Review of The Thaw (2009) by Justin H — 05 Nov 2009

"The Thaw" is a perfect example of how an ending can make or break an otherwise middle of the road movie. Not to say that this particular ending was exactly groundbreaking or anything, but it did manage to catch me off guard by incorporating a single element (something I thought was completely incidental), from earlier in the film, that I'd completely forgotten about. And it worked, bumping this from a 3.5 star review to a full 4.

Everything else is a mixed bag. The acting ranges from slightly flawed to competent, the effects were pretty good overall, and the story was at least fairly original. But then there are the problems such as: Why didn't they ever take the gun away from the crazy guy, even when he was knocked out? Why hint at some deep, dark past between two of the characters if they're just going to bury the hatchet and start having makeup sex in the next scene? Why establish that the parasites are actually not bugs, but vertebrates, if it's never mentioned again? Also, one of the major twists toward the end should be easily guessable by half an hour into the film at the latest.

So overall, "The Thaw" has its high and low points, and it's definitely bolstered by what I considered to be a traditional horror movie ending that actually seemed plausible. Your mileage may vary, but there are definitely worse horror flicks out there.