The Frozen Ground – Review

A ‘based on a true story’ serial killer flick, The Frozen Ground takes place around Anchorage in 1983. It has a great cast which elevates the material and despite a smaller budget it is shot decently well. It is however a fairly bleak picture about some horrible Alaska killings of young women.

Beginning with a tense scene of Officer Baker (O’Nan) rescuing a crying Cindy Paulson (Hudgens) from a motel room bathroom. She states she was forced into sex and almost killed before being left chained up in the room by a man named Robert ‘Bob’ Hansen (Cusack). She says he threated to put her on his plane and fly her to his cabin. Unfortunately for her, the police think she is a prostitute and likely untrustworthy. Besides, Bob has two friends who are willing to state he was with them all night.

Getting a body call, Sergeant Jack Halcombe (Cage) flies to the beach and identifies a girl long missing who had gone to “meet a photographer” and never came home. Despite a multitude of other girls missing, even ones also meeting with a photographer, police are not ready to think there is a predator out there. Halcombe knows otherwise, as the signs are there.

These separate players of Paulson, Halcombe, Backer and more wind up in the mix and on the trail of a possible killer. Paulson has identified a strong suspect in Hansen, but will this community man actually turn out to be a disturbingly awful killer?

True story crime movies are always creepy since even with some embellishments many of the core events are real. This gives the performances a chilling edge, and despite some of the basic presentation methods of the story, the overall product is an okay crime tale even if the material is quite dark.

Those wanting something revelatory should temper their expectations, but if a slower and basic serial killer true crime tale is your vibe then you will find an okay time here. I don’t think this got stellar reviews, so mileage will vary per viewer.