DANGLING from a wire with nothing but a metal bar to keep you safe, ski lifts are scary things at the best of times. You certainly don't have to do much to turn them into a perfect setting for a horror film. And that's exactly the thinking behind

DANGLING from a wire with nothing but a metal bar to keep you safe, ski lifts are scary things at the best of times.

You certainly don't have to do much to turn them into a perfect setting for a horror film. And that's exactly the thinking behind FROZEN (15). The scare here is the plausible fear of being stuck on a ski lift for days on end and director Adam Green, to his credit, refrains from adding any unnecessary padding.

Deep characterisation also gets the heave-ho but our attractive leads Joe (Shawn Ashmore), Dan (Kevin Zegers) and Parker (Emma Bell) are interesting enough while for horror fans, there are a few moments of satisfying gore (including some stomach churning sound effects).

Green keeps the pace as sharp as the wire our heroes are hanging from but he can't keep the tension bubbling for the full 90 minutes. After all, by its very nature the plot goes nowhere and even the odd hungry wolf attack fails to keep the spark alight in the final stages.

Still, if the finale turns to slush, the build-up is strong and for the most part, this is an edge-of-the-seat chiller... for the characters and the audience.

- JUSTIN MATLOCK