What Is The Chill Factor About?
The premise of The Chill Factor in 250 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In the bleak, wind‑swept wilderness of rural Wisconsin, a group of friends set out for a weekend of snowmobiling on the frozen expanse of Black Friar Lake. When a reckless ride leaves them stranded on the ice, the injured Tom and his fiancée Jeannie must convince the others that seeking shelter is their only chance. Alongside younger sister Karen, her boyfriend Chris, and their companions Ron and Lissa, they trudge through a snow‑laden forest toward a lone structure that looms like a relic from another time.
The cabin complex they discover was once the headquarters of a now‑abandoned cult, its weathered walls and scattered mementos hinting at a darker past that never quite left the place. Inside, the air feels heavy with lingering whispers and strange symbols, casting an uneasy pall over the group’s attempts at warmth and safety. The frozen night settles, and the thin line between the natural chill and something more unsettling begins to blur, inviting curiosity and dread in equal measure.
As the night deepens, the friends grapple with the strain of isolation, the bite of cold, and the unsettling feeling that the very place they have taken refuge may be watching them back. Their bonds are tested not only by the harsh elements but also by the mysterious atmosphere that seems to awaken the lingering echo of the camp’s former rites. The stage is set for a tense, atmospheric struggle between human frailty and the unknown forces that linger where the snow and shadows meet.
What Happens in The Chill Factor?
The complete story of The Chill Factor, from the first scene to the last, in 539 words (about 2 minutes). Spoilers throughout.
Spoilers ahead
Tom [David Fields] and his fiancée Jeannie [Dawn Laurrie], along with younger sister Karen [Connie Snyder] and her boyfriend Chris [David Fields]—as well as their friends Ron [Jim Cagle] and Lissa [Eve Montgomery]—are on a winter snomobiling vacation in rural Wisconsin to celebrate Chris’s birthday. At a local tavern, Lissa is harassed by a drunken racist man who calls her derogatory African American slurs. A kindly waitress, Bessie [Bekki Vallin], apologizes for the patron’s behavior, and recommends the group venture to remote trails along Black Friar Lake as part of their snowmobiling excursion.
Along the lake, Tom crashes into a tree and severely injures himself. Chris, a medical student, finds Tom is in shock, and that he needs shelter from the cold. The group find the rustic, abandoned Camp Saint Dominic, a religious summer camp, situated in the woods near the lake, and decide to stay the night. As Tom’s condition worsens, Ron departs on snowmobile at nightfall to seek help. Shortly after Ron departs, Tom regains consciousness, but remains weak.
Karen finds a number of mementos from the camp’s past, including photographs as well as a makeshift ouija board. Karen, Chris, Lissa, and Jeannie begin to play with the board, though Jeannie is initially reluctant. The pointer on the board begins to spin rapidly, during which Tom goes into convulsions and becomes possessed by a demonic entity. Meanwhile, Ron crashes his snowmobile into a fence and is killed. While Karen and Chris have sex, Lissa explores the lodge, and finds newspaper clippings about a Satanic cult having taken over Camp Saint Dominic. Lissa becomes frightened, and is cornered in a pantry closet by a supernatural entity, where an industrial fan decapitates her.
Chris goes to look for Lissa, but senses he is being watched. He flees outside, where he is impaled through the eye by a falling icicle. Tom insults Karen, suggesting Chris went to find Lissa to cheat on her. Jeannie notices Tom is acting uncharacteristic from his normal self. At Tom’s request, Jeannie removes a bandages from his hand and head, and finds his wounds that were there shortly before have miraculously healed. Tom seduces Jeannie, and the two have passionate sex. Meanwhile, Karen is hanged in a volleyball net while exploring the camp gymnasium.
In the morning, Jeannie finds her friend’s corpses, and realizes Tom is missing. She consults the ouija board for answers, and it tells her Tom is her enemy, and to leave. As she flees, Jeannie witnesses a cloaked Tom ceremonially knelt beneath photographs of the camp’s past visitors. She flees on a snowmobile, but is pursued by Tom, who boards Ron’s crashed snowmobile. A protracted chase ensues before Tom crashes into a snowplow, which runs over his body, crushing him and causing his snowmobile to explode. Tom, caught in the inferno, is burned alive. Jeannie flees the scene as a sheriff [Jim Gresch] arrives.
In voiceover narration from thirty years in the future, Jeannie, recalling the events, explains that she revisited Black Friar Lake and found the camp was merely a set of ruins—it had burned down decades prior. She expresses regret over agreeing to partake in the ouija board, but that the curiosity to do so was in her nature.
The Chill Factor Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
12 key events in the order they happen, from “Group plans a winter snowmobile trip after tavern incident” to “Thirty years later, a haunted memory is told”. 12 events name a place, across 10 locations.
