Jack Frost (1996 film)
Encyclopedia
Jack Frost is an American horror
comedy film
written and directed by Michael Cooney and released in 1996. The movie takes place in the fictional town of Snowmonton, where (on the week before Christmas
) a truck carrying serial killer Jack Frost (Scott MacDonald
) to his execution
is involved in a freak accident with a truck carrying genetic material. Although Jack escapes, the genetic material causes his body to fuse with the snow on the ground, mutating Jack into a killer snowman. With his body now as icy as his heart, Jack Frost seeks revenge on the citizens of Snowmonton and on the man who finally caught him, Sheriff Sam Tiler (Christopher Allport).
The film attracted cult status thanks to its low budget special effects, comical death sequences, poor acting, and the fact that an unrelated family film of the same name
was released within two years of it, also featuring the concept of a living snowman. In addition, the film is also known for being the first movie featuring actress Shannon Elizabeth
(credited as Shannon Elizabeth Fadal), who plays a minor role in the movie. Four years later, the film would spawn a sequel, Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman
. It has also become quite a popular 'mock' on I-Mockery
.
Meanwhile in Snowmanton, Sheriff Sam Tiler (Christopher Allport) continues to be haunted by the memory of Jack Frost. Despite news reports of Jack's demise, Sam cannot forget Jack's threats to get revenge on the sheriff, his family, and the whole town no matter what it takes. The sheriff's fears soon prove to be founded when Old Man Harper is found murdered, his head forced back as if by a giant mitten. Soon afterwards, a local bully named Billy (Nathan Hague) who threatens to beat up Ryan (the sheriff's son) along with his ski partol gang is also killed by getting his head decapitated by a sled after he "fell" into its path. According to the sheriff's son, the snowman pushed the boy in the way. Billy's parents are murdered, Jake (Jack Lindine) having an axe shoved down his throat and Sally (Kelly Jean Peters) being strung up like a Christmas tree. Paul Davrow, the sheriff's friend, witnesses the murders, but no one believes him. Sheriff Tiler has his deputies lock him up in a jail cell.
Hearing of the murders, Agents Manners (Stephen Mendel) and Stone (Rob LaBelle) arrive in Snowmanton, claiming to be from the FBI. At the behest of the agents, Sheriff Tiler puts the town on 24 hour curfew and sends his officers out to gather all the townspeople. However, one of the officers (Brian Leckner) is killed when Jack Frost melts down and refreezes within his police cruiser, running the officer over. Two teens (the girl being Billy's older sister) are also killed when they sneak into the sheriff's house to be alone together and get back at him for the death of her brother. Tommy (Darren O. Campbell) dies when Jack drives an icicle through his head. Jill (played by Shannon Elizabeth
) is killed when Jack reforms in the tub, moves his carrot nose to her crotch, trapping her arms in his shoulders and raping her. While she tries to break free, Jack then proceeds to beat her head against the wall until she is dead.
Jack Frost returns with the police cruiser to the station, finally confronting Sheriff Sam Tiler. Agent Stone reveals himself to be a representative of the genetic research company that created the acid and reveals that the snowman is a mutated Jack Frost. He explains that the acid was created to test Stone's hypothesis that the human soul is a chemical. It was designed to combine a human chromosome helix with an inert material, and be able to successfully resurrect the dead back into it's original structure, specifically used in the case of a global holocaust. But during the accident, the acid bonded with both of Jack's DNA and the snow surrounding him, resurrecting him back into physical form, but as a snowman. They attempt to destroy Jack by blowing him up by releasing aerosol cans in the police station and firing a bullet at him, but to no avail. They then use blowdryers to drive Jack into a furnace, which evaporates the snowman. Unfortunately, Jack condenses, killing Agent Stone and wounding Agent Manners, who survives. Jack Frost traps Sheriff Tiler and his son, Ryan (Zack Eginton) within his car, but the sheriff escapes by inadvertently throwing the oatmeal his son made him at Jack, burning the snowman's head. His son, not wanting his father to be cold, put antifreeze in the oatmeal, believing it could help keep the oatmeal from getting cold.
Sheriff Tiler tells his friend, Paul Davrow (F. William Parker
) to fill the bed of his truck with antifreeze. In the movie's conclusion, Jack chases Sam through the halls of a church and finally catches him, driving an icicle into his chest and almost killing him. The truck full of antifreeze arrives just in time, however, and Jack and Sam crash through a window and into the truck's bed. Jack Frost melts in the antifreeze, and the antifreeze is buried deep under the ground of Snowmonton. As Manners recuperates in the hospital, Tiler's wife Anne (Eileen Seeley), realizes that the state police are on their way. When Paul asks Tiler what they are going to tell them, Tiler says, "we'll tell them that it's too late". But one of the containers is shown to be bubbling, suggesting that Jack is contained as a liquid, and is still alive.
