The Chill Factor

The Chill Factor

Year: 1993

Runtime: 90 mins

Language: English

Director: Christopher Webster

Horror

After a reckless ride leaves them stranded on a frozen lake, a group of snowmobilers seeks refuge in a deserted cabin complex that was once the headquarters of a satanic cult. As night descends, the eerie remnants of the cult’s rituals begin to surface, turning their desperate bid for rescue into a harrowing battle against unseen horror.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – The Chill Factor (1993)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Chill Factor (1993). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Winter, contemporary era

The events take place during a single winter trip in rural Wisconsin, with snowbound trails and a remote lake isolating the group. The time is contemporary, though a framing voiceover set thirty years in the future revisits the night’s events and the camp’s ruin.

Location

Black Friar Lake, Camp Saint Dominic, rural Wisconsin

The action unfolds on a remote winter lake and through the woods near Camp Saint Dominic by Black Friar Lake in rural Wisconsin. The desolate, snowbound setting creates a claustrophobic backdrop that heightens danger as the group attempts to survive. The abandoned camp serves as a haunted stage where past secrets intrude through the ritual Ouija session and sudden attacks.

❄️ Winter setting 🌲 Forest isolation 🏚 Abandoned camp 🗺 Rural Wisconsin

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:09

Main Characters – The Chill Factor (1993)

Meet the key characters of The Chill Factor (1993), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Tom (Aaron Kjenaas)

Tom is Jeannie’s fiancé with a brash, controlling streak that masks his insecurity. As danger escalates, he becomes possessed by a demonic entity, twisting his behavior into manipulation and violence. He seduces Jeannie, and the couple’s relationship fractures under the strain before his gruesome end in a fiery crash.

😈 Possession ❄️ Winter danger

Jeannie (Dawn Laurrie)

Jeannie is Tom’s fiancée who initially resists the occult intrigue but is drawn into the night’s horrors. She remains pragmatic and hopeful of survival, ultimately fleeing the camp as deadly forces close in. The voiceover at the end frames her memories of the night thirty years later.

💫 Protagonist 🧭 Survival

Karen (Connie Snyder)

Karen is Tom’s younger sister who joins the trip with her boyfriend Chris. She is curious about the camp’s past and becomes entangled in the Ouija session, leading to a grim fate in the gym as the hauntings intensify.

🧭 Sister ❄️ Isolation

Chris (David Fields)

Chris is a medical student and Karen’s boyfriend who tries to rationally confront the crisis and tend to Tom’s injuries. He becomes entangled in the group’s peril, meeting a violent end when he is impaled by a falling icicle.

🧪 Medical 🧭 Survival

Lissa (Eve Montgomery)

Lissa is a friend of the group who wanders through the camp, growing increasingly frightened by the occult revelations. She is pursued by a supernatural entity and killed when an industrial fan decapitates her in a pantry.

👀 Fear 🪝 Supernatural

Ron (Jim Cagle)

Ron is the group’s friend who volunteers to seek help but dies in a snowmobile crash after a collision with the camp's fencing, underscoring the peril of the wilderness.

🗺 Risk ⚠️ Danger

Bessie (Bekki Vallin)

Bessie is the kind tavern waitress who remedies harassment with empathy and points the travelers toward the remote trails, offering a small beacon of humanity in a night of horror.

💬 Kindness 🗺 Guidance

Sheriff (Jim Gresch)

The sheriff arrives to restore order after the night’s chaos, representing the last line of authority as the tragedy unfolds.

👮 Authority 🚨 Law

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:09

Major Themes – The Chill Factor (1993)

Explore the central themes of The Chill Factor (1993), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🔮 Occult

A Ouija board session ignites a demonic presence at Camp Saint Dominic, turning a weekend trip into a nightmare. The group’s curiosity about the occult invites danger that feeds on fear and misfortune. The abandoned camp and the surrounding forest become a portal where past rites intrude into the present.

🧭 Isolation

Snow and cold trap the group at the remote camp, cutting off contact with the outside world. Tension grows as fear, distrust, and physical harm mount, testing loyalties and resilience. The wilderness amplifies every mistake and forces hard decisions in a fight for life.

💀 Fate

The night claims multiple lives, underscoring that curiosity invites catastrophe. The victims—Lissa, Karen, and Chris—underscore the brutal cost of meddling with the occult and the wilderness's danger. The final revelation that the camp is a ruin burned decades ago adds a fatal, predetermined tone to the events.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:09

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Movies about being trapped with a supernatural threat like The Chill Factor

Characters are confined in a remote location with an evil entity they cannot escape.If you liked the desperate fight against demonic forces in The Chill Factor, you'll find similar tension in these movies. This list features horror films where characters are isolated in confined spaces, battling malevolent supernatural entities with little hope of escape.

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Narrative Summary

Stories in this thread typically begin with a group arriving at a remote location, only to become trapped by circumstances or a supernatural barrier. The horror escalates steadily as the entity asserts its power, often picking off characters one by one. The narrative focuses on the psychological breakdown of the group and their futile attempts to understand and survive the ancient evil they've awakened.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped by their shared core premise: the combination of extreme isolation and an active, intelligent supernatural antagonist. They create a specific kind of tension where the setting becomes a character itself, and the threat is both inescapable and unknowable, leading to a grim, survival-focused narrative.

Grim survival horror movies with bleak endings like The Chill Factor

A brutal fight for survival that ends in tragedy and trauma for the few who remain.For viewers who appreciated the heavy emotional weight and tragic conclusion of The Chill Factor, this list collects similar horror films. These stories focus on group survival against a vicious threat, featuring high intensity, graphic violence, and ultimately bleak or sad endings.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern follows a group faced with a immediate, violent threat. The story is straightforward, propelled by a series of gruesome deaths that whittle down the cast. There is little focus on complex mythology; instead, the emphasis is on the visceral experience of survival and the inevitable tragic outcome, where even escape comes at a profound psychological cost.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by their commitment to a dark,绝望 tone and a high-stakes survival narrative that prioritizes intensity and emotional heaviness over hope. They share a specific pacing that builds tension steadily towards a conclusion that feels earned yet profoundly sad, resonating with viewers seeking an unforgiving horror experience.

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The Chill Factor Summary

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The Chill Factor Summary

The Chill Factor Timeline

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The Chill Factor Timeline

The Chill Factor Spoiler-Free Summary

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The Chill Factor Spoiler-Free Summary

More About The Chill Factor

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