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.
Review of The Chilling