.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
written and directed by Michael Cooney and released in 1996. The movie takes place in the fictional town of Snowmonton, where (on the week before Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
) a truck carrying serial killer Jack Frost (Scott MacDonald
Scott MacDonald (actor)
Scott MacDonald is an American actor. He is best known for his recurring roles as Captain Manning on short-lived series Threshold, Burley from HBO series Carnivàle, and as Commander Dolim from Star Trek: Enterprise, and as the title character from 1996 horror film Jack Frost.He grew up in Libby,...
) to his execution
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
is involved in a freak accident with a truck carrying genetic material. Although Jack escapes, the genetic material causes his body to fuse with the snow on the ground, mutating Jack into a killer snowman. With his body now as icy as his heart, Jack Frost seeks revenge on the citizens of Snowmonton and on the man who finally caught him, Sheriff Sam Tiler (Christopher Allport).
The film attracted cult status thanks to its low budget special effects, comical death sequences, poor acting, and the fact that an unrelated family film of the same name
Jack Frost (1998 film)
Jack Frost is a 1998 Christmas film, starring Michael Keaton and Kelly Preston. Keaton stars as the title character, a man who dies in a car accident and comes back to life as a snowman...
was released within two years of it, also featuring the concept of a living snowman. In addition, the film is also known for being the first movie featuring actress Shannon Elizabeth
Shannon Elizabeth
Shannon Elizabeth is an American actress and former fashion model. Elizabeth is well known for her roles in comedy films such as Scary Movie, American Pie, and Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back. She is also well known for her work in horror films such as Thirteen Ghosts, Cursed, and Night of the Demons...
(credited as Shannon Elizabeth Fadal), who plays a minor role in the movie. Four years later, the film would spawn a sequel, Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman
Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman
Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman is the 2000 sequel to the 1996 horror/comedy film Jack Frost.-Plot:Sam Tiler has been struggling to recover from the encounter with the Mutated Snowman known as Jack Frost , ever since he rampaged through his hometown last Christmas...
. It has also become quite a popular 'mock' on I-Mockery
I-Mockery
I-Mockery is a pop culture humor site owned and operated by Roger Barr that has existed online in various forms since 1996. Before then, it was a printed periodical called Visionary Darkness. Free copies of Visionary Darkness were distributed in local high schools and record shops...
.
Plot
On a snowy December night, a state execution transfer vehicle crosses into the quiet backwater town of Snowmonton. Contained within the truck is serial killer Jack Frost (Scott MacDonald), who eluded police for five years and left a trail of thirty-eight bodies across five states before finally being arrested, by the sheriff of the same town the truck had just entered. Frost is scheduled to be executed at midnight that night. However, due to the snowy weather, a tanker containing genetic material that is driving the other direction collides with the prison truck, freeing Jack. As he tries to make his escape, the burning truck breaks the compression tester on the tanker, and the genetical acid contained within the tanker breaks free, melting Jack's skin and skeleton. He falls to the ground, and his body begins to fuse with snow.Meanwhile in Snowmanton, Sheriff Sam Tiler (Christopher Allport) continues to be haunted by the memory of Jack Frost. Despite news reports of Jack's demise, Sam cannot forget Jack's threats to get revenge on the sheriff, his family, and the whole town no matter what it takes. The sheriff's fears soon prove to be founded when Old Man Harper is found murdered, his head forced back as if by a giant mitten. Soon afterwards, a local bully named Billy (Nathan Hague) who threatens to beat up Ryan (the sheriff's son) along with his ski partol gang is also killed by getting his head decapitated by a sled after he "fell" into its path. According to the sheriff's son, the snowman pushed the boy in the way. Billy's parents are murdered, Jake (Jack Lindine) having an axe shoved down his throat and Sally (Kelly Jean Peters) being strung up like a Christmas tree. Paul Davrow, the sheriff's friend, witnesses the murders, but no one believes him. Sheriff Tiler has his deputies lock him up in a jail cell.
Hearing of the murders, Agents Manners (Stephen Mendel) and Stone (Rob LaBelle) arrive in Snowmanton, claiming to be from the FBI. At the behest of the agents, Sheriff Tiler puts the town on 24 hour curfew and sends his officers out to gather all the townspeople. However, one of the officers (Brian Leckner) is killed when Jack Frost melts down and refreezes within his police cruiser, running the officer over. Two teens (the girl being Billy's older sister) are also killed when they sneak into the sheriff's house to be alone together and get back at him for the death of her brother. Tommy (Darren O. Campbell) dies when Jack drives an icicle through his head. Jill (played by Shannon Elizabeth
Shannon Elizabeth
Shannon Elizabeth is an American actress and former fashion model. Elizabeth is well known for her roles in comedy films such as Scary Movie, American Pie, and Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back. She is also well known for her work in horror films such as Thirteen Ghosts, Cursed, and Night of the Demons...
) is killed when Jack reforms in the tub, moves his carrot nose to her crotch, trapping her arms in his shoulders and raping her. While she tries to break free, Jack then proceeds to beat her head against the wall until she is dead.
