Woodyanders Review of Chiller

Chiller (1985 TV Movie)

A really creepy and compelling 80's made-for-TV fright feature

[8/10 · 7 February 2007]

Corporate executive Miles Creighton (a superbly unnerving performance by Michael Beck) gets revived after being cryogenically frozen for ten years. He comes back as a cold, amoral, unfeeling automaton who's only concerned about satisfying his own urges. He proves to be a ruthlessly cut-throat businessman and even develops incestuous longings for his sweet, comely, frightened cousin Stacey (winningly played by the always pretty and perky Jill Schoelen). Director Wes Craven, working from an interesting and provocative script by J. D. Feigelson, does an expert job of creating and sustaining a creepy and unsettling atmosphere. The solid and credible acting from a fine cast constitutes as another substantial asset: Beatrice Straight as Miles' loving, but scared mother, Paul Sorvino as a concerned priest, Dick O'Neill as Miles' loyal business partner, Laura Johnson as an ambitious advertising executive, Anne Seymour as Sorvino's elderly friend Ms. Bunch, and Alan Fudge and Craig Richard Nelson as honest, dedicated surgeons.Stan Winston's excellent make-up f/x, Frank Thackery's slick cinematography, Dana Kaproff's spooky'n'shivery synthesizer score, and a pertinent central message about how being truly human requires having a soul are all up to speed as well. A genuinely eerie and on the money effective made-for-TV horror movie.