movie review snow falls

'Snow Falls' Review: Winter Cabin Fever Horror Flick Doesn’t Run Hot Enough

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Colton Tran ’s feature directorial debut, Snow Falls has sneaked into Collider’s list of most anticipated 2023 horror movies with a killer premise. The movie follows a group of friends who decide to celebrate New Year’s Eve in a cabin far away from civilization. As the title indicates, they are caught in a snowstorm that forces them to fight for survival. With no phone reception, electricity, or means to ask for help, the friends must find ways to keep warm while their sanity slowly deteriorates. Meanwhile, they wonder if their strange visions are the fruit of their dire condition, or if something evil is hidden in the snow. With such an interesting concept, Snow Falls could have walked different paths by either embracing the supernatural or exploring the human drama amidst isolation. Unfortunately, the movie does neither.

By now, the cabin-in-the-woods horror subgenre has been done to exhaustion, to the point where Cabin in the Woods brilliantly exposed the limits of the trope back in 2011. That clearly indicates that new cabin-in-the-woods movies need to either focus on great character development or add an unexpected spin to the formula. It doesn’t take long for us to realize Snow Falls is not too concerned with its characters, as the movie reduces the five friends’ entire personalities to a single trait. There’s Kit (Colton Tran), who loves to party; Em ( Victoria Moroles ), paranoid about security and safety measures; Andy ( James Gaisford ), a wannabe Instagram celebrity; River ( Johnny Berchtold ), the rich boy whose parents own the cabin; and Eden ( Anna Grace Barlow ), a med student who just lost her mother to an unknown disease.

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It can be useful to simplify characters so that the audience becomes familiar with the entire cast in just a few minutes. That allows the viewer to quickly understand who the characters are and how they’ll probably respond to the horrors to come. Nevertheless, if the goal is to force people to face their fears, at some point, we have to know what makes these characters broader. How did they meet? What history do they have together? What are the emotional stakes? Especially when it comes to confined spaces, a movie must explore its character’s interior universe to make the audience care about them. Snow Falls never goes beyond each character’s shallow personality. Even a story-rich trauma such as Eden’s grief is suggested without becoming a relevant plot point.

With so little attention given to character, one could expect Snow Falls to pour its energy into the scares. Surprisingly, that also doesn’t happen. In fact, for most of its runtime, Snow Falls develops as a slow-burn thriller about humans on the brink, trading their sanity to extend their lives for a few more days and hours. Yes, as the movie’s trailer promised, there are a few supposedly supernatural elements sprinkled all over the story. And the movie puts into question if these elements are inherently evil or just the fruit of broken minds. Sadly, Snow Falls gives away the answer too soon, and there’s no twist to make the plot more interesting further ahead. The movie goes exactly where you think, and the horror is too mild to be effective.

There are some budget issues dragging Snow Falls down. For instance, the digital effects used to represent the warm breath of freezing people are certainly distracting. Still, these issues could be easily forgiven if there was any point in Snow Falls ' story. As it is, the movie is not scary enough to stand as a pure horror experience, but it also doesn’t have layered characters that can hold together an exploration of the human mind. What’s worse is that for a good chunk of the runtime, Snow Falls pretends to be doing both things simultaneously, which undoubtedly got in the way of hitting the mark for at least the horror or the emotional stakes. In the end, Snow Falls wastes a compelling premise with a dull script, without complex characters or effective scares to elevate the story.

Snow Falls comes to digital and on-demand this February 17.

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‘Snow Falls’ Ending, Explained: What Happened At The Old Cabin? Were The Friends Able To Survive?

“Snow Falls,” directed by Colton Tran, tells us the story of five friends who are stranded in a cabin and makes us privy to their quest to survive the extreme weather. “Snow Falls” is another unnecessary addition to the niche genre, and we say that because the writers present us with the same mundane tropes that we have seen in various films time and again. The film is unable to keep you invested in the story and is devoid of any buildup; it really fails to create an impact. What generally keeps me hooked in a horror film are the conversations between the characters and their relevance in the bigger scheme of things. But in this film the nature of conversations looked a bit pretentious, that lacked depth and though there are a few moments where it gives you hope that something unexpected might happen, in the end, it just leaves you stranded. The intent of the makers was to create a psychological horror, but somewhere down the line, they lost the plot. So, let’s see what “Snow Falls” has to offer and who, among all the friends, is able to survive the storm.

Spoilers Ahead

Plot Summary: What Is The Film About?

Eden, River, Andy, Em, and Kit reached Snow Falls to stay amidst the wilderness and celebrate the new year together. The swanky mansion, in the middle of nowhere, belonged to River’s family, and the group was thrilled when they reached and couldn’t wait to begin the celebrations. There were reports that there was a storm approaching, but the group didn’t think it would spoil their plan. River’s father, more than anything, was concerned about the cutlery and the antiques kept at home. He told River over the phone that it was his mother’s favorite cutlery and that he did not want his friends to break anything. 

