The mandatory circumstances to watch a movie like "Dead Snow" are as follows: at a horror themed festival amongst hundreds of outrageously enthusiast and derailed fellow genre fanatics - preferably at 3am on a weekend night – and surrounded by booze and snacks. If this shouldn't be possible, try and gather as many friends together for a drunken movie night, but whatever you do, don't watch this cheerfully repugnant and positively demented movie all by yourself as it is too much of a crowd-pleaser! The formula of laugh-evoking zombie splatter movies isn't new (even Nazi zombie movies have been done before, for example "Shock Waves" and "Zombie Lake"), but spirited and ambitious young filmmakers never cease to invent original variations on the sub genre. Norwegian director Tommy Wirkola took his cast & crew high up north, for a splatter film in a beautiful and isolated snowy setting. A group of medical students – that are also die-hard horror movie freaks – trek to a remote mountain cabin for a weekend of snow scooter fun, drinking and casual sex. The first night of their arrival already, they receive a visit from a mysterious and grumpy old local who tells them a grotesquely absurd story about sinister events that occurred in the area near the end of WWII. The atmospheric tale says that fed up villagers combined forces and chased their Nazi occupants into the mountains where they all froze to death. The clique laughs away the warnings, but subsequently discovers a box of old coins that promptly resurrects an army of Nazi soldiers in a far developed state of decomposition. The first half of "Dead Snow" is slow-paced, atmospheric and full of little tributes to classic zombie movies; particularly "The Evil Dead" movies. The students are standard horror stereotypes, including the nerd and the blond bimbo, and thus the first half also contains childish pranks and gratuitous sex sequences. As soon as the Nazi zombies emerge, however, "Dead Snow" is a non-stop spitfire of blood, gore and intestines. Apparently the production of this film required 450 liters of fake blood, and that isn't nearly so surprising if you watch the end result. There's chainsaw action, decapitations, rope pulling with intestines, axe murders, machine gun concerts and disembowelment. The effects are top-notch in spite of the obvious budgetary restrictions, and the make up art on the zombies is very impressive. The rotting uniformed corpses look quite menacing, especially their leader. The snowy landscapes are beautiful picture to behold, although it's even more amusing to see the white snow color red with blood! Tommy Wirkola is a clearly talented director and hopefully a promising long career awaits him.
235 Reviews
"Evil Dead" meets "Dead Alive" in frosty Norway...
MrGKB4 October 2012
Warning: Spoilers
...to limited effect; overall it was a better film than I expected, never mind the dubious raves I've seen here and elsewhere, but sadly not up to snuff with the aforementioned hype. Nonetheless, auteur Tommy "I'm no household name--not even in Norway" Wirkola shows a talent for film-making that may yet come to fruition, at least if the trailer to "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" is to be believed. Hopefully his new writing partner will have reined in the sophomoric scatology and harebrained plotting that torpedoes "Dead Snow." By and large, he knows how to stage an action scene, if nothing else, and manages to get fairly decent performances from his cast of unknowns, all of whom seem to have continued working. So there is that.
"Dead Snow" doesn't really know what it wants to be. Is it a horror movie? Not really, because it's not scary; it's too silly for that. Is it a comedy? Not really, because there's very little humor in it that's worth a listen. "Shaun of the Dead," this ain't, let alone "Dead Alive" or "The Evil Dead." The story is derivative--think John Carpenter's "The Fog"--and worse, suffers from a lack of internal consistency and very difficult suspension of disbelief. The result is an insult to the intelligence of the audience, a typically unforgivable sin in the realm of cinema. A med student with an aversion to blood? Okay. Who later amputates his own arm and then cauterizes the stump with no great ill effect? Okay. Long dead intestines with the tensile strength to hold two men dangling over a cliff? Uh-huh. A woman who gets all frisky in a noisome outhouse? Sure. I could go on, but you get the idea. On top of that we get essentially generic characters who fail to endear themselves to us, so we don't care what happens to them at all. Not good.
Once again, Sturgeon's Revelation holds sway. Contrivance does not make for a compelling story. Fountains of grue are old hat, regardless of the quality of the effects and camera-wrangling. Let us hope that Wirkola has learned some lessons and has applied them to "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters." The trailer looks promising, but we all know how deceptive trailers can be.
Meanwhile, don't be snowed. You won't lose any sleep missing this one.
"Dead Snow" doesn't really know what it wants to be. Is it a horror movie? Not really, because it's not scary; it's too silly for that. Is it a comedy? Not really, because there's very little humor in it that's worth a listen. "Shaun of the Dead," this ain't, let alone "Dead Alive" or "The Evil Dead." The story is derivative--think John Carpenter's "The Fog"--and worse, suffers from a lack of internal consistency and very difficult suspension of disbelief. The result is an insult to the intelligence of the audience, a typically unforgivable sin in the realm of cinema. A med student with an aversion to blood? Okay. Who later amputates his own arm and then cauterizes the stump with no great ill effect? Okay. Long dead intestines with the tensile strength to hold two men dangling over a cliff? Uh-huh. A woman who gets all frisky in a noisome outhouse? Sure. I could go on, but you get the idea. On top of that we get essentially generic characters who fail to endear themselves to us, so we don't care what happens to them at all. Not good.
Once again, Sturgeon's Revelation holds sway. Contrivance does not make for a compelling story. Fountains of grue are old hat, regardless of the quality of the effects and camera-wrangling. Let us hope that Wirkola has learned some lessons and has applied them to "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters." The trailer looks promising, but we all know how deceptive trailers can be.
Meanwhile, don't be snowed. You won't lose any sleep missing this one.
Fun
R_Alex_Jenkins9 May 2021
I enjoyed this movie more than I should have done, which makes you question why does a really basic idea with absolutely no plot, logic or common sense make for good viewing? Because it was fun.
All that matters when it comes to movies of this genre is that you feel satisfied by the rolling credits and your brain receives the right amount of serotonin or whatever mood enhancer your brain requires. If you want to look at the technical aspects of this film, it was total nonsense, but who cares when a zombie flick like this provides all the gratuitous stupidity and gore you could realistically ask for?
Often, movies of this ilk take themselves too seriously and try to be bigger than their net worth, when instead they should be chucking hordes of rabid zombies and entrails at you instead, with buckets and buckets of blood!
There are some really good laughs in this one: recommended.
All that matters when it comes to movies of this genre is that you feel satisfied by the rolling credits and your brain receives the right amount of serotonin or whatever mood enhancer your brain requires. If you want to look at the technical aspects of this film, it was total nonsense, but who cares when a zombie flick like this provides all the gratuitous stupidity and gore you could realistically ask for?
