Wind Chill

Trying to get back home for Christmas, a bitchy college student (Emily Blunt) accepts a ride from one of her classmates (Ashton Holmes). Driving through the woods in whiteout conditions, they take an ill-advised detour and get stuck in a snow bank, where they witness frightening apparitions while awaiting help. Most of the movie unfolds inside the car, with the cold, angry, increasingly panicky students sniping at each other. (Think Open Water with snow.) The injection of a supernatural element is intended to enhance the scary scenes, but the end result is only fitfully frightening.

Shelf Talk: Wind Chill’s limited-theatrical release isn’t likely to build an audience, but the movie does have a couple of exploitable elements. Having George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh as executive producers provides an imprimatur of sorts, and Blunt has a following from her brittle turn in The Devil Wears Prada.