If you like your thrillers with a dash of Cusack (see: The Raven), you’re in luck this August. The Frozen Ground, out August 23rd both in theaters and on demand, casts the Hollywood A-lister in the dark role of real-life serial killer Richard Hansen, who abducted, raped, tortured and murdered between 17-21 women near Anchorage, Alaska, between 1980 and 1983.
The thriller also stars Nicolas Cage as Jack Halcombe, the haunted detective determined to find evidence to incriminate the elusive Hansen before any more young women die. Former Disney starlet Vanessa Hudgens co-stars in the gritty role of Cindy Paulson, a young stripper who escapes Hansen’s clutches and attempts to help Halcombe bring down the killer outside the boundaries of the law when the Anchorage police department dismisses her claims.
It appears that the film will be taking some serious liberties with the history of the case; the detective’s name was Glenn Flothe, for starters, and Hansen’s killing spree lasts ten years longer in the film than it did in real life. However, it’s uncanny how much Cusack resembles the real-life Hansen in the film, and his performance will be the biggest reason to see The Frozen Ground.
Cusack is definitely playing against type here, and I’m interested to see whether I can watch his performance without expecting him to break the fourth wall and confront me about my musical tastes. If the absolutely chilling clip below, showing Hansen calmly terrifying a young woman (Gia Mantegna) he has imprisoned in his basement, is any indication, that shouldn’t be a problem.
Will you go see The Frozen Ground, or are you not enthused by the idea of yet another serial killer thriller, after previous entries in the subgenre this year like The Call, Maniac, and The Iceman? If you do see The Frozen Ground, will it be for Cusack’s killer, Cage’s detective, Hudgens’ stripper, or some other aspect of the movie? Sound off in the comments section.