Often, movies of this ilk take themselves too seriously and try to be bigger than their net worth, when instead they should be chucking hordes of rabid zombies and entrails at you instead, with buckets and buckets of blood!
There are some really good laughs in this one: recommended.
I'm in this!
tindfoting9 May 2022
And that's why I cant give it a rating. I froze my arse of being under shovles of snow, waiting to stand up as a zombie nazi. I do think it's a really fun splatter horror comedy, and the direction by Tommy (Wirkola) told me he would go on to bigger projects. It's by far the most entertaining and cold experience in my short life in movies. More fun was the world premiere in Tromsø, where about 1/4 of the invited audience left the cinema when the gorefest started. Highly recomandation from a biased member of the Død Snø crew!
We should have gone to Sunny Beach.
hitchcockthelegend10 October 2013
Død snø is directed by Tommy Wirkola who also co-writes the screenplay with Stig Frode Henriksen, the alter of whom also co-stars. It stars Vegar Hoel, Charlotte Frogner, Lasse Valdal, Evy Kasseth Røsten, Jeppe Beck Laursen, Jenny Skavlan, Ane Dahl Torp and Bjørn Sundquist. Music is by Christian Wibe and cinematography by Matthew Bradley Weston.
A group of Norwegian medical students vacationing in the snowy countryside find themselves menaced by Nazi Zombies!
It's one for the Zombie and Splatter crowd is this, a Norwegian comedy horror fusion that revels in homaging its influences as much as it does swimming in blood. It's not particularly fresh of course, as the story follows a familiar course that sees a bunch of youngsters killed off one by one, though the foe, in the shape of grizzly looking Nazi Zombies, is cheerfully put to menacing, and funny, use.
A little back story is brought into play courtesy of a mysterious hiker who stops by the cabin for a coffee, and then at the mid-point all hell (literally) breaks loose and it's The Alamo out in the snow. Genre staples are adhered to, complete with stereotype characters, and Wirkola has a keen eye for gruesome killings and dismemberment. It doesn't add new fuel to the genre fire, it just keeps it alight and has great fun doing so. 7/10
A group of Norwegian medical students vacationing in the snowy countryside find themselves menaced by Nazi Zombies!
It's one for the Zombie and Splatter crowd is this, a Norwegian comedy horror fusion that revels in homaging its influences as much as it does swimming in blood. It's not particularly fresh of course, as the story follows a familiar course that sees a bunch of youngsters killed off one by one, though the foe, in the shape of grizzly looking Nazi Zombies, is cheerfully put to menacing, and funny, use.
A little back story is brought into play courtesy of a mysterious hiker who stops by the cabin for a coffee, and then at the mid-point all hell (literally) breaks loose and it's The Alamo out in the snow. Genre staples are adhered to, complete with stereotype characters, and Wirkola has a keen eye for gruesome killings and dismemberment. It doesn't add new fuel to the genre fire, it just keeps it alight and has great fun doing so. 7/10
Nazi Zombie Army in Øksfjord
claudio_carvalho11 November 2012
The medical students Martin (Vegar Hoel), Roy (Stig Frode Henriksen) and Erlend (Jeppe Beck Laursen) travel with their friend Vegard (Lasse Valdal) to meet with the girls Hanna (Charlotte Frogner), Liv (Evy Kasseth Røsten) and Chris (Jenny Skavlan) and spend vacation in the isolated cabin in the wilderness of Øksfjord that belongs to Vegard's girlfriend Sara (Ane Dahl Torp).
When they arrive, the do not find Sara but they believe she is practicing sports on the snow. Soon a weird traveler (Bjørn Sundquist) visits them and tells the story about the resistance of the locals during the World War II against the Nazi invaders that were pursued and assumed frozen to death.
On the next morning, Vegard drives his snowmobile seeking out Sara in the mountains. Meanwhile his friends are attacked by a Nazi zombie army led by the evil Commander Herzog (Ørjan Gamst) and they have to fight to survive. Will they succeed in their intent?
"Død Snø" is a zombie comedy by Tommy Wirkola with a very similar storyline of "Necrosis" by Jason Robert Stephens and released on the same year (2009). In common, both authors seem to have been inspired by "Evil Dead" and using different evil.
The Norwegian film is funny and gore and I like this combination. The special effects are great and fans of the genre will never be disappointed. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): Not Available
When they arrive, the do not find Sara but they believe she is practicing sports on the snow. Soon a weird traveler (Bjørn Sundquist) visits them and tells the story about the resistance of the locals during the World War II against the Nazi invaders that were pursued and assumed frozen to death.
On the next morning, Vegard drives his snowmobile seeking out Sara in the mountains. Meanwhile his friends are attacked by a Nazi zombie army led by the evil Commander Herzog (Ørjan Gamst) and they have to fight to survive. Will they succeed in their intent?
"Død Snø" is a zombie comedy by Tommy Wirkola with a very similar storyline of "Necrosis" by Jason Robert Stephens and released on the same year (2009). In common, both authors seem to have been inspired by "Evil Dead" and using different evil.
The Norwegian film is funny and gore and I like this combination. The special effects are great and fans of the genre will never be disappointed. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): Not Available
Good stuff
dworldeater30 September 2020
I have had this movie on Blu Ray for a while and recently revisted. it. Dead Snow is a Norwegian production and is a Nazi zombie horror comedy. Dead Snow definitely delivers the gory goods and gives a nod to the classics that came before, most notably Evil Dead and Dead Alive/Braindead. The film is definitely campy,, but when the horror needs to be amped up, it still plays well. The make up f/x and gore look great. Overall, I had a good time watching this and this Blu Ray is definitely a keeper.
Snowmobile of the Dead
lordwhorfin2 January 2013
This review comes tardy to the party. I write because I so wanted to love, but in the end, could not. I watched this film dubbed and then with subtitles. It is, of course, far better with subtitles. Frankly, though, in the end, the really grim premise just gets buried in an avalanche of silliness. Too much poo humor, too much goofy slapstick, and not enough context or creepy story-telling just make this the undead weekend ski-trip version of Severed without the brilliant cast. Not unwatchable, lots of clever-clever bits, but ultimately very disappointing and predictable 'Zombedy' entry. I know I swim against the tide, oh boys of fan, but can no longer restrain my 'cri de couer.'
I told you we should have gone to the beach
nogodnomasters4 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Four medical students along with three women, with a fourth to join the group later, go to a remote snowy mountain cabin on Easter break. They have a good time and seem to have no problem with the odd house in the freezing cold. While at the cabin, the proverbial visitor warns them they should not disturb the evil in the hills as legends of WWII German soldiers still roam the mountains.
