Jack Frost (1997)

Jack Frost is an American horror/comedy film, written and directed by Michael Cooney and released in 1997. Four years later, the film would spawn a sequel, Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman.

The film takes place in the fictional town of Snowmonton, where (on the week before Christmas) a truck carrying serial killer Jack Frost to his execution is involved in a freak accident with a truck carrying genetic material. Although Jack escapes, the genetic material causes his body to fuse with the snow on the ground, mutating Jack into a killer snowman. With his body now as icy as his heart, Jack Frost seeks revenge on the citizens of Snowmonton and on the man who finally caught him, Sheriff Sam Tiler.

The film attracted cult status thanks to its low budget special effects, comical death sequences, poor acting, and the fact that it was released within two years of an unrelated family film of the same name also featuring the concept of a living snowman. In addition, the film is also known for being the first movie featuring actress Shannon Elizabeth, who plays a minor role in the movie. It has also become quite a popular 'mock' on I-Mockery.

Plot
Taking place a week before Christmas, serial killer Jack Frost is on his way to the Colorado State Penitentiary to be executed, after the Snowmonton Sheriff Sam Tiler caught Frost burying a body in the woods and noticed his car is stolen. Frost traveled across 5 states, leaving a trail of 36 bodies in his wake, before being arrested by Tiler.

The prison transport vehicle carrying Frost crashes into a genetics truck, and when Frost tries to make his escape, the chemicals burst from the vehicle, causing Frost to melt into the snow.

After hearing of Frost's demise, thinking that the nightmare is over, Tiler can never forget about Frost's threat that he will have his revenge on the town. His fears are later confirmed when old man Harper is found dead, having his neck broken as if by a giant oven mitt, and a local bully named Billy is decapitated by his own sled after he mocked Ryan,Tiler's son over his snowman, not knowing it's Jack Frost, having mutated into a killer snowman.

Hearing of the murders, Agents Manners and Stone arrive in Snowmonton, claiming to be from the FBI. At the behest of the agents, Sheriff Tiler puts the town on 24 hour curfew and sends his officers out to gather all the townspeople. However, one of the officers is killed when Jack Frost melts down and refreezes within his police cruiser, running the officer over.

Two teens (the girl being Billy's older sister) are also killed when they sneak into the sheriff's house to be alone together and get back at him for the death of her brother. Tommy dies when Jack drives an icicle through his head. Jill is killed when Jack reforms in the tub, moves his carrot nose to her crotch, trapping her arms in his shoulders and raping her.

While she tries to break free, Jack then proceeds to beat her head against the wall until she is dead. He then kills Jill's parents, while Tiler's friend Paul Davrow witnesses the murders, and tries to warn Tiler, but no one believes him. Tiler has him locked in a jailcell till further notice.

Jack Frost returns with the police cruiser to the station, finally confronting Sheriff Sam Tiler. Agent Stone reveals himself to be a representative of the genetic research company that created the acid and reveals that the snowman is a mutated Jack Frost. He explains that the acid was created to test Stone's hypothesis that the human soul is a chemical.

It was designed to combine a human chromosome helix with an inert material, and be able to successfully resurrect the dead back into its original structure, specifically used in the case of a global holocaust. But during the accident, the acid bonded with both of Jack's DNA and the snow surrounding him, resurrecting him back into physical form, but as a snowman. They attempt to destroy Jack by blowing him up by releasing aerosol cans in the police station and firing a bullet at him, but to no avail.

They then use blowdryers to drive Jack into a furnace, which evaporates the snowman. Unfortunately, Jack condenses, killing Agent Stone and wounding Agent Manners, who survives. Jack Frost traps Sheriff Tiler and his son, Ryan (Zack Eginton) within his car, but the sheriff escapes by inadvertently throwing the oatmeal his son made him at Jack, burning the snowman's head. His son, not wanting his father to be cold, put antifreeze in the oatmeal, believing it could help keep the oatmeal from getting cold.

Sheriff Tiler tells his friend, Paul Davrow to fill the bed of his truck with antifreeze. In the movie's conclusion, Jack chases Sam through the halls of a church and finally catches him, driving an icicle into his chest and almost killing him. The truck full of antifreeze arrives just in time, however, and Jack and Sam crash through a window and into the truck's bed. Jack melts into the antifreeze, and the antifreeze is buried deep under the ground of Snowmonton. As Manners recuperates in the hospital, Sam's wife Anne, realizes that the state police are on their way. When Paul asks Sam what they are going to tell them, Sam says, "Tell them it's too late". But one of the containers is shown to be bubbling, suggesting that Jack is contained as a liquid, and is still alive.

Reception
The film was panned by critics, it has an 8% rating out of twelve reviews at Rotten Tomatoes.