When a horror film is set in subzero temperatures, the chills pack extra bite

By David Walker
Special to MSN Movies 

Opening this week in theaters, director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.'s "The Thing" returns to the frozen environs of Antarctica for what is being marketed as a prequel to John Carpenter's seminal 1982 film of the same title. Both films were inspired by John W. Campbell's 1938 novella "Who Goes There?" and are part of a legacy of winter nightmares, horror thrillers set in snow-swept environments, where subzero temperatures bring an added sense of danger. Perhaps it has something to do with the human need of warmth to survive and a lack of shelter from the unforgiving elements, but there can be something especially unnerving about winter nightmare movies. Whether it is malignant extraterrestrials or ax-wielding psychopaths, the added threat of hypothermia and frostbite can make a bad situation worse

In terms of films set in snowy environments with freezing weather and malevolent forces conspiring to kill the heroes, it will remain to be seen if this new entry into the "Thing" franchise can stand side by side with Carpenter's film, or if it belongs with "Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Killer Mutant Snowman." Until that is determined, here is an overview of some of the best (and a few of the worst) winter nightmares.

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(Universal Pictures)