I think we know where this is headed, unless you got a DVD without any cover art. The dialogue was pretty good, with some humor and dark humor. The zombies were not the foot dragging variety, but moved rather quickly and with some forethought. The soundtrack was excellent ranging from classical to European industrial. The cabin aspect brought back memory flashes from "The Evil Dead" plus the fact they mentioned it in the film. The blood and guts effects bordered on Troma style. It was comical to watch a brain fall out of a victims head...sorry I laughed.
I bought the 2-disc version at my local Walmart for $9.96. It defaults to Norwegian language and English subtitles. I watched it in English with English subtitles. The spoken English was a bit hipper than the written subtitles which appeared to be more of a word for word translation without bothering to create a loose feel. Great entertainment. I wished they had reused the classical music somewhere in the final scenes, which they had opened the film with, bringing us full circle. I don't know if I would place this in the top 25 zombie films as the cover claims. If it did make that list, it would be nearer to 25 than to number 1. But then again, I watch a lot of zombie films.
Parental Guide: F-bomb, sex, no nudity.
I think we know where this is headed, unless you got a DVD without any cover art. The dialogue was pretty good, with some humor and dark humor. The zombies were not the foot dragging variety, but moved rather quickly and with some forethought. The soundtrack was excellent ranging from classical to European industrial. The cabin aspect brought back memory flashes from "The Evil Dead" plus the fact they mentioned it in the film. The blood and guts effects bordered on Troma style. It was comical to watch a brain fall out of a victims head...sorry I laughed.
I bought the 2-disc version at my local Walmart for $9.96. It defaults to Norwegian language and English subtitles. I watched it in English with English subtitles. The spoken English was a bit hipper than the written subtitles which appeared to be more of a word for word translation without bothering to create a loose feel. Great entertainment. I wished they had reused the classical music somewhere in the final scenes, which they had opened the film with, bringing us full circle. I don't know if I would place this in the top 25 zombie films as the cover claims. If it did make that list, it would be nearer to 25 than to number 1. But then again, I watch a lot of zombie films.
Parental Guide: F-bomb, sex, no nudity.
Oh, the weather outside is frightful... but nowhere near as bad as the zombies!
BA_Harrison29 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Undead Nazis are not an entirely new concept (see 1977's Shockwaves for an early example of jackbooted zombies), but they are an undeniably cool one, particularly when combined with as much OTT gore as a budget will allow. In fact, so assured of the awesomeness of such a premise are the people behind Dead Snow that they don't even bother wasting time to think of a decent plot to support it, opting instead to go for a derivative 'cut and paste' approach using elements pilfered from their favourite horror movies (which include The Evil Dead trilogy, splatter classic Braindead, and, arguably, even John Carpenter's The Fog). The result is undeniably fun and goes some way to prove the theory that originality isn't absolutely necessary just so long as you have chainsaw dismemberment and shotgun action. Unfortunately, one can't help thinking that, with just a bit more effort and ingenuity in the plot department, this film could have ranked up there with the true greats of splatter cinema that its makers so obviously love.
Beginning in a similar vein to Sam Raimi's Evil Dead, writer/director Tommy Wirkola's movie sees a group of medical students travelling to a remote cabin in the mountains for a weekend break; there they are attacked by an army of undead WWII German soldiers who rise from a labyrinthine network of subterranean wartime tunnels in order to claim a caché of gold that lies beneath the cabin's floor. Wirkola fills the first half of his film with silly hi-jinx, the occasional jump scare, and a half-hearted attempt at explaining the existence of his bloodthirsty zombies, but holds off on the 'good stuff' till later on. When the gore finally arrives, it doesn't stop flowing until the very end, and the sheer quantity and quality of the graphic violence is quite staggering: a man's head is torn apart and his brain spills onto the floor with a satisfying 'Plop!'; a zombie's unravelling intestines prove to be a life saver for one character when he falls over the edge of cliff; a snowmobile is used to reduce several zombies to paste; a guy amputates his own arm with a chainsaw after being bitten; and one poor bloke is pulled apart in a zombie tug of war!
However, no matter how awesome the effects, they still weren't quite enough to stop me from asking questions about the poorly developed narrative. I wanted to know how the Nazi zombies managed to cheat death; I didn't understand why the creatures had waited so long before trying to get to their gold; how they had remained undiscovered for decades was a complete mystery to me; whether or not the bite of a zombie would cause the victim to 'turn' was never properly addressed; and precisely what that blonde bird found so irresistible about a fat guy wiping his ass in the john, I will never know!!!
Whilst I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more about Wirkola in the futurehe definitely possesses the talent and enthusiasm required to succeed in the world of horror movie-makingI do hope that next time a bit more effort is spent in developing ideas before shooting commences: armed with a really fresh script, this guy could be legendary.
Beginning in a similar vein to Sam Raimi's Evil Dead, writer/director Tommy Wirkola's movie sees a group of medical students travelling to a remote cabin in the mountains for a weekend break; there they are attacked by an army of undead WWII German soldiers who rise from a labyrinthine network of subterranean wartime tunnels in order to claim a caché of gold that lies beneath the cabin's floor. Wirkola fills the first half of his film with silly hi-jinx, the occasional jump scare, and a half-hearted attempt at explaining the existence of his bloodthirsty zombies, but holds off on the 'good stuff' till later on. When the gore finally arrives, it doesn't stop flowing until the very end, and the sheer quantity and quality of the graphic violence is quite staggering: a man's head is torn apart and his brain spills onto the floor with a satisfying 'Plop!'; a zombie's unravelling intestines prove to be a life saver for one character when he falls over the edge of cliff; a snowmobile is used to reduce several zombies to paste; a guy amputates his own arm with a chainsaw after being bitten; and one poor bloke is pulled apart in a zombie tug of war!
However, no matter how awesome the effects, they still weren't quite enough to stop me from asking questions about the poorly developed narrative. I wanted to know how the Nazi zombies managed to cheat death; I didn't understand why the creatures had waited so long before trying to get to their gold; how they had remained undiscovered for decades was a complete mystery to me; whether or not the bite of a zombie would cause the victim to 'turn' was never properly addressed; and precisely what that blonde bird found so irresistible about a fat guy wiping his ass in the john, I will never know!!!
Whilst I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more about Wirkola in the futurehe definitely possesses the talent and enthusiasm required to succeed in the world of horror movie-makingI do hope that next time a bit more effort is spent in developing ideas before shooting commences: armed with a really fresh script, this guy could be legendary.
Dead C##p!
rossworkman23 September 2009
Warning: Spoilers
STOP DO NOT WATCH this is an hour and a half of your life you will never get back.
I am a zombie movie fan, i love gore and thought this movie was going to be great! BUT, A combination of bad acting, shoddy script, low budget, unspotted mistakes and a severe lack of plot history and explanation leave you feeling let down, it is inconsistent and appears not to know exactly which horror angle to take. Taking ideas from many zombie and undead movies. Having nothing original or well done.
