Jack Frost Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Jack Frost Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 17, 2016

1997’s “Jack Frost” is a monster movie, though one that doesn’t always follow the genre routine. Instead of a truly ghoulish creation terrorizing innocents, there’s a killer snowman, which doesn’t inspire any particular level of fear, ever during its most intimidating attack sequences. Writer/director Michael Cooney understands the tonal challenge ahead of him, eventually turning into the skid, transforming “Jack Frost” into a cheeky, self-aware chiller with pronounced elements of comedy. However, without a budget to successfully launch the visual of a snowman on a homicidal tear around a small town, Cooney gets creative, using interesting low-fi special effects and an agreeable script to make something memorable out of a potential disaster.

It’s Christmas time in the small town of Snomonton, and local sheriff Sam (Christopher Allport) remains greatly unnerved around this time of year, unable to shake his encounter with demented serial killer Jack Frost (Scott Mac Donald), who managed to rack up 38 kills before his capture. During a vehicle transfer on the night of his execution, Jack manages to escape custody, but during the struggle, he’s blasted by acid from a nearby tanker truck, which fries him to the bone. Feeling tremendous relief that his nemesis is finally dead, Sam’s guard is quickly raised back up when murders begin happening in Snowmonton, with the local cops unaccustomed to such brutality. Fearing Jack Frost is up to his old tricks, Sam offers support to FBI Agent Manners (Stephen Mendel), who’s arrived in town to investigate Jack’s accident, quietly guarding his findings from Sam, who imagines his worst nightmare has come true. Discovering that Jack has transformed into a homicidal snowman out to slaughter the entire town, Sam struggles with a way to stop the unexpected threat, easily overwhelmed with Jack’s newfound powers of melt and surprise.

While I’m sure there’s initial hesitation to watch a movie like “Jack Frost,” Cooney sets the mood immediately with an imaginative opening title sequence that tracks credited names as ornaments on a fully decorated tree, while voiceover sets the scene for events to come, listening in on a father telling a particularly grim bedtime story to his eager daughter. It’s not much, but when dealing with a picture like this, any bit of invention is welcome, establishing the tone with a healthy dose of mischief, which helps to digest the absurdity to come. And boy, does it ever come.

“Jack Frost” is a serial killer story about a murderous rampage committed by living snow. Cooney certainly doesn’t try to disguise the feature’s outrageous premise, leaning into slasher formula with his snowman twist, taking the action to Small Town U.S.A., where the locals are celebrating a winter festival, giving Jack plenty of places to hide from detection. The production doesn’t sell the seasonal mood (the effort looks like it was shot in the summer), but it has compelling energy, finding the screenplay playing with broad antics and sinister business, with the titular monster having a ball offing the locals, with one victim killed after having an ax handle shoved down his throat, while another is slashed and beaten with ornaments. Jack has a unique power, able to freeze and unfreeze himself, which permits him entry to everywhere, including young Jill’s (Shannon Elizabeth, in her film debut) bathtub. The melt factor is actually somewhat of a creepy idea, and it’s executed well by Cooney, allowing Jack to be more than a dangerous puppet waiting for victims to come within killing range. It may not be high art, but “Jack Frost” has a few decent ideas for terror, though it often undercuts tension with loopy, cheery scoring selections. Cooney almost seems afraid to the take the premise all the way, unsure if viewers will accept the idea of a snowman on the hunt.

Jack Frost Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For a picture that was largely viewed on VHS and cable, "Jack Frost" makes an impressive upgrade to Blu-ray with an AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation. Vinegar Syndrome takes special care of the effort, providing a decidedly filmic viewing experience with encouraging grain and bold colors, giving primaries and Christmas decorations a nice refreshing, adding to the season feel and cartoon approach. Detail is sharp and inviting, not just with scenes that inspect textured puppeteering, but town visits, allowing for a look at set decoration and the limits of the snowbound illusion. Delineation is strong, preserving evening encounters. Source is in outstanding shape, without any major points of damage. If you've seen "Jack Frost" before, I'm positive you've never seen it look this good.

Jack Frost Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix is quite inviting, with an unexpected push of immersion to early scenes set during a winter chill. Surrounds aren't exhausted, but they're active, having fun with atmospherics and scoring cues, with the overall musical mood equally pleasing, maintaining ideal instrumentation and some low-end depth. Dialogue exchanges are tight and sharp, handling surges in panic without distortion. For a low-budget effort, "Jack Frost" satisfies immensely, emerging with a soundscape that supports the on-screen action without distraction.

Jack Frost Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Intro (:37, HD) shares a brief greeting and display of pride from director Michael Cooney, who's careful to note the difference between his film and a 1998 Michael Keaton family picture, also titled "Jack Frost."

• Commentary features Cooney.

• Interview (16:01, HD) with actor Scott MacDonald is a cheery discussion of the "Jack Frost" experience and his time playing an exaggerated bad guy, working to match his character's transformation into a grotesque special effect. Talk of motivation is interesting, and MacDonald shares memories of a snowbound film that couldn't find the white stuff when cameras rolled, requiring quick thinking and lots of cotton. The screen monster recalls a positive shoot despite obvious stress, and shares his rise in cult fame, finding fans of the film in the strangest places.

• Interview (6:01, HD) with cinematographer Dean Lent is a short discussion of his career history, which was forged on practice, not necessarily expertise. Lent also shares his perspective on production challenges, including the lack of snow issue, and shares a humorous memory about the first screening of "Jack Frost" for the money men, who watched the picture without tight editing and a final sound mix.

• A Trailer has not been included.

Jack Frost Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Jack Frost" is Troma-esque, but it's a stronger effort with decidedly greater imagination and more than a few technical miracles, including smart editing. Even with obvious production limitations, Cooney gets a lot out of the picture, creating a bizarre screen demon, gleefully messing with the purity of holiday sentiment by having a snowman pile up the dead bodies, often mocking his victims along the way. "Jack Frost" isn't an overwhelming achievement in horror cinema, but it manages to do something with a ridiculous idea, establishing mild amounts of suspense and milder comedic distractions to help lubricate visuals that generally feature a snow creature thrashing innocents with puppeted excitement.