Robert Hansen was a family man. Happily married with two children and the owner of a local bakery, Hansen had a meek, mild demeanor that usually kept him above reproach and in good standing with those in town.
But he had secrets. Dark, evil secrets.
See, he wasn’t much liked in high school. A gawky kid, Hansen could never seem to attract the attention of the pretty girls. And instead of working through his anger, he suppressed it for years. But you can only suppress your feelings for so long.
One night, Hansen offered 17-year-old Cindy Paulson money in exchange for sexual favors. But Cindy never got her money. Instead, she was raped and tortured. And just before Hansen had a chance to kill her, Cindy took off, running for her life.
When she got to the police station, most officers didn’t believe her. After all, who would believe a prostitute over a humble baker with an alibi?
But Sgt. Halcombe sees through Robert Hansen’s lies. He knows something is wrong. The only problem is that in order to convict Hansen of torture and rape, he’ll need to dig into cases already closed by the Anchorage Police Department.
Up for the challenge, Halcombe dives in headfirst. But what he finds is more than just a single crime: It’s a twisted web of heinous crimes against multiple innocent women. And if Halcombe has any hope of putting Hansen behind bars, he’ll need Cindy’s help to show the world what a serial killer really looks like.
Sgt. Halcombe works tirelessly to save Cindy when others give up on her. He makes sure that she is safe and goes to great lengths to encourage her and to help her realize her worth.
Cindy, for her part, does not trust easily. Slowly, she begins to realize her worth and, as the story goes, ends up marrying and having a family (this is told to the audience in writing at the end).
Halcombe’s wife encourages him to track down the killer and to defend Cindy.
A detective notes that Robert Hansen’s wife is deeply religious. A statue of Mary sits atop a dresser.
Cindy tells Halcombe that she was sexually abused as a child by her mother’s uncle. She also describes other sexual abuse that took place throughout her childhood. In one scenario, she tells officers that she was offered money for sexual favors. Cindy is forced to work on the corner by her pimp.
An older stripper gives Cindy drugs and helps to take off her clothes (we see Cindy in a bra and thong) and put on heels. She initially prepares Cindy to dance on a pole; and the two share a sexually intimate moment as the woman comments on Cindy’s beauty, strokes her hair and gets very close to her face.
Women are often seen topless, dancing on poles and sitting on men’s laps. Some women are seen completely naked from the side and rear while dancing and walking through strip clubs, while others are seen only in thongs. A scene depicting oral sex is shown at a distance. (Movements are visible, but not body parts.) A man crudely discusses the different levels of sexual prowess among women of various ethnicities.
Serial killer and rapist Robert Hansen is shown stalking women, chaining them up, dragging them to the wilderness and then letting them run as he shoots them to the ground, killing them; like a hunter and his prey.
One scene in particular is extremely gruesome as a young woman is chained to a post, hit and threatened. Eventually, she is shot and killed. Cindy recounts a similar situation where her neck was chained, and she was left for dead (although she escaped).
Multiple autopsies reveal that Robert Hansen tortured his victims, burning, gouging and mutilating them. Many victims are found dead in the forest, buried underneath the frozen ground. A few are shown in the morgue in their mutilated, bloodied state. Although we do not see all the victims, they are all mentioned, as is their cause of death.
Officers, detectives and women describe, in graphic, gruesome detail, various rape scenarios. A detective crudely asks Cindy about when she was raped. Cindy graphically describes a sexual assault.
Sgt. Halcombe shares that his sister died tragically, and he sat with her in the hospital holding her hand until she passed. Men and women are shot at point blank range. (We see this from afar and hear the shots.)
Jesus’ name is misused three times; God’s name is misused once, paired with “d–mit.” The f-word is used more than 50 times, the c-word is heard once and the s-word nearly 20 times. Other profanities include multiple utterances each of “b–ch,” “h—,” “a–,” “d–n,” “d–mit,” “p-ssy” and “p-ssed.”
Women are often referred to as “b–ches,” “whores” and “hoes.” And Cindy calls a former pimp a “n-gga.”
To cope with trauma and escape from her reality, Cindy smokes and snorts crystal meth, as well as smoking cigarettes. She does this once and nearly overdoses. Other women and men consume drugs as well.
A bottle of prescription medication sits atop a nightstand. Men and women drink beer and hard liquor.
Cindy confesses that she was ignored and unwanted as a child. She continually feels rejected by those in her life and though she seeks affirmation and love, she does not receive it until later in her life.
Robert Hansen, although previously convicted, was often let off on lesser sentences. He was diagnosed as schizophrenic and manic depressive.
A detective crudely questions Cindy and then ignores her claims, dismissing her as a “whore.” A woman urinates on herself out of fear while chained to a post.
Based on real events, The Frozen Ground tells the story of how a seemingly humble man tortured, raped and killed at least 17 women.
Eventually, Robert Hansen, also known as The Butcher Baker, confessed to his crimes and lived the rest of his life behind bars. But his sentence never brought back the innocent women he slaughtered. And that’s where this movie lives.
Nicholas Cage gives a compelling performance as Sgt. Halcombe, John Cusack as Robert Hansen and Vanessa Hudgens as Cindy. And while the acting is certainly impressive, the film itself is difficult to watch.
Women are chained up and tortured, rape is described in vivid, graphic detail, men and women alike are shot at point blank range and dead bodies, whether on the ground or in the morgue, frequently come across the screen. Not to mention the use of drugs and the multiple scenes of topless women dancing in strip clubs.
This is a true story. (And despite being released seven years ago, this film is currently among the most watched titles streaming on Netflix right now.) But just because this crime thriller is based on a true story doesn’t mean it’s easy to stomach.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