Not bad if the director is a first year college student.
With the exception of "Alexander" & "The kings men" i have never watched such utter C##P and can barley believe it made it to our local video store and not a 99p bin at the flea market.
0/5
I am a zombie movie fan, i love gore and thought this movie was going to be great! BUT, A combination of bad acting, shoddy script, low budget, unspotted mistakes and a severe lack of plot history and explanation leave you feeling let down, it is inconsistent and appears not to know exactly which horror angle to take. Taking ideas from many zombie and undead movies. Having nothing original or well done.
Not bad if the director is a first year college student.
With the exception of "Alexander" & "The kings men" i have never watched such utter C##P and can barley believe it made it to our local video store and not a 99p bin at the flea market.
0/5
Ich bin ein zombie!
ElijahCSkuggs29 March 2009
Heading into Dead Snow I was pretty much expecting a Shaun of the Dead type horror flick. Something with more comedy than horror. Which isn't really the case here. It's consistently filled with small or big jokes, but thankfully it's more horror oriented. I suppose I thought this because of the awesome poster displaying a decapitated half-head of a nazi-zombie lying in the snow giving the onlooker a weird look. Not too mention a dude with a blood-drenched chainsaw behind the head. I'm not the biggest fan of hor-coms, but I was really interested in this one because of the whacky premise. So, was it a blizzard of bliss, or a storm of suckage?
The story revolves around a bunch of medical students getting away for some rest and relaxation during the Easter break. Unknown to them, they've set up camp at the absolute wrong place. Back in the day, evil Nazi's used these hills for an escape route or safe haven way back when, and it's said that this is where they supposedly holed up and eventually died. Well, they ain't all that dead. They look it, but they ain't dead. Our medical students eventually meet these blood-thirsty German maniacs and the red stuff starts flowing. A mad dash for survival ensues, and it all ends up being a 'hail' of a lot of fun.
The flick isn't perfect as it suffers some from small horror clichés, like dumb decision making. But at the same time, they handle these clichés in a somewhat refreshing manner. Some cheap scare tactics are used early on to get you on edge, but those are barely used later on, when violence and creative gore take hold.
Dead Snow really surprised me. I wasn't expecting such a fun flick. The characters were all well-fleshed out, the dialogue well-written and funny, the gore aplenty, the horror nods abundant and awesome (Braindead t-shirts?!), and even the score and soundtrack were good. This should become a pretty big hit for horror fans, well I hope so anyways.
The story revolves around a bunch of medical students getting away for some rest and relaxation during the Easter break. Unknown to them, they've set up camp at the absolute wrong place. Back in the day, evil Nazi's used these hills for an escape route or safe haven way back when, and it's said that this is where they supposedly holed up and eventually died. Well, they ain't all that dead. They look it, but they ain't dead. Our medical students eventually meet these blood-thirsty German maniacs and the red stuff starts flowing. A mad dash for survival ensues, and it all ends up being a 'hail' of a lot of fun.
The flick isn't perfect as it suffers some from small horror clichés, like dumb decision making. But at the same time, they handle these clichés in a somewhat refreshing manner. Some cheap scare tactics are used early on to get you on edge, but those are barely used later on, when violence and creative gore take hold.
Dead Snow really surprised me. I wasn't expecting such a fun flick. The characters were all well-fleshed out, the dialogue well-written and funny, the gore aplenty, the horror nods abundant and awesome (Braindead t-shirts?!), and even the score and soundtrack were good. This should become a pretty big hit for horror fans, well I hope so anyways.
How can a movie be excellent and disappointing at the same time?
lukaszsw24 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I will start with why it is excellent: The movie open with a group of hikers going on Easter vacation. Their destination is a small cabin so far from any civilization that there is no reception there. Every character is a stereotype: a blond bimbo, a nerd, a shy reasonable guy, a caring girlfriend and others. They all speak Norwegian (or is it Swedish?) and are not at all known actors (at least not in Hollywood). However they give a great performance that on top of great cinematography and costume design. You would never had guess that this is a small low-budget production, it is simply beautiful how the director managed to pull this off.
Now the promise is that during WW2 some Nazis were stationed here and murdered locals for their gold. Now the civilians gathered up and chased the soldiers to the mountains were they seemingly froze to death. Of course they didn't and they are back to make a pretty nice threat. For the first hour this is great.
Now why the movie is disappointing: After the first hour the director run out of ideas. You see pulled intestines three (!) times. There is a battle between the Nazis and the survivors armed with tools from the shed. Its great but it only lasts for 3 or 4 minutes and they only use a chainsaw and a hammer. What is with the other tools? Especially that we were show to a pitchfork and also we can imagine using a monkey wrench or a vise or many other things. Having the chainsaw in the next 5 gags feels repetitive.
Also there is a problem of making a movie entirely out of clichés is problematic. They are only right when the event still happens in many films. If it was a cliché 20 years ago it is not so recognized anymore. Some are perfect like having zombies and a stranger appear from nowhere seemingly sneaking up on the character. This is exploited to the limit in Dead Snow and it is funny. But what would be a cliché ending - does everybody die or are there some survivors? there is no answer because there is as many examples for one as the other - now, director has to choose one and he can't be right, why should you watch it then?
Its hard not to compare to Shaun of the Dead, which had a richer satire and more interesting characters (I know, I know, thats not the point of Dead Snow). Even though Dead Snow comes first when you count make-up and cinematography. Yet, like many reviewers stated, it is a movie to have playing in the background of a drunk party. While some scenes are brilliant the movie as whole doesn't have enough jokes or/and clichés to fill 85 minutes. Watching the 10 minute clip of a mentioned "battle" is well enough for most movie goers, I assure you.
Now the promise is that during WW2 some Nazis were stationed here and murdered locals for their gold. Now the civilians gathered up and chased the soldiers to the mountains were they seemingly froze to death. Of course they didn't and they are back to make a pretty nice threat. For the first hour this is great.
Now why the movie is disappointing: After the first hour the director run out of ideas. You see pulled intestines three (!) times. There is a battle between the Nazis and the survivors armed with tools from the shed. Its great but it only lasts for 3 or 4 minutes and they only use a chainsaw and a hammer. What is with the other tools? Especially that we were show to a pitchfork and also we can imagine using a monkey wrench or a vise or many other things. Having the chainsaw in the next 5 gags feels repetitive.
Also there is a problem of making a movie entirely out of clichés is problematic. They are only right when the event still happens in many films. If it was a cliché 20 years ago it is not so recognized anymore. Some are perfect like having zombies and a stranger appear from nowhere seemingly sneaking up on the character. This is exploited to the limit in Dead Snow and it is funny. But what would be a cliché ending - does everybody die or are there some survivors? there is no answer because there is as many examples for one as the other - now, director has to choose one and he can't be right, why should you watch it then?
