cryogenically suspended patients are turned into burned, blood-thirsty zombies. A wealthy client, Joseph, whose son and wife are two of the clinic's patients, begins an affair with Mary. Together with Vince, as well as Mary's violent ex-boyfriend, the group must face the horror of The Chilling. Linda Blair continues her slew of 80s horror cinema here, fighting zombies for the first time in her career, and also quitting a film for the first and only time in her career. It seems apparent that the dispute was over money. A photo double was brought in and appears in the last fifteen minutes of the film, until a clip shot prior to Blair's departure is inserted at the last minute to keep her in the movie until the end. Oddly enough it works, and gives the film a touch of Ed Wood-ness, quite like the work he did with deceased Bela Lugosi in Plan 9. Overall an entertaining horror movie, bolstered by the star power of Blair and the acting chops of Haggerty and Donohue. The Shriek Show/Code Red DVD looks surprisingly good for such an obscure film, and it's loaded with extras, including Behind the Scenes of The Chilling, outtakes, and two trailers.

kingofhorrormovies i have to admit something here, i watched this movie because im a big fan of linda blair,in all movies she had a big role within the story: exorcist,hell night,chained heat even that repossesed but this movie is BORING that you cant imagine thats "her".man her role are hardly recognizable.ok now lets talk about those mutants :the ppl behind this film should made their minds straight before scripting whether its a mutant movie or a zombie movie, some readers referring to them as zombies are they zombies ? NO because i didnt saw any of them walk slow and eat human flesh in any scene, ok are they mutants? NO because mutants dont look/act funny,and i saw one scene were a mutant tickling someone's back and have a quick conversation with him,according to this "horror" catagorized movie they are "crygenic corpses"who are wearing contaminated costumes and chasing or scaring linda blair and her BORING cast.what can i say guys,linda blair shouldnt be in this movie ,and its a shame her role was a waste of her time and ours too.i dont recommend this movie to linda blair fans,im sure they will be upset,i also dont recommend horror movie collectors to buy/rent this one,and to B-movie fans :you can watch it at your own decision

Kastore When I decided to try watching a movie about cryogenic zombies ("cryonoids"), I wasn't expecting a whole lot. That's exactly what I got, and then even less. Aside from a shortage of special effects (squibs?) and a severe lack of any acting talent, "The Chilling" also sports the absolute worst script I've ever seen made into a movie. I had to stop the tape numerous times during the first 45 minutes in order to repair the damage done to my intellect for witnessing such atrocious dialogue as there is found here.Furthermore, the collection of characters is so formulaic and one-dimensional it's ridiculous: the corrupt doctor; his assistant, played by Linda Blair (we know she's his "assistant" because he repeatedly refers to her by that title); the recently-widowed businessman with a heart of gold who develops a romantic interest with Blair's character; his criminal son; the Blair character's alcoholic, abusive, unemployed boyfriend, whom we are introduced to in the most contrived use of a flashback; and, of course, the rough, tough, bearded security guard who becomes the hero.Apparently, the preserving fluid which some cryogenics lab uses on its bodies is highly conductive, naturally resulting in disaster when all of the lab's containers end up outdoors in a remarkable sequence of events during a lightning storm (on Halloween night, no less). As for the zombies themselves, if you enjoy watching people in green latex masks walking around in aluminum foil suits, then "The Chilling" is the movie for you. The zombie action is very weak at its best; the zombies' primary killing method seems to be grabbing people by the shoulders and shaking them to death. The businessman and the security guard do most of the zombie fighting, including a highly suspenseful scene of re-freezing the undead with liquid nitrogen. Let me tell you, the steel mill scene in "T2" has got nothing on "The Chilling" in portraying an enemy getting frozen in his tracks like that.How Linda Blair ended up stuck in the middle of this piece of dreck is indeed a mystery. True, her career didn't exactly skyrocket during the 80s (sadly), but this movie is an embarrassment for her. The script doesn't even have the decency to put her to any good use. The most that her character is given to do is shriek out things like "Here they come", "Do something", "Hurry!". The only thing I can figure is that poor Linda was compensated for her work on this film in rations of food. The hero is played by Grizzly Adams himself, Dan Haggerty. In this picture, he faces stiff acting competition from his beard and the security dog, and he does his best to outperform them both.The only frightening part of "The Chilling" is the introduction which brings up the factual elements of cryogenics and suggests that "the film you are about to see could happen in your own community". As I was counting the number of times a few of the names are repeated in the closing credits, I was floored to suddenly see Lucasfilm get credited. Fortunately, it was only for the movie's sound production. 1/10.