The eighties were a decade of hits and misses for director Wes Craven. The biggest hit being "A Nightmare on Elm Street", evidently, but also "Deadly Blessing" and "Deadly Friend" were very good. The big misses were "The Hills Have Eyes II", "Shocker", "Swamp Thing", and to a lesser extent "The Serpent and the Rainbow". But Craven also helmed two made-for-television projects, and those are strictly middle-ground. "Invitation to Hell" and particularly this "Chiller" are watchable and entertaining, but not highly memorable.
Ten years ago, Miles Creighton died from a nasty disease and his loving mother paid a lot of money to cryogenically freeze his body; - hoping that somewhere in the future advanced medicine techniques can save him after all. That time has come now (also because his cryogenic pod started leaking), and Miles miraculously recovers quite well. There's something different about him, however. The family dog barks at Miles non-stop, he's unable to show any emotions, and he doesn't mind killing people. It seems as if Miles lost his soul when he died, and it didn't return when he was thawed. No worries, though, because what becomes of people without souls? Exactly, CEOs of big corporate organizations!
"Chiller" remains interesting to watch, mainly thanks to the adequate performances of Michael Beck (Swan from "The Warriors") as the cold and heartless Miles, and Paul Sorvino as the good-hearted priest who tries to warn Miles' mother that her revived son isn't really her son anymore. There are also a couple of reasonably suspenseful moments, notably when Miles "fires" the company's previous CEO and family's friend Mr. Beeson, or when he petrifies innocent women like his little sister Stacey or the ambitious committee member Mrs. Kenyon. Wes Craven never really puts his mark on the film and the whole adventure feels too much like a routine job for him. Since it's a TV movie, you shouldn't expect gore or graphic violence either, but thanks to the ever-reliable Stan Winston, there are still some eerie frozen faces that attack near the end.
Ten years ago, Miles Creighton died from a nasty disease and his loving mother paid a lot of money to cryogenically freeze his body; - hoping that somewhere in the future advanced medicine techniques can save him after all. That time has come now (also because his cryogenic pod started leaking), and Miles miraculously recovers quite well. There's something different about him, however. The family dog barks at Miles non-stop, he's unable to show any emotions, and he doesn't mind killing people. It seems as if Miles lost his soul when he died, and it didn't return when he was thawed. No worries, though, because what becomes of people without souls? Exactly, CEOs of big corporate organizations!
"Chiller" remains interesting to watch, mainly thanks to the adequate performances of Michael Beck (Swan from "The Warriors") as the cold and heartless Miles, and Paul Sorvino as the good-hearted priest who tries to warn Miles' mother that her revived son isn't really her son anymore. There are also a couple of reasonably suspenseful moments, notably when Miles "fires" the company's previous CEO and family's friend Mr. Beeson, or when he petrifies innocent women like his little sister Stacey or the ambitious committee member Mrs. Kenyon. Wes Craven never really puts his mark on the film and the whole adventure feels too much like a routine job for him. Since it's a TV movie, you shouldn't expect gore or graphic violence either, but thanks to the ever-reliable Stan Winston, there are still some eerie frozen faces that attack near the end.