- 1
Group plans a winter snowmobile trip after tavern incident
Tom and his fiancée Jeannie join Karen, her boyfriend Chris, and friends Ron and Lissa on a winter snowmobiling vacation in rural Wisconsin to celebrate Chris's birthday. At a local tavern, Lissa is harassed by a drunken racist man, and a friendly waitress named Bessie apologizes for the patron's behavior. Bessie advises the group to venture out to remote trails along Black Friar Lake for their snowmobiling excursion.
When:Evening Where:Local tavern, rural Wisconsin
- 2
Crash on Black Friar Lake prompts shelter at Camp Saint Dominic
After the tavern, the group heads to remote trails along Black Friar Lake to continue their outing. Tom crashes into a tree, severely injuring himself. Chris, a medical student, treats him and the group decides to shelter at the nearby Camp Saint Dominic for the night. As Tom's condition worsens, Ron departs on a snowmobile to seek urgent help, while Tom regains consciousness but remains weak.
When:Night Where:Black Friar Lake area; Camp Saint Dominic vicinity
- 3
Ouija board discovery and possession begins
Karen finds a cache of camp mementos including a makeshift ouija board among the camp's past. The group gathers, with Jeannie initially reluctant, and they begin to use the board. As the pointer spins rapidly, Tom convulses and becomes possessed by a demonic entity.
When:Night Where:Camp Saint Dominic lodge
- 4
Ron dies after a night crash
Shortly after Ron heads out to seek help, a snowmobile crash leaves him dead after slamming into a fence. The night unfolds with the group unaware of the full horror brewing inside the camp. Ron's death marks a brutal turn in the night's events.
When:Night Where:Trail near Camp Saint Dominic
- 5
Lissa investigates the camp's past and is killed
While Karen and Chris flirt, Lissa explores the lodge and uncovers newspaper clippings about a Satanic cult at Camp Saint Dominic. She becomes frightened as a supernatural presence corners her in a pantry closet, where an industrial fan decapitates her. Her death reveals the malevolent force at work inside the camp.
When:Night Where:Camp Saint Dominic lodge
- 6
Chris confronts danger outside and is fatally struck
Chris looks for Lissa, senses he's being watched, and flees outside. A falling icicle impales him through the eye, ending his life in a grisly fashion. The danger outside mirrors the escalating horror inside the camp.
When:Night Where:Camp Saint Dominic exterior
- 7
Tom's manipulation surfaces as Jeannie grows wary
Tom needles Karen, implying Chris sought Lissa to cheat on her, while Jeannie notices a disturbing change in Tom's behavior. The group begins to sense an eerie possession influencing him. Tensions rise as the supernatural presence tightens its grip.
When:Night Where:Camp Saint Dominic
- 8
Wounds heal while a dangerous seduction follows
Tom's wounds from earlier injuries mysteriously heal, even as his possession intensifies. He seduces Jeannie and the two share a passionate night, signaling his total break from his former self. The night's events deepen the sense of horror and betrayal.
When:Night Where:Camp Saint Dominic lodge
- 9
Karen dies in the gym, a turning point
While the others are unaware, Karen is found lifelessly hung in a volleyball net inside the camp gym as the supernatural events escalate. Her death marks a turning point in the night's horror. The camp's malevolent force becomes undeniable as fear spreads.
When:Night Where:Camp Saint Dominic gym
- 10
Morning reveals and the ouija warning
In the morning Jeannie discovers her friends' corpses and Tom is missing. She consults the ouija board, which declares Tom is her enemy and urges her to leave, while Tom is seen kneeling beneath the photographs of past visitors. The warning amplifies the sense that something ancient and malevolent is at work.
When:Morning Where:Camp Saint Dominic ruins
- 11
Jeannie escapes as Tom pursues in a deadly chase
Jeannie flees on a snowmobile as Tom boards Ron's crashed snowmobile in pursuit. A protracted chase ends when Tom crashes into a snowplow, which runs him over and causes his snowmobile to explode, burning him alive. Jeannie escapes the scene, scarred by the night's horrors.
When:Morning Where:Snowy roads near Camp Saint Dominic
- 12
Thirty years later, a haunted memory is told
In a voiceover thirty years later, Jeannie recalls revisiting Black Friar Lake and finding the camp in ruins; it had burned down decades earlier. She expresses remorse for agreeing to the ouija board, admitting curiosity drew her into the events. The haunting curiosity lingers as a memory of what once happened.
When:Thirty years later Where:Black Friar Lake ruins
Who Are the Main Characters in The Chill Factor?
8 characters, among them Tom (Aaron Kjenaas), Jeannie (Dawn Laurrie) and Karen (Connie Snyder): who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
- T(
Tom (Aaron Kjenaas)
Played by Aaron Kjenaas
Tom is Jeannie’s fiancé with a brash, controlling streak that masks his insecurity. As danger escalates, he becomes possessed by a demonic entity, twisting his behavior into manipulation and violence. He seduces Jeannie, and the couple’s relationship fractures under the strain before his gruesome end in a fiery crash.
