Overrated

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Melissa (Leet) discovers her boyfriend Daric (Keeslar) cheated on her so she joins a play in a small Tennessee town to get away. On the way there she has a brutal car accident and is found on the side of the road by Clive (Searcy). Clive is a mentally challenged man who lives in a shack by himself in the woods. Seeing Melissa as a gift from God for his extreme loneliness, Clive takes her up to the shack and begins a relationship with her, mostly in his mind. Melissa's sister Cathy (Carter) takes a guilt ridden Daric with her to the town to discover what happened to her sister. Director Tony Elwood working from a script by himself and Mark Kimray steers Cold Storage in several different directions. It's hard at first to tell if Melissa is seriously injured from the crash of out right dead. Soon you realize she is dead and Clive is moving around a corpse which is creepy in itself. Clive is so delusional and his loneliness so fierce, he is just thrilled to have another body with him. This is when this movie is at its best. Elwood makes Clive sympathetic even though his outward appearance his gross and you actually feel his loneliness. As mentioned, Elwood takes the story down different paths including dark and intentional humor which doesn't always work. There is a lecherous neighbor named Luther Spoole (Brett Gentile) that is stupid and unwanted. The movie never really picks up momentum. It just runs along until the end confrontation with Clive and the sister and boyfriend. There isn't much horror or suspense in the film until the very end when Cathy is captured briefly. Credit must be given to Tony Elwood for resisting the urge to turn this into low grade torture porn. Nick Searcy is strong and believable in the lead role of Clive. Unfortunately 'Cold Storage' doesn't move the meter in the horror department and may have worked better as a twisted drama.

This movie is less about being a horror splatter-fest, and more along the lines of "How to become a zombie bride." (In fact, the one person viewers KNOW is "really quite sincerely dead" by the end is the victim of the opening, Hedwig-induced car crash.) Otherwise, writer\director Tony Elwood provides a level of horror genre restraint almost on par with thriller classics from yesteryear, say Hitchcock's PSYCHO. Nick Searcy, as necromancing groom Clive Mercer, shows that he's ready to step into the Anthony Perkins role (hotelier Norman Bates) when the next PSYCHO remake is made. Particularly intriguing are Clive's dental hygiene habits. Brett Gentile nearly matches Searcy in his portrayal of Clive's nemesis, the even coarser Luther Spoole. While Jeffrey Pillars' caricature of a Southern sheriff is strictly by the book of Hollywood stereotypes, and Matt Keeslar joins Joelle Carter in being fairly bland as the clueless outsiders on the search for a missing loved one in the back country, bit players such as John W. Love, Jr. (Jerome), Rebecca Koon (Jewell), and Gina Stewart (Rhonda) shine in their parts with a light that often eludes even the leads in low-budget, little-seen horror flicks such as COLD STORAGE. Perhaps the producers' most questionable decision is to use Matthew Stewart's lament "Take Me" as the closing credits song, with lyrics such as "I'm prepared to prostitute my name; all I ask is 15 minutes' fame." Most of the people connected to this movie seemed to have a very opposite attitude; this is NOT Paris Hilton's HOUSE OF WAX remake (though it probably cost 100 times less).

Do not mess with those back wood inbreed mumble mouth Hillbillies, being out of touch with reality can mess up your social skills to say the least. Our main man Clive (Nick Searcy) is one out of touch and crazy boy and he has love on his mind. Nick Searcy who plays Clive is 100% convincing as a twisted redneck freak and had me squirming in my chair and thinking this is one nasty foul smelling odd ball. When a missing young lady's wimp of a boy friend and bad to the bone sister go looking for her they find Clive in all his sick glory and the fight is on. Good low budget movie with a group of fine actors make this worth a look, heck you will be planing your next vacation around Clive's Bed and Breakfast.

I saw this film at it's premiere and found it to be different from any movie I've ever seen. There were no car load of teenagers running from anyone in a mask. There was no hero with the goofy sidekick and there was no plot that I could predict. Very refreshing!! BUT...this is an odd movie and may not appeal to all. It's a dark story that takes place in a remote area of the mountains, yet, not so remote that it reminds you of "Hill have Eyes" or other films that occurs in the middle of nowhere. It just carries the implication that strange things can happen right under our noses, just around the corner, or a couple miles away. One minute the film has you in the safety of town, the next minute, you're locked in a cellar. The protagonist, though you won't forgive his actions, will actually gain your pity. I commend the writer-director for having the balls to put something like this to screen. It involves a subject that other films wouldn't dare touch. That alone takes brass. The film is well made and is shot in great locations. Nick Searcy is absolutely brilliant in the role of the simple minded mountain man. Anyone seeing him in the sitcom "Rodney" will not believe their eyes. Jeff Pillars was my favorite as Sheriff Bullock. Great job on a very interesting story. You won't forget this movie!!