The friends soon realized that the network was really bad, and they couldn’t call anyone. Eden was still coping with the loss of her mother. She was not able to accept the fact that her mother was no longer there alongside her. She felt lonely even when she was surrounded with people, as there was a void inside her that she was unable to fill, no matter what she did. To make matters worse, her boyfriend left her when her mother got sick. The friends had specifically planned the trip to cheer her up, and they also knew that it would do her good if she took some time off from the hustle and bustle of life and spent some quality time with her friends. Em wasn’t able to attend Eden’s mother’s funeral, and she apologized for not being there for her when she needed it the most. Eden said that she didn’t need to feel bad, as she understood that sometimes people just don’t know how to tackle a particular situation. Em had a habit of overthinking stuff, and Andy told the group how she always thought that she was suffering from some or other disease. Andy was a small-time social media influencer, and he made it a point to post something at regular intervals for his followers. 

River wanted to be more than just friends with Eden. Everybody saw that he had feelings for her, but he could never muster the courage to ask Eden out. He was not exactly the expressive type, and Eden always had someone else in her life. River knew that their mini vacation could present him with an opportunity to speak his heart out. Kit went out to fetch some snow, as he wanted to make alcoholic cones out of it. The friends heard on the news that Snow Falls was going to be hit by two back-to-back storms. They had decided that they would be going back after spending a couple of days there, but with the weather conditions worsening, they were not left with much of an option.

‘Snow Falls’ Ending Explained: What Happened At The Old Cabin? Were The Friends Able To Survive?

The subsequent storms had caused power outages, and the group was forced to sleep in the hall together, as it at least had a fireplace that kept them warm at night. River was hopeful that electricity would come back soon, as any power cut never lasted more than a day. But River was wrong in assuming that, and as time passed, everybody started getting paranoid about the situation. The option of driving back home was also not there as the roads were blocked due to snow. There was nobody in the vicinity from whom they could ask for help and as the signal was weak, they were also not able to contact anybody else. There was only a limited stock of dry wood in the mansion, and they knew that after it was gone, they wouldn’t have anything to keep themselves warm with. Eden knew that because they were exposed to so much cold, there was a chance they might suffer from hypothermia. She told the group to stay near the fire and try to keep their bodies warm. In addition to that, she also told the group that they needed to stay awake, as she feared that if hypothermia kicked in during their sleep, they wouldn’t be able to wake up. Their dry wood stock finished, and their health started deteriorating due to the extreme cold. The temperature drop had an impact on their nervous system too. They started to feel confused, and that’s when River came up with the theory of the ice, they had used the other day, being contaminated. Hypothermia started showing its symptoms, and it led to cognitive dysfunctionality, something that Eden had feared from the very beginning. They started hallucinating, but Eden kept reminding them that it was their mind that was playing tricks and nothing else. 

The group had decided that they would siphon gas from their vehicles and put it in the generator to bring back the power. But their plans were spoiled when River took out all the gas from the vehicle without telling anyone and threw it away. River didn’t know what he was doing, as he wasn’t in his senses. He told Andy that they all had to die in the mansion itself because they could not spread the virus. Em cut herself with a sharp object and ended up losing a lot of blood. Eden knew that though she could provide her with some first aid, she would have to be taken to the hospital as soon as possible. Andy started breaking the antiques of the house so that he could use the wood for lighting fire. River got paranoid seeing that and entered into a fist fight with Andy. River ended up killing Andy accidentally, and when Em came, she couldn’t believe her eyes. She had never imagined that something of that sort could happen to them. Em also did not survive for long after that; she went out in the open without wearing anything warm and died inside the car. 

In her last moments, Em was hallucinating, and she imagined that there was still some gas left in the car and that she had turned on the heater while sitting comfortably beside Andy. Kit realized that he would have to go out and try to find help, but that decision turned out to be fatal for him. Kit started feeling a burning sensation in his body, and he took out all his clothes and froze to death in the snow. River also lost control over his mind and stood beneath the shower. His body temperature dropped even lower, and he too, died in the bathroom. Eden was the only one who survived. Though she also started to hallucinate, she didn’t do anything bizarre. Soon, help arrived and rescued Eden.

Now, it is far-fetched speculation, but it could have been possible that, as River said, the snow might have been contaminated, but the film never gives us enough evidence to prove that theory. The symptoms were hypothermia, and we believe that the mental disorientation was merely a result of that and nothing else. “Snow Falls” doesn’t give us much to ponder upon, and in the end, it is just a directionless and futile attempt to be something that it is clearly not.

“Snow Falls” is a 2023 Drama Thriller film directed by Colton Tran.

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After a winter storm strands five friends in a remote cabin with no power and little food, disorientation slowly claims their sanity as each of them succumbs to a fear that the snow itself m... Read all After a winter storm strands five friends in a remote cabin with no power and little food, disorientation slowly claims their sanity as each of them succumbs to a fear that the snow itself may be contaminated or somehow evil. After a winter storm strands five friends in a remote cabin with no power and little food, disorientation slowly claims their sanity as each of them succumbs to a fear that the snow itself may be contaminated or somehow evil.