Its hard not to compare to Shaun of the Dead, which had a richer satire and more interesting characters (I know, I know, thats not the point of Dead Snow). Even though Dead Snow comes first when you count make-up and cinematography. Yet, like many reviewers stated, it is a movie to have playing in the background of a drunk party. While some scenes are brilliant the movie as whole doesn't have enough jokes or/and clichés to fill 85 minutes. Watching the 10 minute clip of a mentioned "battle" is well enough for most movie goers, I assure you.
A Bloody Awful Film.
princessjesssie4 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Move over Saw, Jigsaw may have rocked your minds with his puzzling murders, but if you thought a movie couldn't get much higher on the gory scale, you couldn't be more wrong. Turns out that Norway's Tommy Workola pretty much tops the gore charts with his hair raising, gag inducing, lose-your-popcorn-on-your-lap thriller Dead Snow. The perpetrator of all of this gore? Oh, you guessed it, those elusive and pesky zombie Nazis. Virtually losing all plot twenty minutes in, this Nordic flop brings you back to or the glory days of those 80s slasher movies. Remember the classics such as Killer Klowns from Outer space or everyone's favorite-- Frankenhooker? (It's a stitch!)
..Yeah, me neither. Dead Snow is just about as forgettable.
With the same plot as practically every teen movie ever made, the director pretty much HAD to use something as outrageous as blood-drooling zombie Nazis. Dead Snow's character, Vergard, played by Lasse Valdal, even says it himself; "How many movies start out with a group of friends going to an isolated cabin!?" And that is exactly where this tale starts. Eight Norwegian medical students take a spring break (okay this is also the most overused plot sequence ) to an isolated cabin for some relaxation in the form of sex and massive amounts of alcohol consumption. The bulk of the plot (all four minutes of it,) comes when Vergard stumbles upon a chest (no, not even a chest. A better word is "rather small shoebox.") in the floor of the cabin while he is looking for some lost beer. The group somehow decides that it's theirs and they're going to be rich from the grand assortment of 10 coins that they found. This "treasure chest" looks more like it could possibly fund the group's next trip the liquor store, but the screenwriter has the balls to insert an Indiana Jones quote here-- "Fortune and glory kids fortune and glory." Yeah, right.
Next we hear a strange noise from outside the window, a strange old man enters, disses the hippie girl's organic coffee and chastises the group for not reading up on the local history of the area before coming on their grand vacation. Now I don't know about you, but if I'm headed on a spring break to a desolate mountain to drink and flirt with cute Norwegian boys, the last thing I'm interested n is the history of a 20-person shantytown. Plot fail.
This crazy old man goes on to tell a story about Germany's occupation of the area during WWII, stating that the Nazis treated the Norwegians poorly. Sick of the oppression, this small town of stoic mountain dwellers organizes a revolt, killing 300 of the Nazis. I'm a little curious about what kind of weaponry they scrounged up to overtake an entire trained army .But anyway, this whole "plot" consumes the first twenty minutes of the movie. From here on out, you lose all objectivity of any sort of direction this story is going.
So here is where every mistake ever made in a horror movie is somehow wrapped up all in one real thriller. Now is probably a good time to mention that one real sporty and adventurous girl decided to ski to this cabin, by herself, through this virtually unnavigable snowy mountain region of Norway. (Wonder who dies first!?!?) Cue the zombie Nazi infiltration of the movie through the cabin windows, where these merciless creatures pull girls into outhouse poop, rip off heads, pull intestines out and you, the lucky viewer, even get to see a brain fall on the floor of the cabin. Half way through this fiasco these ever so intelligent "medical students" (Why didn't they make them state school fraternity members?! They must not exist in Norway .) apparently forget that the zombies are attacking through the windows so they just chill by them again. And OH, you guessed it, another one bites the dust. You're just starting to scream at these imbecile characters when they break the number one cardinal rule of horror flicks—you NEVER split up, and God forbid, you NEVER split up boys and girls. But hey, the director must have figured he was already 10 feet out without a paddle so why not??
Now there's more zombies, more running, more limb-ripping terror. It starts to get real excessive when you realize that there's 5 minutes left and absolutely nothing has been resolved. I just about got up to leave when the ridiculous finale kept me wondering how this movie ever even made it to theaters. If it wasn't apparent in the rest of this review, I do not recommend this movie to even the biggest fan of gore movies. Please, save your five dollars on this one; you'll be better off taking a nap than wasting two hors of your life on this bloody awful flick—and no, I'm not British.
With the same plot as practically every teen movie ever made, the director pretty much HAD to use something as outrageous as blood-drooling zombie Nazis. Dead Snow's character, Vergard, played by Lasse Valdal, even says it himself; "How many movies start out with a group of friends going to an isolated cabin!?" And that is exactly where this tale starts. Eight Norwegian medical students take a spring break (okay this is also the most overused plot sequence ) to an isolated cabin for some relaxation in the form of sex and massive amounts of alcohol consumption. The bulk of the plot (all four minutes of it,) comes when Vergard stumbles upon a chest (no, not even a chest. A better word is "rather small shoebox.") in the floor of the cabin while he is looking for some lost beer. The group somehow decides that it's theirs and they're going to be rich from the grand assortment of 10 coins that they found. This "treasure chest" looks more like it could possibly fund the group's next trip the liquor store, but the screenwriter has the balls to insert an Indiana Jones quote here-- "Fortune and glory kids fortune and glory." Yeah, right.
Next we hear a strange noise from outside the window, a strange old man enters, disses the hippie girl's organic coffee and chastises the group for not reading up on the local history of the area before coming on their grand vacation. Now I don't know about you, but if I'm headed on a spring break to a desolate mountain to drink and flirt with cute Norwegian boys, the last thing I'm interested n is the history of a 20-person shantytown. Plot fail.
This crazy old man goes on to tell a story about Germany's occupation of the area during WWII, stating that the Nazis treated the Norwegians poorly. Sick of the oppression, this small town of stoic mountain dwellers organizes a revolt, killing 300 of the Nazis. I'm a little curious about what kind of weaponry they scrounged up to overtake an entire trained army .But anyway, this whole "plot" consumes the first twenty minutes of the movie. From here on out, you lose all objectivity of any sort of direction this story is going.
