20 of the best movies set in winter conditions Part 1

Coming in 2 parts as it’s winter and many people have a little bit more recreatrional time at home with the family, so let’s conjure up images of snowy landscapes, movie stars and action films and roll them into one.

With wwinter weather imparts an instant and identifiable tone. It’s no wonder that a number of key films use this particular season as a constant backdrop. Rarely does the mere use of weather render such an immediate impact as it does when characters are exhaling steam as snow falls in an ever-present blanket around them. Indeed, audiences can practically feel the shivering cold through the screen.

Table of Contents

Putting tone aside, winter often plays an even more direct role in the narrative. Films such as “Christmas Vacation” wouldn’t make much sense if they didn’t take place during the holiday season, after all. That’s not to mention the obstructive nature of snow and freezing temperatures in films such as “Cold Mountain,” “Fargo,” and “Force Majeure.” In John Carpenter’s horror classic “The Thing,” which takes place in the heart of Antarctica, the desolate winter weather mirrors the isolation characters face as the film progresses.

Meanwhile, audiences get to wrap themselves in warm blankets and sit next to the fire as they partake in the viewing experience. That makes winter-weather movies all the more appealing, as if they reinforce one’s own sense of comfort. It also helps that a number of these films are just downright great in their own right. Here are 20 of the best from Stacker.

Here is a list of 20 great movies set in winter weather.

To qualify, the film had to be primarily set in winter and have at least 20,000 votes and a 7.0 user rating on IMDb.

1 / 20 August Films

Black Christmas (1974)

– Director: Bob Clark
– IMDb user rating: 7.2
– Metascore: 65
– Runtime: 98 minutes

A benchmark of the proto-slasher sub-genre, Bob Clark’s cult classic takes place on a college campus during Christmas break. Against a wintry backdrop, a deranged serial killer stalks a group of sorority sisters. The film was shot on location in Toronto, where temperatures can drop as low as –20°C.

2 / 20 Miramax

Cold Mountain (2003)

– Director: Anthony Minghella
– IMDb user rating: 7.2
– Metascore: 73
– Runtime: 154 minutes

Adapted from the best-selling novel, this Civil War epic follows a wounded soldier (Jude Law) on a journey through perilous mountain terrain. Hostile winter weather is one among the many obstacles standing between the soldier and his wife (Nicole Kidman). Renée Zellweger won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the role of rugged individualist Ruby Thewes.

3 / 20 MGM

Doctor Zhivago (1965)

– Director: David Lean
– IMDb user rating: 8.0
– Metascore: 69
– Runtime: 197 minutes

David Lean’s sweeping saga spans several decades and chronicles the romance between a Russian physician (Omar Sharif) and a married woman (Julie Christie). Adapted from a controversial novel, it clocks in at over three hours and touches on a number of historical events. Snow and frost provide the predominant backdrop, with a key scene taking place inside a famous ice palace. It won five Academy Awards.

4 / 20 Focus Features

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

– Director: Michel Gondry
– IMDb user rating: 8.3
– Metascore: 89
– Runtime: 108 minutes

Putting a surrealist spin on modern romance, this beloved dramedy stars Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet as a former couple trying to move past their break-up. In one of the most iconic scenes, they lie upon the cracked ice of a frozen lake while looking up at the stars. The ice itself could be viewed as a metaphor for their respective memories.

5 / 20 Polygram Filmed Entertainment

Fargo (1996)

– Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Metascore: 85
– Runtime: 98 minutes

An expanse of snow sets the tone for this Coen Brothers classic, set in the midst of a harsh Midwestern winter. What starts as a harebrained kidnapping scheme gives way to a double homicide and other heinous crimes. Pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) contends with cold weather and quirky personalities as she searches for answers. It won two Academy Awards.

6 / 20 Plattform Produktion

Force Majeure (2014)

– Director: Ruben Östlund
– IMDb user rating: 7.3
– Metascore: 87
– Runtime: 120 minutes

A literal avalanche causes figurative disaster in this acclaimed Swedish black comedy from Ruben Östlund. The events unfold during a family ski trip, as the layers peel back on a seemingly happy marriage. It was later remade for American audiences as the critical and commercial dud “Downhill,” starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell. https://650a12024da5acb625b25e7122b79114.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

7 / 20 Walt Disney Animation Studios

Frozen (2013)

– Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
– IMDb user rating: 7.4
– Metascore: 75
– Runtime: 102 minutes

Gifted with magical powers, a new queen accidentally turns her kingdom into a permanent winter wonderland. Hoping to lift the spell, the queen’s sister embarks on an epic adventure. Disney’s computer-animated musical was a blockbuster smash, earning over $1.2 billion at the global box office and spawning a hit sequel.

8 / 20 Fox Searchlight Pictures

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

– Director: Wes Anderson
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Metascore: 88
– Runtime: 99 minutes

Auteur Wes Anderson took loose inspiration from the writings of Stefan Zweig when crafting this clever comedy. Set in the 1930s, it welcomes viewers to a lavish hotel perched deep within the snow-capped mountains of Europe. The movie’s unique visual palette was brought to life through a combination of traditional film and advanced digital technologies.

9 / 20 Columbia Pictures

Groundhog Day (1993)

– Director: Harold Ramis
– IMDb user rating: 8.0
– Metascore: 72
– Runtime: 101 minutes

Bill Murray plays to his strengths as sarcastic but likable weatherman Phil Connors in this blockbuster comedy. On assignment in small-town Pennsylvania, Connors is forced to live the same day over and over again. Winter weather functions as both an uncontrollable obstacle and a motif as the story unfolds.

10 / 20 Alcon Entertainment

Insomnia (2002)

– Director: Christopher Nolan
– IMDb user rating: 7.2
– Metascore: 78
– Runtime: 118 minutes

Director Christopher Nolan followed his breakout hit “Memento” with this remake of a 1997 Norwegian thriller. When a teenage girl is murdered in Northern Alaska, two Los Angeles detectives (Al Pacino and Martin Donovan) are called in to help with the investigation. A traumatic event and 24-hour sunlight spurs a bad case of insomnia for one of the detectives, who slowly loses his grip on reality.

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR PART 2 COMING SOON!

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