The Thaw
At an isolated Arctic station, a prehistoric parasite turns climate change into a fight for containment and survival.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- foreboding
- claustrophobic
- paranoid
- late night horror marathon
- winter viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as a derivative and preachy ecological horror thriller that fails to realize its promising premise.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The students and scientists are trapped at a remote Arctic station while investigating a parasite outbreak.
Melting Arctic ice releases a prehistoric parasite, making global warming the direct cause of the horror.
The parasite emerges from a woolly mammoth carcass and threatens to spread beyond the station.
The students must choose between quarantine and necessary sacrifices to prevent worldwide infection.
Films like The Thaw, and why
The Thing
shares Arctic isolation, scientific investigation, environmental anxiety, and creature horror
The Faculty
shares parasitic infection, quarantine tension, and escalating body horror in a research setting
The X-Files: Fight the Future
shares ecological catastrophe, scientific conspiracy, and bleak science fiction horror
The Last Winter
shares remote wilderness survival, contamination fears, and intense creature-feature suspense
Movie Details
- Director
- Mark A. Lewis
- Release Date
- 2009-08-30
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (363)
Cast
- Val Kilmer
- Martha MacIsaac
- Aaron Ashmore
- Kyle Schmid
- Viv Leacock
- Steph Song
- Anne Marie DeLuise
- John Callander
- Lamech Kadloo
- Evan Adams
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Thaw about?
- At an isolated Arctic station, a prehistoric parasite turns climate change into a fight for containment and survival.
- What is The Thaw like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Thaw as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Thaw violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Thaw as brutal.
- What did critics think of The Thaw?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as a derivative and preachy ecological horror thriller that fails to realize its promising premise.
- Which films are like The Thaw?
- Films with a similar feel include The Thing, The Faculty, The X-Files: Fight the Future, and The Last Winter.
- How long is The Thaw?
- The Thaw runs 94 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Thaw?
- In United States, The Thaw streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