So here is where every mistake ever made in a horror movie is somehow wrapped up all in one real thriller. Now is probably a good time to mention that one real sporty and adventurous girl decided to ski to this cabin, by herself, through this virtually unnavigable snowy mountain region of Norway. (Wonder who dies first!?!?) Cue the zombie Nazi infiltration of the movie through the cabin windows, where these merciless creatures pull girls into outhouse poop, rip off heads, pull intestines out and you, the lucky viewer, even get to see a brain fall on the floor of the cabin. Half way through this fiasco these ever so intelligent "medical students" (Why didn't they make them state school fraternity members?! They must not exist in Norway .) apparently forget that the zombies are attacking through the windows so they just chill by them again. And OH, you guessed it, another one bites the dust. You're just starting to scream at these imbecile characters when they break the number one cardinal rule of horror flicks—you NEVER split up, and God forbid, you NEVER split up boys and girls. But hey, the director must have figured he was already 10 feet out without a paddle so why not??
Now there's more zombies, more running, more limb-ripping terror. It starts to get real excessive when you realize that there's 5 minutes left and absolutely nothing has been resolved. I just about got up to leave when the ridiculous finale kept me wondering how this movie ever even made it to theaters. If it wasn't apparent in the rest of this review, I do not recommend this movie to even the biggest fan of gore movies. Please, save your five dollars on this one; you'll be better off taking a nap than wasting two hors of your life on this bloody awful flick—and no, I'm not British.
Zombie horror is packed with black humor and lots of guts from Norway
ma-cortes2 October 2011
Norwegian Zombie terror film about some Nazis dead coming back to life on snowy lands . A ski vacation turns horrific for a group of medical students, as they find themselves confronted by an unimaginable menace: Nazi zombies. This low-budget terror motion picture deals with a group who run into a pack Nazis coming back to life and terrorizing an unnamed Norwegian area .This clever horror movie deals about an ever-dwindling group of hikers. They drink and party until a mysterious scout arrives. He tells them the dark history of the region; during WWII, a force of Einsatzgruppen led by the dreaded Standartenführer Herzog occupied the location . During three long years the Nazis abused and tortured the local people, and near the end of the war, with Germany's defeat looming, looted all their valuables before beginning to withdraw from the place . The villagers managed to stage an uprising and ambushed the Nazis, killing many. The surviving Nazis, including Herzog, were pursued into the valleys , and it was assumed that they all froze to death . Later on , the hikers are afflicted by stalking, vicious flesh-eating stiffs relieved .
Gory, gruesome , pretty repellent , and ghastly cannibal feast in which the stumbling flesh-eating stiffs are reanimated and can be only destroyed by bullets in the brain , slashing and throat-hacking . Unrelenting shock-feast laced with brief touches of black humor and tongue-in-cheek . Army of Zombies appearance roaming the countryside , booth and some people besieged inside a cottage deliver the goods , enough to be interesting .Main great success from Norway cinema is compelling directed with startling visual content and nice production by Tommy Wirkola ; furthermore special mention to excellent make-up by the magnificent Norwegian craftsmen . This frightening movie is plenty of thrills, chills, body-count executed by the eerie Nazi Zombies and photographed in pallid color with lurid images and phenomenal results . This is a classic excruciatingly Zombie film where the intrigue,tension, suspense appears threatening and lurking on the snowy outdoors , shack , mountains and many other places . In Norway considered the plus ultra of thoroughly disturbing movie is less stomach-churning by nowadays's standards . Død snø (original title) is a genuinely frightening story with correct utilization of images-shock and well photographed on location in Alta, Finnmark, Norway and Målselv, Troms. It contains a creepy and eerie musical score and appropriate cinematography . The director creates a special Zombie thriller that manages to be both scary and skilfully made, deserving its cult status . Rating: Good, this is one more imaginative horror pictures in which the camera stalks in sinister style and packing lots of blood and gore , but also some laughs . It's just one long unrelenting cannibal feast and average budget horror movie that still packs a punch for those who like to be terrorized out their wits. Other films dealing with Zombies Nazis are the following : ¨Shock Waves (1977)¨ by Ken Wiederhorn with Peter Cushing and Brooke Adams ; ¨Grave of the living dead (1983)¨ by Jesus Franco and ¨Horror of war (2006)¨ by John Whitney.
Gory, gruesome , pretty repellent , and ghastly cannibal feast in which the stumbling flesh-eating stiffs are reanimated and can be only destroyed by bullets in the brain , slashing and throat-hacking . Unrelenting shock-feast laced with brief touches of black humor and tongue-in-cheek . Army of Zombies appearance roaming the countryside , booth and some people besieged inside a cottage deliver the goods , enough to be interesting .Main great success from Norway cinema is compelling directed with startling visual content and nice production by Tommy Wirkola ; furthermore special mention to excellent make-up by the magnificent Norwegian craftsmen . This frightening movie is plenty of thrills, chills, body-count executed by the eerie Nazi Zombies and photographed in pallid color with lurid images and phenomenal results . This is a classic excruciatingly Zombie film where the intrigue,tension, suspense appears threatening and lurking on the snowy outdoors , shack , mountains and many other places . In Norway considered the plus ultra of thoroughly disturbing movie is less stomach-churning by nowadays's standards . Død snø (original title) is a genuinely frightening story with correct utilization of images-shock and well photographed on location in Alta, Finnmark, Norway and Målselv, Troms. It contains a creepy and eerie musical score and appropriate cinematography . The director creates a special Zombie thriller that manages to be both scary and skilfully made, deserving its cult status . Rating: Good, this is one more imaginative horror pictures in which the camera stalks in sinister style and packing lots of blood and gore , but also some laughs . It's just one long unrelenting cannibal feast and average budget horror movie that still packs a punch for those who like to be terrorized out their wits. Other films dealing with Zombies Nazis are the following : ¨Shock Waves (1977)¨ by Ken Wiederhorn with Peter Cushing and Brooke Adams ; ¨Grave of the living dead (1983)¨ by Jesus Franco and ¨Horror of war (2006)¨ by John Whitney.
Nazi zombies slumming in the Norwegian snow
Quebec_Dragon29 October 2012
Zombie Nazis, what's not to like? Well, Dead Snow wasn't great, but it was a good time especially in the last half. I liked that it took mostly place in daytime instead of the usual night to hide the clunky makeup and special effects. Speaking of which, the Nazi zombies only looked like zombies from their dessicated faces. The Nazi angle was in fact exploited very little, which is a shame, as the Nazi zombies could have been any other slightly-more-intelligent-than-usual zombies in uniforms. There was acceptable makeup, but I've seen better. There were some good gory moments. Some were copies of other films (or "hommages"), some seemed original (but I haven't seen everything).
I particularly liked the parts with intestines (no, I'm not sick :) because they were clever. I didn't care much for the characters (or future victims) as they were cardboard-thin (basically one trait for each one, if that) and sometimes acted stupidly. One of the last confrontations and what ensued after a bite was brilliantly funny in a dark twisted way. There were other funny moments, but not that much. Scary? Not so much, but some tense moments. It veers more towards comedy than horror, but doesn't go full-blown ridiculous (as in the characters stay serious once the bloodshed begins). You could do worse than rent this.
