Call Evil by Its Proper Name

I have always been fascinated with the concept that faith and belief are the precursor to deities rather than, as is usually assumed, the other way around.  The theory is that faith is what brings the gods into existence and what gives them power in a literal sense.  Humanity looks to the gods for guidance and salvation but all the while the gods require our devotion as sustenance.  This is somehow satisfying.  I once wrote a very naïve short story in which all the gods from Greek and Roman mythology had either died out as belief in them faltered or had, out of necessity, taken on new roles as the gods of modern religion.  This idea that the gods need us, possibly more than we need them, is not uncommon.  Terry Pratchett, who often toyed with the notion of belief in his Discworld books, wrote a novel titled Small Gods in which the Great God Om is reduced to a powerless, bad-tempered tortoise when his true followers number but a single devotee.  While I have often philosophized on this theory that belief is power, it failed to occur to me that, if it applied to God, it would stand to reason that it must also apply to Satan.  This is a basic premise behind the 1990 film Mr. Frost.

Jeff Goldblum plays the titular character, who we find living alone in a palatial estate somewhere in Great Britain.  Two car thieves break into his garage to steal an Aston Martin sports car (one which Mr. Frost admits he never drives as he couldn’t find time to take the driver’s test).  The would-be burglars are scared off when they discover a body in the car.  This leads to Inspector Felix Detweiler (Alan Bates) paying Mr. Frost a visit.

I will warn you that the early scene in which Inspector Detweiler interviews Mr. Frost at his home is, by far, the most enjoyable in the film.  Mr. Frost is peculiar (he cooks Baked Alaska only to throw it away) but not lacking in charm.  This, of course, makes him a perfect role for Goldblum who uses his own quirky charisma to full effect.  After casually filling in a hole in his yard with a shovel, Frost invites Detweiler in for coffee and “good conversation”.  When Detweiler finally gets around to the reason for his visit, Frost not only admits that there was a body in the car but explains that it was that same body he had just finished burying.

Inspector Detweiler leaves the house rather shaken but returns soon after with a warrant.  With the willing help of Mr. Frost, the police are able to recover twenty four bodies of men, women, and children from the grounds.  Frost not only murdered his victims but tortured and mutilated them all while filming the acts on a VHS tape as a trophy.  He cheerfully hands this tape over to Detweiler.

The movie jumps forward two years.  During this time, Frost has been moved all over Europe from one psychiatric institution to the next in an attempt to learn the root of his psychosis.  This has been hindered by two facts.  First, Mr. Frost’s identity is a complete mystery.  There is no record of who he is or where he came from.  No one even knows his first name.  Second, Frost decided to stop speaking shortly after his arrest and thus has not said a word in two years.  Enter Dr. Sarah Day (Kathy Baker), a senior staff member at Mr. Frost’s latest residence, the St. Clare Sanitarium (described as “somewhere in Europe”).

For reasons known only to him, Frost decides he now will start talking but only to Dr. Day.  During these interviews, Mr. Frost reveals himself to be a parlour trick enthusiast and, by the way, the devil himself.  As Frost explains, he is here to “set some things right”.  He claims that science and the analytical mind has undone centuries of his work.  It used to be that people feared him and yet were also willing to sell their souls to him for power.  Now humanity has rationalized away their spirits.  Evil occurs every day, but man has claimed responsibility.  Mankind believes in nothing and has lost its enthusiasm and passion for life.  Interestingly, Mr. Frost introduces the philosophical idea that both good and evil are necessary components of life when he protests that humanity needs him.

Frost’s goal is to convince Dr. Day of his true nature.  If he can get her, a very logical-minded doctor and scientist, to accept that he really is the devil, then he is re-establishing faith in his existence.  Of course, the faith of one person is not sufficient.  In his words, he “must reveal to the world [her] impotence in the presence of the age-old power of the wild side.”  To accomplish that, he needs Dr. Day, his psychiatrist to so fear what he is capable of that she murders him.  How that will cause a global acceptance in the devil is not really clear bur Mr. Frost indicates that that single act would negate an entire era of progress.

Of course anyone with a logical mind would immediately see the flaw in Frost’s plan.  If Dr. Day truly believes he is the devil, why would she ever conclude that murdering his human form was the answer?  By his own admission, killing him, rather than stopping him, will make him immeasurably more powerful.  If she comes to accept everything Frost has told her, she should fight against his wishes not give in to them.  This conclusion, however, does not seem to occur to either Mr. Frost or Dr. Day.

The plot is sidetracked by the development of a relationship between Dr. Day and Inspector Detweiler (who apparently has been following Mr. Frost all over Europe with no clear purpose in mind).  The connection between Day and Detweiler is awkward, hesitant, completely out of the blue and, besides keeping Detweiler in the picture, does not serve a purpose.  This distraction notwithstanding, the remainder of the movie is devoted mostly to the odd occurrences, some positive but mostly negative, that begin to surround the sanitarium and Dr. Day’s life.  These mysterious events are attributed to coincidence, bad luck, random acts, and human nature.  Of course, we the viewers know Mr. Frost is responsible.  This film does not play the ‘is he or is he not’ game.  We are always meant to understand that Frost is everything he proclaims to be.

The premise of Mr. Frost is interesting and certainly suited to my tastes, but the execution of that premise is flawed.  Large portions of the movie involve static discussions between two characters.  While this provides a good platform for showcasing Goldblum’s unique acting style, the inclusion of some action scenes would have helped keep things moving.  I also found the story somewhat disjointed with several plot holes and characters that acted irrationally.  That said, upon a second viewing I realized there were some subtle events and remarks from characters that could allow for a different interpretation and thus resolve some of the failings I perceived in the plot.  The greatest sin the film commits, however, is to attempt to explain away any remaining plot weaknesses with the trope that the devil, like God, “works in mysterious ways”.  Ultimately, the film is worth a watch and I was entertained but the production relies too heavily on Goldblum to carry the film.

Mr. Frost (1990) Directed by Philippe Setbon; Written by Derry Hall, Louise Vincent, Philippe Setbon & Brad Lynch; Starring Jeff Goldblum, Kathy Baker, Alan Bates, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Daniel Gélin, François Négret, & Maxime Leroux; Not available for sale anywhere really but you can find it on a certain video-sharing website.

This is my contribution to The Jeff Goldblum Blogathon – 2019.  Please check out some of the other contributors to the blogathon by clicking on the image below.  My thanks to Emma K Wall Explains it All and RealWeegieMidget Reviews for including me in the fun.