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Mister Frost (1990) More at IMDbPro »

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32 comments in total

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16 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
jeff is wonderful, 27 March 2002
Author: gerald Booth (chuckrules@juno.com) from alexandria va

`You should fit in well here then. We have one patient who calls himself Lucifer and another calling himself Mephistopheles.' `There's one difference. They're obviously insane.' With this dialogue the tension begins to mount in Director Philippe Setton's thriller. Writers' Derry Hall and Brad Lynch have created a perfect showcase for the quirky acting talents of lead, Jeff Goldblum. Goldblum's character is arrested at the beginning of the movie for the savage torture/murder of 24 people. We become aware of these murders as we see the investigators watching the tapes he made. Their reactions intensify the impact more than actually viewing it our self would have. Frost is immediately incarcerated in a psychiatric institute where he begins to make the claim he is actually the Devil and his mission on earth is to cause people to regain their belief (faith if you will) in him. Strange things begin to happen shortly after his arrival, which cause Dr. Sarah Day, played by Kathy Baker, to consider his claim. The movie leaves it to the viewer to decide if Frost is really causing things to happen using Demonic powers or just `brilliantly' insane and everyone, including the hospital staff, is falling prey to his psychosis. It is a well-directed and written story with a standout performance coming from Goldblum. He instills in his character a certain evil slyness, which will cause you to glance quickly behind you when Mr. Frost lays his eye on you.

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10 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Underestimated movie, 22 November 2002
Author: Boehm from Bielefeld, Germany

This is an interesting, entertaining and a little disturbing story. Horror and suspense is created with minimal optical hints and effects. Jeff Goldblum is a smart, erotically tempting devil. The struggle between good and evil is very well acted. Whoever finds this boring, is probably "high-thresholded" from the various horror movies with multiple visual trauma.

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8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
A scary slow pace movie for the adults..., 8 April 2003
Author: surfandski

This is a movie for mature audiences, viewers that like the subtalty over the blatant. The dialog is clever, a bit flat sometimes due to the lack of a score, but sometimes this ads to the movie in particular places. Jeff G. is excellent in this role (and I am not one of his fan). And to those that complain that the end of the movie is not climactic enough I don't know why because it is just perfect, just with one line. Rent this movie. It will scare you without grossing you out.

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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
stylish, atmospheric and underrated., 17 May 2006

Author: Raegan Butcher from Raincity, Pacific Northwest

I caught this during its very brief theatrical run in Nov 1990 and thought that--after a decade of slasher flicks and dumb, dead teenager movies--it was an odd throwback to a kinder, more stylish kind of thriller.The international flavor of the cast and the strange omni-Euro locations didn't bother me at all-- I thought those touches only added to the whole atmosphere of displacement and doom. Jeff Goldblum is a very unique Satan;his peculiar acting and vocal mannerisms make a perfect fit for the role. The philosophical parlor games he engages in with Kathy Baker are both amusing and somehow creepy. This film almost epitomizes the sort of plot lines that would later be featured in The X Files: an enigmatic serial killer who may or may not be imbued with supernatural powers. While not without its faults, Mr Frost is worth a look if for no other reason than to watch Jeff Goldblum's performance.

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8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
One of Goldblum's better roles!, 1 December 2002

Author: happenstanceouvre

This movie is sadly overlooked and underated. As far as I'm concerned, it's one of Goldblum's better performances (sure beats ID4!). He was okay in The Fly, and okay in Jurassic Park too.

I like Kathy Baker's role, but she herself, I find a little annoying at times. Here she's dead on as a psychologist who begins to lose faith in her field.

Mostly thought, it's the tension this movie produces that won me over. For once I couldn't predict how it was going to end. Would she just quit and walk away from it all? Would she stick to her guns and ignore Mr. Frost's wishes like a "good doctor" should? Would she give in to Frost? I really saw it going any of those ways 'till the end.

I could really have done without Francois Negret-- his character was important, but as a person he really put me off. He was the worst part of the movie. And the performance of the doctor unable to withhold his love for Sarah was so melodramatic and overplayed, it bordered on revolting.

Overall I think this movie was original and cleverly-made.

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6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Mr. Frost is an excellent horror/suspense film, 13 September 2001

Author: skullduggery

This is one of my favorite horror/suspense films of all time. Jeff Goldblum is excellent as the serial killer trying to convince Kathy Baker that he is the ultimate evil incarnate. Definitely one of his better performances. The script and plot are outstanding. The cast is great as well. Highly recommended.

