We’ve been hit with a massive winter storm up in the north, with a wave of snow that’s kept many of us stuck inside. What a perfect time to bundle up, throw on a scary movie, and try to forget the nightmare of shoveling all that snow!

Of course, despite the hellish snowscape, at least we have the creature comforts of knowing that we’re safe at home, not stuck in the cold with something hunting us down. Unlike the poor souls in the films I’ve selected! These men and women are in a tough spot, freezing their butts off while at the mercy of someone with murderous intent. 

Dead Snow (2009)

Synopsis: A ski vacation turns horrific for a group of medical students, as they find themselves confronted by an unimaginable menace: Nazi zombies.

Dead Snow has all the guts-and-gore cabin-in-the-woods magic of The Evil Dead, but with a villain that’s somehow even more sinister than deadites: freakin’ Nazi zombies. It’s a rambunctious offering that will satisfy all your bloodthirsty needs, and better yet, there’s a sequel that (in my humble opinion) surpasses the first film. It’s not quite as frighteningly frigid as the original, however, so I’m sticking with Dead Snow as a more appropriate thematic choice.

Where you can watch it: Streaming on Plex

Black Mountain Side (2014)

Synopsis: Archaeologists find a strange structure in northern Canada that appears to be thousands of years old. The team members become isolated when their communications fail, and their sanity begins to unravel.

The Thing would be an obvious inclusion here – and is an obvious point of inspiration – but I thought I’d go with Black Mountain Side as it’s generally similar but – I think – really deserves more attention. This snowy psychological horror offers plenty of paranoia, a stark isolated setting, and a healthy dash of mystery. It’s competently made and beautifully shot, which is really just an added bonus for the dark, tense, wonderfully bleak nature of the film. 

Where you can watch it: Streaming on Tubi & Plex

30 Days of Night (2007)

Synopsis: After an Alaskan town is plunged into darkness for a month, it is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires.

It’s bad enough not seeing the sun for 30 days in the bitter Alaskan cold, but throw in a pack of vicious vampires? No thank you ma’am. With a town stranded and sunless, it’s the perfect scenario for any vampire. These particular vampires are terrifying, with black eyes, a mouthful of teeth as sharp as daggers, claws designed to shred flesh, and a horrific brutality to their attacks that leaves all romance behind. 30 Days of Night is one of the finer vampire films with a clever (and genuinely frightening) concept and some excellent performances; Ben Foster is always amazing, but his Arctic outsider version of a Renfield character is hauntingly well done. 

Where you can watch it: Streaming on Pluto TV, available for rent on Amazon and Apple TV

Calvaire (2004)

Synopsis: Marc, a traveling entertainer, is on his way home for Christmas when his van breaks down in the middle of a jerkwater town with some strange inhabitants.

The Shining should obviously be on this list, but in terms of “final chase scene through the snow”, I want to bring your attention to Calvaire because it’s not as immediately well known. This New French Extremity film is bleak and upsetting, and deeply unsettling. Think of it as a cross between Misery and Deliverance. Got it? Got it. Calvaire carries a feeling of utter hopelessness, with a growing discomfort that’s inescapable. Unlike some New French Extremity films, there isn’t a lot of violence, but it is psychologically terrifying.

Where you can watch it: Unavailable streaming in the US 🙁

Frozen (2010)

Synopsis: Three skiers stranded on a chairlift are forced to make life-or-death choices, which prove more perilous than staying put and freezing to death.

Adam Green is best known for the bombastically violent Hatchet franchise, but Frozen is an excellent exercise in simplicity. It’s the ultimate single-location horror, with characters stuck in an impossible situation. And when it comes to winter horror, nothing feels as brutally cold as Frozen. Just watching it, you want to layer yourself in blankets with a big steaming cup of tea. But freezing aside, it’s the wolves hunting, waiting, hungry, that really complicates things.  

Where you can watch it: Streaming on Roku, Tubi, and Redbox

 

What films make you want to stay in the warm, cozy safety of home? Let us know in the comments!