Jack Frost returns with the police cruiser to the station, finally confronting Sheriff Sam Tiler. Agent Stone reveals himself to be a representative of the genetic research company that created the acid and reveals that the snowman is a mutated Jack Frost. He explains that the acid was created to test Stone's hypothesis that the human soul is a chemical. It was designed to combine a human chromosome helix with an inert material, and be able to successfully resurrect the dead back into it's original structure, specifically used in the case of a global holocaust. But during the accident, the acid bonded with both of Jack's DNA and the snow surrounding him, resurrecting him back into physical form, but as a snowman. They attempt to destroy Jack by blowing him up by releasing aerosol cans in the police station and firing a bullet at him, but to no avail. They then use blowdryers to drive Jack into a furnace, which evaporates the snowman. Unfortunately, Jack condenses, killing Agent Stone and wounding Agent Manners, who survives. Jack Frost traps Sheriff Tiler and his son, Ryan (Zack Eginton) within his car, but the sheriff escapes by inadvertently throwing the oatmeal his son made him at Jack, burning the snowman's head. His son, not wanting his father to be cold, put antifreeze in the oatmeal, believing it could help keep the oatmeal from getting cold.
Sheriff Tiler tells his friend, Paul Davrow (F. William Parker
F. William Parker
F. William Parker is an American character actor.He appeared in the following television series: The West Wing , NYPD Blue, The X Files, Seinfeld, Murphy Brown, Wings, Newhart, Alice, General Hospital, Dynasty, Taxi, Barney Miller, Archie Bunker's Place, CHiPs, The Jeffersons, Laverne & Shirley,...
) to fill the bed of his truck with antifreeze. In the movie's conclusion, Jack chases Sam through the halls of a church and finally catches him, driving an icicle into his chest and almost killing him. The truck full of antifreeze arrives just in time, however, and Jack and Sam crash through a window and into the truck's bed. Jack Frost melts in the antifreeze, and the antifreeze is buried deep under the ground of Snowmonton. As Manners recuperates in the hospital, Tiler's wife Anne (Eileen Seeley), realizes that the state police are on their way. When Paul asks Tiler what they are going to tell them, Tiler says, "we'll tell them that it's too late". But one of the containers is shown to be bubbling, suggesting that Jack is contained as a liquid, and is still alive.
Cast
- Scott MacDonaldScott MacDonald (actor)Scott MacDonald is an American actor. He is best known for his recurring roles as Captain Manning on short-lived series Threshold, Burley from HBO series Carnivàle, and as Commander Dolim from Star Trek: Enterprise, and as the title character from 1996 horror film Jack Frost.He grew up in Libby,...
...Jack Frost - Christopher AllportChristopher AllportChristopher Allport was an American actor.-Biography:Allport was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His acting life began at the age of nine in New Canaan, Connecticut at the Children's Theatre. While at Northwestern University, he worked with Paul Sills and Story Theatre...
...Sam Tiler (as Chris Allport) - Stephen MendelStephen MendelStephen Mendel is an actorUpon graduating from Bishop's University with a degree in theater he began his acting career appearing at the two English language professional theaters in Montreal, Canada. He appeared in a number of Canadian television shows and movies as well as theater in other parts...
...Agent Manners - F. William ParkerF. William ParkerF. William Parker is an American character actor.He appeared in the following television series: The West Wing , NYPD Blue, The X Files, Seinfeld, Murphy Brown, Wings, Newhart, Alice, General Hospital, Dynasty, Taxi, Barney Miller, Archie Bunker's Place, CHiPs, The Jeffersons, Laverne & Shirley,...
...Paul Davrow - Eileen Seeley...Anne Tiler
- Rob LaBelleRob LaBelleRob LaBelle is an American film and television actor.-Early life and education:He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Career:LaBelle has made appearances, many as a character actor, in dozens of film and television roles, most in the science-fiction genre, and is probably best known for his role as...
...Agent Stone - Zack Eginton...Ryan Tiler
- Jack Lindine...Jake Metzner
- Kelly Jean Peters...Sally Metzner
- Marsha ClarkMarsha ClarkMarsha Clark is an American actress, best known for her roles in soap operas, including the second Hillary Bauer on Guiding Light, the third Tina Lord on One Life to Live and Judge Karen Fitzpatrick on Days of our Lives...
...Marla - Chip Heller...Deputy Joe Foster
- Brian Leckner...Deputy Chris Pullman
- Darren O. Campbell...Tommy Davrow
- Shannon ElizabethShannon ElizabethShannon Elizabeth is an American actress and former fashion model. Elizabeth is well known for her roles in comedy films such as Scary Movie, American Pie, and Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back. She is also well known for her work in horror films such as Thirteen Ghosts, Cursed, and Night of the Demons...
...Jill Metzner (as Shannon Elizabeth Fadal) - Paul Keith...Doc Peters
- Charles C. Stevenson Jr...Father Branagh
- Nathan Hague...Billy Metzner
Reception
The film was panned by critics, it has an 8% rating out of twelve reviews at Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.