SusannahDEAD SNOW
July 26th 2009 07:42
DEAD SNOW (2009)
Starring: Charlotte Frogner, Orjan Gamst, Stig Frode Henriksen, Vegar Hoel, Jeppe Laursen, Evy Kasseth Rosten, Jenny Skavlan, Lasse Valdal.
Directed By: Tommy Wirkola
Dead Snow, or THAT Nazi Zombie movie, is a hell of a lot of fun. A Norwegian horror film, it opens with a young woman being stalked by something unseen in the darkness of a snow covered forest (Norwegian Wood?). We then cut to the brightness of day and two car loads of friends heading into the mountains for Easter weekend; the men in one car, the women in the other. Upon arrival Erlend, (Jeppe Laursen) the film nerd, asks: how many horror films begin with a group of friends going into the middle of nowhere for the weekend? A few get named, including Evil Dead 1 and 2, Friday the 13th, and April Fool’s Day. Evil Dead 2 gets referenced later on when one of the characters amputates his own arm, cauterising the stump on a burning zombie – I kid you not! Later Erlend also wears a Braindead T-shirt, and that film is also referenced in the churning up of a Nazi Zombie under the grinding engine of a snowmobile. It is also quickly established that cell phone reception is difficult so far up in the mountains.
But Dead Snow has plenty of its own to recommend it. The scenery looks wonderful with beautiful snow covered mountains and picturesque woods in which their little cabin is located. The film begins spookily enough with strange noises happening outside the cabin, and long-drops have never been scarier, or a less attractive location for a sex scene! Things get really creepy when a stranger comes to the cabin in the night, asking for a cup of coffee, and creeps the seven young men and women out with his story of the history of the area. Apparently, the region was an important trade route for the allies during World War II and the Nazis were sent there to gain control of the region. But these Nazis were not nice guys and terrorised the local population. Finally, the locals had enough and decided to fight back when they learnt the allies were winning. The Nazis, planning on a retreat, stole as much gold as they could before being driven into the wilderness to die. Or did they?
It takes a while for the Nazi Zombies to be seen in Dead Snow, but once they are seen, they are onscreen in full-force. Undead, grey in colour, and seemingly interested in disembowelment, they run and are strong, but not undefeatable. As once the zombies are revealed, the film becomes much less creepy, and stalk ‘n’ slash in tone, instead opting for a much more humorous take in the vein of Shaun of the Dead. Much humour is derived from the seven fighting back against the zombies. Vegard, (Lasse Valdal) does especially well, taking out several zombies when he stumbles upon the Nazi Zombie lair in the mountains. At one point he saves himself from falling off a cliff by using a Zombie’s intestines as a rope! Roy and Martin (Stig Frode Henriksen and Vegar Hoel) also make much of defending the cabin against the Nazi Zombies while the women make a break for their cars which are at the bottom of the mountain. There is even a suiting up with weapons sequence, i.e. Evil Dead 2, and, when trying to throw a bomb at the zombies, they accidently burn down their cabin instead!
As they are all medical students, much is made of Martin’s fear of the sight of blood. He will definitely be cured by the time this film is over. There is a lot of gore to be had: heads being ripped open, bodies being pulled apart, severed heads displayed, and several sequences involving intestines. The lead characters end up covered in gore. The zombies are also unique in that the zombie infection appears to not be transmissible by bite. This is explored in the aforementioned arm-severing sequence, from which much comedy is derived, especially when he gets bitten somewhere else more unfortunate than his arm directly afterwards. Instead, the zombies appear to be linked to the lost treasure, Pirates of the Caribbean style, and nothing will stop them getting the gold back. Something which the characters do not realise until it is too late.
Altogether an enjoyable and genuinely funny entry into the zombie genre. It has a refreshing new take on zombie mythology and is perfect for watching on DVD with a group of friends.
Starring: Charlotte Frogner, Orjan Gamst, Stig Frode Henriksen, Vegar Hoel, Jeppe Laursen, Evy Kasseth Rosten, Jenny Skavlan, Lasse Valdal.
Directed By: Tommy Wirkola
Dead Snow, or THAT Nazi Zombie movie, is a hell of a lot of fun. A Norwegian horror film, it opens with a young woman being stalked by something unseen in the darkness of a snow covered forest (Norwegian Wood?). We then cut to the brightness of day and two car loads of friends heading into the mountains for Easter weekend; the men in one car, the women in the other. Upon arrival Erlend, (Jeppe Laursen) the film nerd, asks: how many horror films begin with a group of friends going into the middle of nowhere for the weekend? A few get named, including Evil Dead 1 and 2, Friday the 13th, and April Fool’s Day. Evil Dead 2 gets referenced later on when one of the characters amputates his own arm, cauterising the stump on a burning zombie – I kid you not! Later Erlend also wears a Braindead T-shirt, and that film is also referenced in the churning up of a Nazi Zombie under the grinding engine of a snowmobile. It is also quickly established that cell phone reception is difficult so far up in the mountains.
But Dead Snow has plenty of its own to recommend it. The scenery looks wonderful with beautiful snow covered mountains and picturesque woods in which their little cabin is located. The film begins spookily enough with strange noises happening outside the cabin, and long-drops have never been scarier, or a less attractive location for a sex scene! Things get really creepy when a stranger comes to the cabin in the night, asking for a cup of coffee, and creeps the seven young men and women out with his story of the history of the area. Apparently, the region was an important trade route for the allies during World War II and the Nazis were sent there to gain control of the region. But these Nazis were not nice guys and terrorised the local population. Finally, the locals had enough and decided to fight back when they learnt the allies were winning. The Nazis, planning on a retreat, stole as much gold as they could before being driven into the wilderness to die. Or did they?
It takes a while for the Nazi Zombies to be seen in Dead Snow, but once they are seen, they are onscreen in full-force. Undead, grey in colour, and seemingly interested in disembowelment, they run and are strong, but not undefeatable. As once the zombies are revealed, the film becomes much less creepy, and stalk ‘n’ slash in tone, instead opting for a much more humorous take in the vein of Shaun of the Dead. Much humour is derived from the seven fighting back against the zombies. Vegard, (Lasse Valdal) does especially well, taking out several zombies when he stumbles upon the Nazi Zombie lair in the mountains. At one point he saves himself from falling off a cliff by using a Zombie’s intestines as a rope! Roy and Martin (Stig Frode Henriksen and Vegar Hoel) also make much of defending the cabin against the Nazi Zombies while the women make a break for their cars which are at the bottom of the mountain. There is even a suiting up with weapons sequence, i.e. Evil Dead 2, and, when trying to throw a bomb at the zombies, they accidently burn down their cabin instead!
As they are all medical students, much is made of Martin’s fear of the sight of blood. He will definitely be cured by the time this film is over. There is a lot of gore to be had: heads being ripped open, bodies being pulled apart, severed heads displayed, and several sequences involving intestines. The lead characters end up covered in gore. The zombies are also unique in that the zombie infection appears to not be transmissible by bite. This is explored in the aforementioned arm-severing sequence, from which much comedy is derived, especially when he gets bitten somewhere else more unfortunate than his arm directly afterwards. Instead, the zombies appear to be linked to the lost treasure, Pirates of the Caribbean style, and nothing will stop them getting the gold back. Something which the characters do not realise until it is too late.
Altogether an enjoyable and genuinely funny entry into the zombie genre. It has a refreshing new take on zombie mythology and is perfect for watching on DVD with a group of friends.
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