Rating: 6 out of 10 (good)
I particularly liked the parts with intestines (no, I'm not sick :) because they were clever. I didn't care much for the characters (or future victims) as they were cardboard-thin (basically one trait for each one, if that) and sometimes acted stupidly. One of the last confrontations and what ensued after a bite was brilliantly funny in a dark twisted way. There were other funny moments, but not that much. Scary? Not so much, but some tense moments. It veers more towards comedy than horror, but doesn't go full-blown ridiculous (as in the characters stay serious once the bloodshed begins). You could do worse than rent this.
Rating: 6 out of 10 (good)
Irresistible premise, flawed execution
Simon_Says_Movies16 July 2009
The moment you hear even a dollop of the plot from the Norweigian fright flick Dead Snow you are drawn in with unadulterated curiosity. The catch? Nazi Zombies, and while premise goes a long way when marketing a film like this, you need substance to keep the premise supported and it is something that never quite realized in this gory B-movie camp-a-rama.
Sprinkled with moments of hilarity, even genius, Dead Snow perhaps does all that it can with its one-note gimmick. But regardless of intention, I topped out at around the hour mark and than the watch checking began. Really, this film is a very conventional horror film, simply with unconventional antagonists. Where the film truly succeeds is in its uniquely dark humour, because as the Nazi corpses mount at the climax, so does tedium. I am certainly not going to nitpick at the plot and continuity of a film like this, but even under no intentional scrutiny I began to be struck with numerous inconsistencies which only detracted more from the action.
For open minded western audiences the Norweigian leads will be a relief from the aura of convention that masks many of Hollywood's horror efforts. The subtitles alone demand more attention and the crisp mountain summit on which the heroes reside becomes almost a character of its own. The group of friends comprised of either very new or first time Swedish actors all do solid jobs as well and lend to the charm of the click nicely. You have all the conventional players: the cool guy, the jokester, the hot hussy, and the coward but as I said the leads pull it off and the Nazi zombie factor drowns out such clichés nicely enough. The plot itself is really a moot point; the gang are in a remote cabin for a weekend of drinking when the goose-stepping starts and they try to escape. Still with me?
One of the more frustrating aspects of Dead Snow is the egregiously varying strength of the zombies. Some are killed with a single kick to the head while others amble around with an axe in their head. And I'm not going to nit pick on physics, but when seventy year old frozen corpses spurt blood like it's a Tarantino movie you can't help but notice. The final thirty minutes is a single tedious chase sequence and really detracts from the charm built up by the dark humour and bloody fun of the middle segments. This void is made even more depressing as it unflatteringly highlights against the former acts and reeks of what could have been. While a fun enough film to have running in the background on a drunken night with friends, Dead Snow never reaches the level its premise boasts.
Read all my reviews at: simonsaysmovies.blogspot.com
Sprinkled with moments of hilarity, even genius, Dead Snow perhaps does all that it can with its one-note gimmick. But regardless of intention, I topped out at around the hour mark and than the watch checking began. Really, this film is a very conventional horror film, simply with unconventional antagonists. Where the film truly succeeds is in its uniquely dark humour, because as the Nazi corpses mount at the climax, so does tedium. I am certainly not going to nitpick at the plot and continuity of a film like this, but even under no intentional scrutiny I began to be struck with numerous inconsistencies which only detracted more from the action.
For open minded western audiences the Norweigian leads will be a relief from the aura of convention that masks many of Hollywood's horror efforts. The subtitles alone demand more attention and the crisp mountain summit on which the heroes reside becomes almost a character of its own. The group of friends comprised of either very new or first time Swedish actors all do solid jobs as well and lend to the charm of the click nicely. You have all the conventional players: the cool guy, the jokester, the hot hussy, and the coward but as I said the leads pull it off and the Nazi zombie factor drowns out such clichés nicely enough. The plot itself is really a moot point; the gang are in a remote cabin for a weekend of drinking when the goose-stepping starts and they try to escape. Still with me?
One of the more frustrating aspects of Dead Snow is the egregiously varying strength of the zombies. Some are killed with a single kick to the head while others amble around with an axe in their head. And I'm not going to nit pick on physics, but when seventy year old frozen corpses spurt blood like it's a Tarantino movie you can't help but notice. The final thirty minutes is a single tedious chase sequence and really detracts from the charm built up by the dark humour and bloody fun of the middle segments. This void is made even more depressing as it unflatteringly highlights against the former acts and reeks of what could have been. While a fun enough film to have running in the background on a drunken night with friends, Dead Snow never reaches the level its premise boasts.
Read all my reviews at: simonsaysmovies.blogspot.com
Unbelievably boring
AirPlant25 October 2009
The acting, effects, script, lighting, sound in fact everything about this movie is perfectly, soullessly mediocre. It's not frightening. It's not funny. It's not clever. It's not even a bad movie. It's something much more unforgivable. It is a dull movie. Unbelievably, the creators have taken a story involving Teens vs Nazi Zombies, thrown in some sex, sprinkled on Shotguns, chainsaws, blood guts and somehow managed to make it as gripping as Maidstone on a wet Sunday afternoon. There should be a new IMDb review category –reserved for movies that evoke such extreme boredom that you want to kill yourself. So. Ignore the PR company stooges who are posting the 10 star reviews and avoid this hymn to all things bland at all costs. There, now I feel just a little better.
Norwegian Nazi-zombies!
essi-211 November 2008
I was lucky enough to be invited to see the Norwegian Nazi-zombie-movie, Død snø , in a private screening in Os International Film Festivalen in Norway. This film has the best tag line ever: Ein! Zwei! Die! So my expectations were pretty high on this one!
The director Tommy Wirkola first got famous in Norway with a movie called Kill Buljo: The Movie, which is a Norwegian parody of Kill Bill. He now continues in the same comedy/homage/genre field and very successfully I may add. The movie really is as good as it sounds and on top of that it is actually unique. I really like Tommy Wirkolas ability to combine homage with something new and interesting; not a very easy thing to do folks!
Død snø is basically a teenager-slasher-horror-comedy with Nazi-zombies. The storyline is pretty basic; it's about these teenagers that go up to a cabin in the mountains in the middle of winter and get ambushed by a punch of zombies. Yeah, you know the drill But this one really delivers, and all the clichés are used to benefit the film. You can see a lot of influences from past genre movies and it is filled with homage towards them. Everyone who likes these kinds of films will have a blast at the movie theater; I laughed my ass off!
So goo see this film!!! I give it 5 stars!
