Menace in the Frozen North

Winter and horror have a history. Mary Shelley’s classic horror novel Frankenstein unfolds as a series of letters from a ship’s captain to his sister as he journeys toward the north pole. The climactic scenes take place in the Arctic snow. More recently, Steven King’s bestselling book and the subsequent movie The Shining take place during a harsh winter at a remote old hotel. John Campbell’s Who Goes There?, a novella that became the basis for the classic 1982 horror movie The Thing, unfolds at an Antarctic research station where the ancient, frozen body of a crash-landed alien is defrosted with frightening results.

So, setting a horror story in the remote northern town of Copper Harbor Michigan in the midst of the harshest winter in a century has a tradition of horror storytelling behind it. That’s not to say that Matthew Hellman’s The Biting Cold rises to the level of Frankenstein or The Shining. But it is a fun story that I could see easily becoming a cult classic B movie, should it ever be filmed. And given the frigid temperatures and piles of snow in the story it makes for an ironic summer read.

Right at the start of the book Hellman introduces us to a supposed legend of the town - that all of its early inhabitants disappeared under mysterious circumstances during the harsh winter of 1842. It was the following spring, after the snows had receded, before outsiders could finally make their way into the remote town. They found that some of those pioneering settlers’ homes had been smashed to bits, though by what force no one knew. And no trace of any of the townspeople was ever found.

There are two protagonists and two storylines through this book. One storyline belongs to Brandon Hitze, a young teenager newly arrived in the northern Michigan town of Copper Harbor. He quickly falls into a friendship with a girl named Trillium (Tril for short) who has lived in the town all her life, and the two of them make a good pairing of opposites - city boy and country girl - as they embark on outdoor adventures.

The other storyline belongs to Brandon’s father, Bill. He makes his living in Copper Harbor as a fishing boat captain and hunting guide. Bill went through a painful divorce when Brandon was young and had been blocked from seeing his son for several years by lawsuits from his ex-wife’s new husband. But when Brandon’s mother unexpectedly passes away, his stepfather wants nothing more to do with him and packs him off to live with Bill.

One day, while Brian is trying to reconnect with his son on a fishing trip into Lake Superior, their fishing line pulls in an unexpected catch - a human thumb. When the man’s body that it belonged to is recovered from the lake by local police, it’s missing its head and upper torso, which to all appearances seem to have been severed as if by a giant bite. The body, well preserved in the bitter cold fresh water of Lake Superior, is wearing clothing that appears to date from the mid-1800s. Could he be one of the missing settlers from 1842?

Soon local professor Stephanie Crowe becomes involved. She knows the legend of the disappearance of the early settlers, and also knows tales from the local Ojibway people that predict that what took the townspeople in 1842 will come again in a harsh winter. Aware that a severe winter is forecast, the professor is concerned for what may be in store once cold weather arrives in Copper Harbor. She teams up with Bill to explore further in Lake Superior, leading to a surprising discovery about the early settlers.

In the meantime, Brandon and Tril have explored a newly opened sinkhole with fumes that cause Tril to pass out and require a quick rescue by Bill and Stephanie. Later, Tril shows Brandon a cave she discovered in the vicinity of the sinkhole. She quietly wonders if the cave and the sinkhole connect underground.

Once winter does arrive its as harsh as predicted. As a days-long snowstorm begins the town is snowed in and the only two highways in or out are blocked by suspiciously fallen trees. Now, as the wind howls and the snow falls, all of Professor Crowe’s fears are realized. Something has come out of the cold and is hunting the residents of Copper Harbor. Sadly for the town’s residents, the body count will not be low.

Hellman’s book moves along at a rapid clip and is full of twists and turns, snowmobile chases, and a frightening menace stalking the community. Thriller fans will enjoy this page-turning ride as the monstrous creature is revealed and proves all but impervious to the townspeople’s defenses.

RATING: Three and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐🌠

RATING COMMENTS: A creative horror tale set in Michigan’s far north. When the source of the menace is finally revealed its a surprise, and a bit different than I expected, but the story is well-told and fun to read.

WHERE I GOT MY COPY: I received my copy as a gift from friends, who purchased it at a local bookstore here in Michigan’s Keweenaw.