crewmember is found dead, a disorientation slowly claims the sanity of the other members of the team as each of them succumbs to an unknowable fear. This creeping dread bursts open when a malevolent wind brings down a plane that approaches the station. Explosions and carnage wreak havoc on the team and all functions fail in the camp, forcing two of the members out into the cold on a desperate bid for survival. As the two journey to find help, they find themselves utterly alone in a world that is unraveling--either they are being stalked by an invisible herd of menacing phantoms, or they are going mad. Whatever does happen to them out there, they are never heard from again. - skip ad - Genres: Drama, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Thriller Running Time: 1 hr. 40 min. Release Date: September 19th, 2007 (limited) MPAA Rating: Not Rated Distributor: First Take (IFC) Cast And Credits Starring: Ron Perlman, James LeGros, Connie Britton, Kevin Corrigan, Jamie Harrold Directed by: Larry Fessenden Produced by: Thor S. Sigurjonsson, Skuli Fr Malmquist, Jeanne Levy-Hinte

What, apocalyptic climate change isn't scary enough all by itself? In "The Last Winter," writer-director Larry Fessenden does Al Gore one better, channeling fears of global warming into a horror tale that, until the end, doesn't let on quite where it's coming from. The long buildup is too deliberate to please the mainstream horror crowd, and the finale might alienate more niche audiences, but in between there's a good bit to savor.

Set smack dab in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, "Winter" envisions a small outpost that has been given Congressional approval for exploratory drilling. Tensions are high among the crew, as chief Pollack (Ron Perlman) must slow his timetable to meet the concerns of his environmental impact officer James Hoffman, a "real cost of oil" type played by James LeGros. (Who, incidentally, is sleeping with Pollack's colleague and ex-gal, Abby.)

After establishing the icy vastness with some sharply employed aerial photography, and setting the camp's stage with eerie tracking shots that hint at a menacing point of view, Fessenden lets the line out a bit. At the 45-minute mark, with nothing scary having happened, many horror fans might give up hope -- though the popularity of slow-build Asian horror may be training moviegoers to be more patient. Eventually, a young team member goes crazy to ugly effect, but there's little hint what caused the breakdown.

This leaves plenty of anxious time for environmentalist and capitalist to bicker over drinks, debating the import of climate readings at the site that are unusual even in the context of overall worldwide trends. As other crew members start to behave strangely, Hoffman suspects mind-bending "sour gas" oozing up through the melting permafrost, and insists the crew evacuate. Right around the time Pollack definitively rejects this plan, things start to get ugly.

The remainder of the film works best when on reality-based ground. Enough tangible physical threats arise to sustain tension, but of course the film is going to have to explain the root causes eventually. Fessenden comes up with a solution that both depicts the threat too literally and answers no questions about how it operates. For those in the audience who manage to accept this letdown ending, he tacks on a bait-and-switch coda unlikely to leave any viewer thoroughly satisfied.

There's too much to enjoy about "The Last Winter" to dismiss it completely: likable performances, dialogue and characterization far above the normal horror level, chill-inducing images and horror notions that if a little more worked out could be truly memorable. But for what looks like that rare scare flick you still respect in the morning, it just doesn't pay off.