Early Frost (1982): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1982, Early Frost is a drama and horror film directed by David Hannay, running about 92 minutes. “... can kill” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Private Detective Mike Hayes (Guy Doleman), is working on a divorce case, when he stumbles upon a series of cover-ups that leads to a corpse. His investigation takes him into the lievs of two families living in the Sydney suburbs. Although they look like ordinary people, one of them is the killer. Hayes meets the strange teenager David Prentice (David Franklin), who keeps a violent crime scrapbook, and Val Meadows (Diane McLean), the mistress who believes that someone is trying to kill her. The more the investigation deepens, the more twisted and complex it becomes. It appears the only people who hate Val enough to want her dead, are her own family. Could it be her two sons, alienated by her dominant nature, her lover, or even her best friend?

Who’s in it. Early Frost stars Diana McLean as Val Meadows, Jon Blake as Peter Meadows, Janet Kingsbury as Peg Prentice and David Franklin as David Prentice, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 1.0/10, Early Frost has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Early Frost page.

If you liked it. Fans of Early Frost tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.