Movie Review: Jack Frost (1997)

Synopsis: While being transported to his execution, convicted serial killer Jack Frost is involved in an accident with a truck hauling an experimental chemical that causes his genetic material to become fused with the surrounding snow. Believed to have been killed, he returns as a snowman and begins a new killing spree while trying to get revenge on a smalltown sheriff, Sam, for arresting him.

Who's in it? The movie stars Scott MacDonald, Christopher Allport, Stephen Mendel, Eileen Seeley and Shannon Elizabeth.


Review: I was surprised to learn my wife had never seen Jack Frost and, since it had been several years since I last saw it, I decided to rectify that last night. After re-watching the movie, I can honestly say it was exactly as I remembered it.

Even though it is a low-budget, straight-to-DVD film, the movie does have quite a bit going for it. For one, the practical effects aren't all that terrible for a movie that was made nearly 30 years ago. The filmmakers did the best they could with what they had.

On top of it, Jack Frost (MacDonald) made a surprisingly good villain. Even though he was made of snow, it wasn't as easy as just melting him because his chemical bond was with the water inside the snow, allowing him to survive in a frozen, melted or even gaseous state and making him seemingly impossible to kill. In addition, since he could melt and re-freeze himself at will, it made it a whole lot harder to trap him or for a victim to lock themselves away from him.

In addition to those things, I thought Frost had just the right amount of humor to him. This isn't meant to be a movie that is to be taken too seriously, and it helps when the villain can be funny while still menacing (something many modern films struggle with in this genre).

Another thing I liked about the movie was the seemingly random nature of Frost's killings. The only person he wanted revenge on was Sam (Allport) so every other body he left behind was a bit of a surprise. It was unclear who would be still alive at the end of the movie as a result, making it a whole lot less predictable than you would expect.

As should be expected, the movie wasn't perfect by any means. Some of the murders are a bit over the top and there are some scenes that were both ridiculous and not really necessary. For example, my wife and I were making fun of a series of scenes that led to a PG-13-level Shannon Elizabeth striptease because her character, Jill, went through a whole lot of time and effort to blow dry her hair only to get it wet a minute later by taking a bath (all while inside a house she broke into to have sex with her boyfriend just hours after her younger brother was murdered). The simulated rape scene that followed all of that also doesn't age well considering her character was supposed to be a teenager.

Final Opinion: Even though it takes place around Christmas, I'll stop short of calling this a forgotten Christmas classic. However, other than a few scenes, like what I mentioned above, it's not that terrible of a choice if you're looking for something a bit less traditional to watch this holiday season.

My Grade: B-


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Here are some reviews of other movies from 1997:

Movie Review: Vegas Vacation (1997)

Movie Review: Event Horizon (1997)

Movie Review: Mimic (1997)


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