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7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Intelligently manipulative of its audience, 15 April 2005

Author: Noel Bailey (uds3@hotmail.com) from Longmont: Colorado US

Ranks with THE FLY as Goldblum's greatest performance. He is mesmerising from his opening scenes with Alan Bates as the detective on a real mission impossible.

Way too intelligent for most audiences of the new millennium, here in Goldblum's character and given the ring-melting sequence, there is no real enigma as to who he is - we have "cool" utterly personified.

Awesome in its contemplation even - the Devil's reincarnation as a means to "renew the faith" as it were, Goldblum is hypnotic and absolutely commands attention and respect for every little nuance he projects in his time on screen.

The end is only anti-climactic for the average "boofhead," who would more than likely have switched off long before the final reel anyway. It never was a question of "who won?" There ARE no winners! I have seen this film several times and only ever known it incidentally as "The Deadly Mister Frost" as is titled my own recently-acquired DVD copy.

Rare and thought-provoking little gem.

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6 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
cold, disturbing and depressing, 27 September 2003
Author: therealbigbadwolf

Jeff Goldblum, Kathy Baker and Alan Bates show a stunning performance in this picture. Mr. Goldblum plays the devil as real as Baker the psychotherapist Dr. Day. It is actually visible that she´s standing between two things: her own feelings and frost´s ability to impeach her with his evil charme, and her mind, her experiences and her psychatristity. Alan Bates tries to convince her, but he fails as Frost already has chained her at the Dark Side. Watch this masterpiece and you will be turning fast ínto a gaga-man.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Good? and Evil?... and Science!, 2 September 2001

Author: Piledriver from Buckingham, UK

"It used to be simple: good on one hand, evil on the other. There was a strugle. And then you people came along - the scientists."

Excellent film about about perceived good and evil from the viewpoint of humanity, and how science is has to be neither. Impartial, and yet with greater power and potential to be used for either. Or is it? Which will win out reason or emotion, or will they corrupt each other?

Or maybe Mister Frost simply a deranged man after all?

The previous lines were to give an overall feeling about the general atmosphere of Mister Frost for those who have not seen it. It is difficult to describe the plot in more depth than in the summary on the main page without spoiling the film, but imagine the confrontations between the possessed Regan and Karras or the doctors in William Peter Blatty's novel 'The Exorcist' that were cut out of the film. There you have Mister Frost.

Basically, if you like your thrillers to be charged with atmosphere and intelligence then this film is definitely worth viewing. Oh yeah, and also if you thought Jeff Goldblum could put in a good performance with a good script, but haven't yet seen it happen. This film is it.

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Goldblum is excellent, premise is very good, third act weak, 15 February 2004

Author: DennisH from Emerald Hills, CA, USA

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Minor spoilers below.

I saw 'Mister Frost' for the first time when it came out on video back in 1991, and then several years later. The first time I saw it I was enthralled by Goldblum's performance as The Devil, and I didn't notice the film's weaknesses. Not so with the second viewing, but it still leaves an impression.

First the positives: Goldblum's portrayal of Satan (as well as the script he recites) is as close to my view of the true Devil as I've seen on screen. The Devil would not appear on earth with a tail, horns, and a pitchfork. He would be intelligent, mocking, frustrating, elusive, and malevolent; all the while doing his best to appear human. The story is also well-motivated and developed. The first interview between Dr. Day and Lucifer was the most tense scene in the movie, and one of my all time favorites.

As to the negatives: Others will mention the less than stellar performances of the supporting cast and the generally pitiful score. These are significant flaws, especially Alan Bates as Detective Detweiler, but not crippling. What I didn't care for was that the Devil didn't follow his own rules; he made it impossible for Dr. Day not to believe him. For example, he melts Dr. Day's ring in his hand and heals a spinal chord. These things cannot be done by a typical psycho in a ward, the melting point of gold is a bit higher than the burning temperature of flesh.

A lot of people didn't care for the conclusion. I thought the final fate of Dr. Day was perfect, but the acting and general meandering of the third act was poor and really slowed down the movie until the final five minutes.

I recommend the movie to people who enjoy reasonably intelligent supernatural stories that are not laden with special effects.

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