Six Classic Thriller Movies with Snow as a Character

Snowmeggedon! Snowpocalypse! Snowzilla! Whatever you call them, the 2010 Winter snow storms unleashed mother nature in all her magnificent glory and fury. These super sized snow storms hit America hard in the Midwest, the mid atlantic states and the Northeast. Although they caused airplane cancellations, crippled traffic, and walloped the American populace more memorably than many a winter, there's something strangely attractive about blindingly massive snowfall and accumulation. For Hollywood, snow has been a driving force, or even a character of many a classic film. Thrillers like Stephen King and Stanley Kubrick's The Shining or John Carpenter's The Thing have depended on the wet, white stuff to drive the plot of the movie story. Often, the blizzard becomes a character all its own.

The Thing From Another World (1951) & John Carpenter's The Thing (1982)

"Who goes there?" This not only sets the creepy mood of these two science fiction horror classics, but it's the title of the original novella both films were based on, written by author John W. Campbell Jr. in 1938.

The story was voted one of the finest sci-fi stories ever written by Science Fiction Writers Of America, and it's no accident. This skin crawling, snow bound tale has it all. The original movie directed by Howard Hawkes remained a classic all its own for thirty one years, then John Carpenter's version came along and graphically redefined the tale, ushering in a whole new world of cinematic magic. The stunning make-up FX designed by wizard Rob Bottin, horrify and delight at the same time, as some of the most surreal images put to film.

Both films depend on two winning combinations: isolation and massive snow. The cast of characters, mostly scientists, find they're the violent target of an alien creature far from home. This is no cuddly E.T.: The Extraterrestrial, which actually opened the same year as Carpenter's flick, and stole the sci-fi thunder. This thing is a massively strong, terminally resourceful alien who kills off as many as possible. Word is that a prequel is being developed to The Thing, and I can't wait to see it. I only hope snow remains a dramatic variable.

Cliffhanger (1993)

Sylvester Stallone may be Rocky and Rambo to the rest of the world, but to me he's Gabe Walker - snowy mountain man extraordinaire.

Walker excelled as one of the best rescue workers and mountain climbers on the Rocky Mountains. After a tragic accident forced him to rethink his entire life, he goes into seclusion - until a group of international criminals forces him back into action. Stallone gets a bad rap for being only an action hero, with little thespian talent to speak of, but one need only watch this film to see the charge is unfair. This isn't Oscar caliber acting, but it's always solid, thoughtful and even emotionally compelling. His chemistry with co-stars Michael Rooker and Janine Turner highlight some of his best on screen work. When uber villain John Lithgow steps into frame, both the film and Stallone's acting climbs to a higher level.

The snow scenes here - along with incredible mountain drenched scenery - are breathtaking in their technical complexity and natural beauty. They at once urge you to move to the Rockies, but then promptly second guess the decision once you realize snow there is pretty much like the air that part of our country breathes. When the bad boys make Stallone take off his jacket, and he's shivering from the snowy frost, we're wishing he'd find a pair of serious long johns asap.

Fargo (1996)

The Cohen Brothers - Joel and Ethan - crafted this 1996 film as a dark crime film comedy.

Pregnant Police chief Marge Gundersen (Oscar winner Frances McDormand) must investigate murder all against a backdrop of an ever nervous William H. Macy and a never ending series of blustery snowscapes. Although the movie begins with a text card claiming: This is a true story, the Cohens baked up many facts to make their fictional film cake.

What may be most ironic is that the filmmakers were forced to travel to many locations to get the snowy look they needed, since there was such mild winter weather during filming in 1995. Large amounts of movie magic fake snow was also employed to create the illusion of a wintry wonderland.

The Shining (1980)

Stephen King's novel became Stanley Kubrick's classic horror masterpiece.

Snow plays several key roles here. It's the reason Jack Torrence (Jack Nicholson) is employed as the winter caretaker at the spooky Overlook Hotel. Massive snowfall is the reason that the enormous place must be locked up and not used, since the roads to this humongous resort are impassable come deep winter snowfall. Finally, snow tortures as one of the reasons that the Torrence family begins to disintegrate - from severe cabin fever - and of course also from the dastardly ghostly Overlook guests.

Kubrick's version of King's story may not have sat well with the legendary author, however the cinematic magic Kubrick creates by effectively shutting us up with a family on the brink, until they implode from madness, supernatural forces and the chilling natural force of snow is irresistibly potent. The last snow capped scene - I refuse to spoil it for those who've not seen it - remains indelibly burned into the memory.

Storm Of The Century (1999)

What is it with writer Stephen King and scary snow? Whatever it is, the marriage works, since the cold combination makes for effectively frosty films. Storm Of The Century delivers snow tinged thrills and chills, as one of King's very best TV mini-series.

The townsfolk of Little Tall Island, Maine are visited by a mysterious stranger calling himself Andre Linoge. After a series of gruesome murders, it's realized Linoge (Colm Feore) is a kind of powerful creature - something more than merely a man. When the title storm visits in full force, the tightly knit town unravels. Residents find themselves tearing each other apart because of snowbound isolation, and Linoge's masterful manipulation. It's this kind of psychological mind trip which is most harrowing about King's morality play. The snow here as a true character dazzles us as some of the more fantastic winter imagery captured in a movie.