• Colton Tran
• Luke Genton
• Laura M. Young
• Victoria Moroles
• Anna Grace Barlow
• Johnny Berchtold
• 37 User reviews
• 14 Critic reviews

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• Trivia Featured on Red Letter Media's show Half in the Bag (2011) on February 12th, 2023 ( Snow Falls (2023) (2023) ).
• Goofs In the beginning when you see the radio the screen says that it's 99°, when it's obviously very cold outside that there's snow on the ground.
• Connections Featured in Half in the Bag: Snow Falls (2023) (2023)
• Soundtracks Lie to Me Performed by Abigail Barlow & Juan Ariza (as Ariza) Published by Abigail Barlow (Copyright Control) and Ariza Music Publishing

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• Runtime 1 hour 19 minutes

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Common Sense Media Review

Violence, drinking, language in flat horror movie.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Snow Falls is a 2023 horror movie in which five young adults in a winter vacation home struggle to survive after a blizzard cuts the power. Expect some moments of bloody violence -- including a character slicing open their chest and a fight in which a character with an axe…

Why Age 15+?

Some bloody violence. While the main characters suffer from lack of sleep and bo

Strong language throughout, including "f--k." Also: "s--t," "a--hole," "d--k," "

Young adults in a vacation home binge drink -- shots, champagne, wine. Before dr

Kissing in bed. Character dies in the cold after removing his clothes -- buttock

Any Positive Content?

One of the main characters is Asian American.

Violence & Scariness

Some bloody violence. While the main characters suffer from lack of sleep and borderline hypothermia, one of the characters cuts their chest open, with blood shown. A fight with an axe blade leads to one of the characters getting killed. Characters die in the cold outside. Character burns their hands on the stove. Jump scares.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Strong language throughout, including "f--k." Also: "s--t," "a--hole," "d--k," "bastard," "bitch," and "damn."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Young adults in a vacation home binge drink -- shots, champagne, wine. Before drinking shots, one character announces, "Let's get f--ked up!" When the power goes out and they try to stay awake to avoid dying from hypothermia, they take Adderall.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Kissing in bed. Character dies in the cold after removing his clothes -- buttocks shown.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Diverse Representations

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Parents need to know that Snow Falls is a 2023 horror movie in which five young adults in a winter vacation home struggle to survive after a blizzard cuts the power. Expect some moments of bloody violence -- including a character slicing open their chest and a fight in which a character with an axe accidentally kills the other. Characters die from the cold, including a character who removes his clothes and is found dead naked (buttocks shown). Kissing in bed. One of the characters burns their hands on a stove. Jump scares. Binge drinking. Before drinking shots, one character announces, "Let's get f--ked up!" Characters take Adderall to stay awake to avoid dying of hypothermia while asleep. Strong language throughout, including "f--k." To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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What's the Story?

In SNOW FALLS, five young adults take a trip to a vacation home in the middle of ski country for New Year's Eve. The house belongs to River's ( Johnny Berchtold ) family, and he brings his friends Andy, Em, Kit, and Eden. While things start out as a big party of binge drinking and laughter, a blizzard moves in, cutting off the roads and the electricity. As they try to stay warm with firewood and the gas stove, they soon find themselves struggling with their sanity as the wood runs out, there's no phone service, and the snow isn't melting. It only gets worse as they struggle to stay awake to avoid dying of hypothermia, and their hallucinations and delusions become increasingly violent.

Is It Any Good?

This is a mostly unremarkable horror movie that doesn't get far beyond the conventions and cliches of the genre. Snow Falls is another version of the "young adults go to the vacation house in the country to die" horror story, only instead of murderous countryfolk, the homicidal culprits in this one are both snow and cold.

The lack of heat and the lack of sleep leads to delirium and hallucinations, and while it almost gets close to doing something creative with the story, the whole thing comes across as formulaic, with jump scares galore, cheesy hallucinations, and unsatisfying plot twists. And while the acting is pretty good across the board, this is also marred by young adult horror movie archetypes (i.e. the sensitive guy, the jock-bro, etc.).

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about horror movies like Snow Falls . How is this similar to and different from other horror movies you've seen?

How does the violence here compare to that in other horror movies?

Does the movie glamorize binge drinking, or is it more of an honest depiction of young adults partying in a vacation house?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : January 17, 2023
• Cast : Anna Grace Barlow , Jonathan Bennett , Johnny Berchtold
• Director : Colton Tran
• Inclusion Information : Gay actors
• Studio : Lionsgate
• Genre : Horror
• Run time : 79 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : Brief bloody violence.
• Last updated : June 17, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Snow Falls Reviews

Snow Falls is a very weak rehash of elements and tropes from a horror subgenre that has churned out much better efforts in the past.

Full Review | Feb 15, 2023

Snow Falls is another version of the "young adults go to the vacation house in the country to die" horror story, only instead of murderous countryfolk, the homicidal culprits in this one are both snow and cold.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Feb 1, 2023

In the end, Snow Falls wastes a compelling premise with a dull script, without complex characters or effective scares to elevate the story.

Full Review | Original Score: D | Jan 16, 2023

Perhaps, then, it was inevitable that horror would take the fear of a new relationship with the environment and run with it, as it has with Snow Falls (2023). It’s a film which takes some elements of the Dyatlov Pass incident and makes it all-American.

Full Review | Original Score: C- | Jan 11, 2023