- 😈 Possession
- ❄️ Winter danger
- J(
Jeannie (Dawn Laurrie)
Played by Dawn Laurrie
Jeannie is Tom’s fiancée who initially resists the occult intrigue but is drawn into the night’s horrors. She remains pragmatic and hopeful of survival, ultimately fleeing the camp as deadly forces close in. The voiceover at the end frames her memories of the night thirty years later.
- 💫 Protagonist
- 🧭 Survival
- K(
Karen (Connie Snyder)
Played by Connie Snyder
Karen is Tom’s younger sister who joins the trip with her boyfriend Chris. She is curious about the camp’s past and becomes entangled in the Ouija session, leading to a grim fate in the gym as the hauntings intensify.
- 🧭 Sister
- ❄️ Isolation
- C(
Chris (David Fields)
Played by David Fields
Chris is a medical student and Karen’s boyfriend who tries to rationally confront the crisis and tend to Tom’s injuries. He becomes entangled in the group’s peril, meeting a violent end when he is impaled by a falling icicle.
- 🧪 Medical
- 🧭 Survival
- L(
Lissa (Eve Montgomery)
Played by Eve Montgomery
Lissa is a friend of the group who wanders through the camp, growing increasingly frightened by the occult revelations. She is pursued by a supernatural entity and killed when an industrial fan decapitates her in a pantry.
- 👀 Fear
- 🪝 Supernatural
- R(
Ron (Jim Cagle)
Played by Jim Cagle
Ron is the group’s friend who volunteers to seek help but dies in a snowmobile crash after a collision with the camp's fencing, underscoring the peril of the wilderness.
- 🗺 Risk
- ⚠️ Danger
- B(
Bessie (Bekki Vallin)
Played by Bekki Vallin
Bessie is the kind tavern waitress who remedies harassment with empathy and points the travelers toward the remote trails, offering a small beacon of humanity in a night of horror.
- 💬 Kindness
- 🗺 Guidance
- S(
Sheriff (Jim Gresch)
Played by Jim Gresch
The sheriff arrives to restore order after the night’s chaos, representing the last line of authority as the tragedy unfolds.
- 👮 Authority
- 🚨 Law
Where and When Is The Chill Factor Set?
The Chill Factor is set in Black Friar Lake, Camp Saint Dominic and rural Wisconsin (Winter, contemporary era). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
Winter, contemporary era
The events take place during a single winter trip in rural Wisconsin, with snowbound trails and a remote lake isolating the group. The time is contemporary, though a framing voiceover set thirty years in the future revisits the night’s events and the camp’s ruin.
Where
Black Friar Lake, Camp Saint Dominic, rural Wisconsin
The action unfolds on a remote winter lake and through the woods near Camp Saint Dominic by Black Friar Lake in rural Wisconsin. The desolate, snowbound setting creates a claustrophobic backdrop that heightens danger as the group attempts to survive. The abandoned camp serves as a haunted stage where past secrets intrude through the ritual Ouija session and sudden attacks.
- ❄️ Winter setting
- 🌲 Forest isolation
- 🏚 Abandoned camp
- 🗺 Rural Wisconsin
What Are the Themes of The Chill Factor?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Occult, Isolation and Fate.
-
01
Occult
A Ouija board session ignites a demonic presence at Camp Saint Dominic, turning a weekend trip into a nightmare. The group’s curiosity about the occult invites danger that feeds on fear and misfortune. The abandoned camp and the surrounding forest become a portal where past rites intrude into the present.
-
02
Isolation
Snow and cold trap the group at the remote camp, cutting off contact with the outside world. Tension grows as fear, distrust, and physical harm mount, testing loyalties and resilience. The wilderness amplifies every mistake and forces hard decisions in a fight for life.
-
03
Fate
The night claims multiple lives, underscoring that curiosity invites catastrophe. The victims—Lissa, Karen, and Chris—underscore the brutal cost of meddling with the occult and the wilderness's danger. The final revelation that the camp is a ruin burned decades ago adds a fatal, predetermined tone to the events.
What Kind of Film Is The Chill Factor?
Dark in tone, with steady pacing and a straightforward story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Dark
- Pacing
- Steady
- Story
- Straightforward
- Intensity
- High
- Ending
- Sad
A steadily escalating supernatural horror film that traps a group of friends in an isolated winter cabin, creating a claustrophobic and desperate atmosphere of unseen terror and grim, violent deaths.
- claustrophobic
- desperate
- supernatural dread
- paranoid
- grim
- atmospheric
- demonic possession
- group survival
- supernatural horror
- cabin in the woods
Content notes: demonic possession, graphic death, decapitation, impalement, burning alive.
Quiz
How well do you remember The Chill Factor? Test yourself on the story.
