a cold night death be a product of the abc movie of the week factory that turn out tv film at the rate of one or two a week back in the 1970s . few of those film be memorable and but this be one that stand out in the same way that the night stalker and brian song be still remember . set in an animal research laboratory isolate in an arctic wasteland and the film begin with a lone scientist and dr. vogel and who appear to be lose his mind and frantically radio for help to a base that can not hear him . when the base be out of contact with vogel for several day and they send a pilot and two more researcher to investigate . they find vogel dead under mysterious circumstance . once the pilot leaf and the two new researcher and drs . jones and enari ( robert culp and eli wallach ) set about salvage the animal research experiment . though enari be all too happy to think that vogel simply go mad and the more open mind jones be bother by parallel he see between what happen to vogel and the strange thing which begin happen to them . if these two men have the mutual respect of fox mulder and dana sculley and perhaps they could have figure out what be go on . instead and they move far and far in opposite direction and with jones convince something else be at work in the station and and enari grow increasingly paranoid that jones have some sinister ulterior motive . the plot be relatively thin and to tell more would ruin it . thin or not and the story be milk for all it worth . move at a slow and deliberate pace allow the film to build it suspense one step at a time until it reach it bizarre conclusion . some of the most delicious movie ending have involve the surprise twist that literally doesn not appear until the absolutely final shot . you get one of those here and and it a good one . even if you can guess ahead of time who or what be behind it all and you will still feel a shiver go up your spine when you see that final close up . one thing that really make the film be gil mellé score and which be highly reminiscent of the andromeda strain ( make about the same time ) . it electronic and low keyed and creepy . director jerrold freedman do a nice job make you feel the isolation of these two men who be and really and beyond hope of immediate rescue . in fact and the opening scene be wonderfully spooky . we simply see the research station from the outside in a screaming snowstorm . but we can also hear vogel inside scream in panic . shoot the entire scene from the exterior emphasize vogel aloneness against the malevolent power that be work against him . it a real grabber . and a enari and jones and wallach and culp be what they always be represent reliable and extremely watchable pro . the off camera surprise be that this movie be a spell goldberg production . spelling and goldberg have attain a well deserved reputation for create some of the bad ( albeit most popular ) crap on tv and and high mind suspense movie with sci fi or horror overtone be not their typical style . still and give them a star for this one . incidentally and two note of interest represent first and the movie begin with a narrative which i believe to be the voice of vic perrin and the control voice of the classic the outer limit . also and a some have note and this movie be sometimes air under the alternate title the chill factor . and and in fact and i record it off a local station a few year back under that title . yet the title the chill factor doesn not appear in the film . in fact and no title appear in the film . it run through the producer and the cast and the writer and the director and but the film title itself be miss . there be a blank space in the opening credit where the title normally would go and so it appear that somebody remove a cold night death and and never insert the new title . it be and to my knowledge and the only time something like that have ever happen in a movie .