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Good concept, poorly executed.

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Business man Miles Creighton, played by Michael Beck is cryonically, (not cryogenically - yes there's a difference), preserved for 10 years due to a medical transplant not being possible at the time of his death. One night his tube malfunctions and he is taken to hospital where his mother arranges for the procedure to be undertaken.The operation is a success and his mother is just happy to have her son back in her life and tries her best to continue life as normal and returns her son to the family company as CEO. To everyone else, Miles is just not normal and appears emotionally distant and ruthless with his decisions in the company and with people in general. The only one who dismisses this is his mother who brushes aside the nay-saying as simply a result of his long time in stasis and the impromptu revival. However it becomes clear that Miles has indeed changed and sparks the debate of whether a deceased person once revived is also revived with a soul. Miles becomes violent and sociopathic towards most people and only when he tries to kill the family priest by running him down with his car does the mother finally realise that what has been returned to her is not her loving son.Miles ends up being re-frozen in a large walk-in freezer and is then shot dead by his mother after he attacks a police officer revealing his demonic eyes to his mother just before he dies. The movie ends back at the cryonic facility with sirens sounding as more cryo-tubes start to malfunction.Chiller can be described as one of Wes Cravens' weaker efforts as this tries to go for a more atmospheric suspense over blood and gore. And as this was made for TV, the violence is quite low-key so even for 1985 it would be hard to consider this a horror movie and is instead more of a thriller. The quality of picture and sound is quite low, so in watching this you can be forgiven for thinking that this came out in the mid- seventies. Most of the cast performances in this are not the best but I felt that Michael Beck did a good job of portraying a soulless psycho where killing or hurting people isn't given a second thought. Chiller also came out at a time when cryonics was starting to regain interest in the early/mid eighties after the failures and legal scandals of the seventies, so the ethical, spiritual and moral implications were being discussed vigorously by religious, family and legal groups and whether cryonically frozen people should be brought back and this movie does briefly touch on that point. As yet a successful revival is still beyond the current technology levels so Chiller is pure fantasy and remains scientifically impossible. It's not the greatest movie by any means but if you manage to catch this on late night TV, then it's at least worth a look.

This 80s film has a very good concept. What if you died and were cryogenically frozen immediately after, then thawed out years later. Would you be "soul-less?" Watch the film to find out.Some very creepy moments but it's basically a dated 80s TV movie. Why bother releasing a film to DVD if there is no desire to enhance it? To make money I know, but, it's just wrong. The picture quality is awful and that's enough to make you want to shut it off. The "film" could stand a remake with a much broader scope because of it's interesting premise. There are a dime a dozen horror films out there but I don't think this approach to terror has often surfaced. What makes the film all the more relevant is the fact that man-kind could actually come face to face with this issue for real.

A young man(Michael Beck)has been under cryogenic stasis for approximately ten years when his tube malfunctions. His mother Marion(Beatrice Straight)is dead-set on seeing her son revived from the dead and is persistent that surgeons try to re-animate him with far more modern procedures and medical technology than they had the previous ten years he was in his death sleep. They do succeed, but this comes with a price..he emerges without a soul, merely a cold-blooded human monster with his own carnal cravings in mind. He's a threat to everyone around him because Miles is no longer the young man people once knew. Marion can not be convinced because of her blind loyalty and love..that long ten-year wait for your son's life brought back to fulfill the lonely void can keep many a person from what's obviously right in front of you. Miles fires trustworthy exec, Clarence(Dick O'Neill) who has kept the Creighton business afloat over the years since the passing of Marion's husband. Miles claims he just doesn't need Clarence anymore even though he lacks mere months until retirement. Miles moves Leigh Kenyon(Laura Johnson)into a made-up position so that he can sexually abuse her while paying the woman handsomely. He also cuts off the business' charity ties to save finances..including Reverend Penny's(Paul Sorvino)church. Miles also lustfully gazes at cousin Stacey(Jill Schoelen)from his room as she swims. It's only a matter of time before Miles turns homicidal..but, it's the fact that he has no conscience or reason which makes him a deadly threat to anyone who stands in his way. Not even mother Marion can halt Miles from pursuing his carnal appetites.Interesting look at what could happen if you bring a loved one from the dead..Craven is obviously limited by the television medium. I'm sure if he directed this as a theatrical film, the violence would have certainly been more potent. Miles' reign of terror is still quite chilling because Beck is so menacing in the title role. When he smiles, pure evil shows in abundance. Craven gets some terrific supporting performances from an able cast, especially Straight(who I thought was marvelous, as the mother hell-bent on seeing her son alive even though the consequences are disastrous)and Paul Sorvino as the minister who is shaken spiritually by the return of someone from death. The best scene in the film could be when Miles informs Penny that there is nothing but darkness when you close your eyes in death. The "crisis of faith" angle is an interesting one even if this aspect doesn't get developed much. There's a real tense scene where Miles drags Penny's carcass down the road, holding a devious grin on his face. I don't think the film(probably because of time constraints among other things, and limited funds)gets enough time to fully realize the great premise it has, but I thought the film was fairly entertaining. It's always nice seeing Schoelen, even in a much limited role. This is Beck and Straight's show, however, playing polar opposites..his evil against her good intentions. That tragedy of a mother having to put a stop to her son's evil ways is the center of the film's success I think. Good little movie, but could've been great. There's a terrific special effects sequence from Stan Winston..as Beck returns from a coma, underneath his skin are "pressure bubbles" which pulsate. It's really a cool scene and quite unnerving.

~Spoiler~Wes Craven has had one of the most unusual careers of any genre director. He started out pretty late in life (33 maybe), made some classic exploitation and horror films, and then jumped into the dreaded realm of made for television flicks. Why I wonder? To pay the rent I suppose. The story of Chiller begins in a very atmospheric cryogenic chamber setting and it really got my hopes up. It was a creepy beginning and it was Craven at the helm. So why didn't I like the movie? Production values for starters. They really hindered this project. Also, the made for TV quality was really hard to get past. The story was lacking something too. I think Craven was exploring ideas here which would have been more suited for the big screen. In the story, Michael Beck (The Warriors) awakes from a cryo-sleep after being dead for quite some time. Many can immediately tell there is something different about him. But his mother, the one who put him in stasis, refuses to believe them. A priest (Paul Sorvino from Goodfellas) becomes our hero and the question of the human soul comes into play. Beck's character is quite evil and we are presented with the possibility that he lost his soul when he died. Not a bad premise, but nothing is ever resolved. Many questions the film poses go unanswered-which may or may not be a good thing. I think the film's main message is "Don't play God" or maybe just "Let sleeping dogs lie." Scream queen fans may appreciate an early appearance of Jill Schoelen who went on to star in The Stepfather, Cutting Class, Popcorn, and When a Stranger Calls Back. On another note, this features some of Stan Winston's early F/X work, and it's quite good. The DVD has a funny trivia game to make sure you were paying attention to the movie. Sadly, that's about all the DVD has to offer because the transfer (what transfer?) is horrible. While I don't think you should go out of your way to see it, Chiller was certainly better than Vampire in Brooklyn.