The director Tommy Wirkola first got famous in Norway with a movie called Kill Buljo: The Movie, which is a Norwegian parody of Kill Bill. He now continues in the same comedy/homage/genre field and very successfully I may add. The movie really is as good as it sounds and on top of that it is actually unique. I really like Tommy Wirkolas ability to combine homage with something new and interesting; not a very easy thing to do folks!
Død snø is basically a teenager-slasher-horror-comedy with Nazi-zombies. The storyline is pretty basic; it's about these teenagers that go up to a cabin in the mountains in the middle of winter and get ambushed by a punch of zombies. Yeah, you know the drill But this one really delivers, and all the clichés are used to benefit the film. You can see a lot of influences from past genre movies and it is filled with homage towards them. Everyone who likes these kinds of films will have a blast at the movie theater; I laughed my ass off!
So goo see this film!!! I give it 5 stars!
Better than I expected... Funny too!
ajs-1022 November 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I have to admit I'm not a great fan of horror films, but I was prepared to give this one a go. I mean, how bad could it be, a Scandinavian (Norwegian in this case) horror film with subtitles that involves Nazi zombies! How could I turn it down? Well, I have to say it wasn't as bad as I was expecting, in fact I quite liked it, to a certain extent. But more of my thoughts later, here's a brief summary first (summary haters please chainsaw your own arm off while I write the next paragraph
pick it up after).
A group of young friends, Martin, Roy, Hanna, Vegard, Liv, Erlend and Chris are meeting at a cabin in the mountains for the Easter holidays. The cabin is owned by Vegard's girlfriend Sara, who is skiing there and will arrive later. During their first night a stranger knocks at the door, they let him in and make him coffee. He tells them the creepy tale of the Germans who occupied the area during World War II. They were particularly evil to the locals and when they were about to be defeated many of them escaped to the mountains with a horde of cash and jewels stolen from the locals which was lost in the escape. Some say they still search the mountains for the horde. The stranger leaves and the group are slightly creeped out by his tale. Then Erlend, searching for some beer, finds a box under the floor (bet you can't guess what's inside). Needless to say, the group is picked off one by one until the final few are left for the big showdown at the end.
Although this film does not really do anything different to most in this genre, it was quite nice to see it from a different standpoint. What I mean is, it's nice to see the Norwegian take on this type of film. I loved the soundtrack, some classical and then everything up to some really hard rock, all in Norwegian of course. I won't say too much about the performances, everyone was OK and nobody really stood out. Although Vegar Hoel as Martin and Stig Frode Henriksen as Roy had a few really good comic moments towards the end.
So, overall, pretty gory with a nice soundtrack. It doesn't really add much to the genre although the zombie Nazi's move a lot faster than in most American zombie films. I really liked the sound design; they actually took their time and mixed a proper 5.1 surround sound track (Hollywood please take note). Some really great comic moments, particularly towards the end, but it does have subtitles which may put a few off. Over all, recommended.
My score: 6.2/10
A group of young friends, Martin, Roy, Hanna, Vegard, Liv, Erlend and Chris are meeting at a cabin in the mountains for the Easter holidays. The cabin is owned by Vegard's girlfriend Sara, who is skiing there and will arrive later. During their first night a stranger knocks at the door, they let him in and make him coffee. He tells them the creepy tale of the Germans who occupied the area during World War II. They were particularly evil to the locals and when they were about to be defeated many of them escaped to the mountains with a horde of cash and jewels stolen from the locals which was lost in the escape. Some say they still search the mountains for the horde. The stranger leaves and the group are slightly creeped out by his tale. Then Erlend, searching for some beer, finds a box under the floor (bet you can't guess what's inside). Needless to say, the group is picked off one by one until the final few are left for the big showdown at the end.
Although this film does not really do anything different to most in this genre, it was quite nice to see it from a different standpoint. What I mean is, it's nice to see the Norwegian take on this type of film. I loved the soundtrack, some classical and then everything up to some really hard rock, all in Norwegian of course. I won't say too much about the performances, everyone was OK and nobody really stood out. Although Vegar Hoel as Martin and Stig Frode Henriksen as Roy had a few really good comic moments towards the end.
So, overall, pretty gory with a nice soundtrack. It doesn't really add much to the genre although the zombie Nazi's move a lot faster than in most American zombie films. I really liked the sound design; they actually took their time and mixed a proper 5.1 surround sound track (Hollywood please take note). Some really great comic moments, particularly towards the end, but it does have subtitles which may put a few off. Over all, recommended.
My score: 6.2/10
Nazis + Zombies + Teenagers - Originality = 4/10
Red-Barracuda22 January 2010
Nazis and zombies have not always been the most successful combination in cinema history. Early 80's shockers Zombie Lake and Oasis of the Zombies proved that this sub-genre needed a lot of work. Moving on to the present day and we have Norwegian film Dead Snow. The question, therefore, has to be have things improved in the past 30 years? Well, marginally at best.
Maybe Dead Snow could more accurately be described as a Teen-Nazi-Zombie flick, seeing as its protagonists are students on a holiday in a remote cabin. You can probably guess from that last line that this film isn't exactly original. It's not remotely scary either. But at times you aren't really sure if it's being played for laughs or not, although I guess that was most probably part of the intention. Horror-comedy is a hard one to pull of, however, and this film essentially shows why. It's effectively neither one nor the other and you are left thinking 'meh'.
The characters are so negligible that you really can't care about them. And occasionally they do things that are highly irritating, i.e. does anyone really think that there is a chance in hell that a hot girl is going to enter a toilet and willingly have sex with a fat man who is in the process of wiping his butt post-dump? Eh, no? Please. Again it may have been intended as a joke? I dunno, maybe it's those long winter nights in Norway that has led to a somewhat strange and misguided sense of humour. Anyhow the Nazi zombies do eventually turn up in numbers but they seem to be computer generated which takes away some of the threat as it's difficult to create genuinely scary monsters with cheap CGI. They are perfectly serviceable for a low budget horror picture to be fair, but I'm just not much of a fan of CGI and prefer proper make up and physical effects.
This is throwaway stuff but it might entertain fans of modern horror films I guess.
Maybe Dead Snow could more accurately be described as a Teen-Nazi-Zombie flick, seeing as its protagonists are students on a holiday in a remote cabin. You can probably guess from that last line that this film isn't exactly original. It's not remotely scary either. But at times you aren't really sure if it's being played for laughs or not, although I guess that was most probably part of the intention. Horror-comedy is a hard one to pull of, however, and this film essentially shows why. It's effectively neither one nor the other and you are left thinking 'meh'.
The characters are so negligible that you really can't care about them. And occasionally they do things that are highly irritating, i.e. does anyone really think that there is a chance in hell that a hot girl is going to enter a toilet and willingly have sex with a fat man who is in the process of wiping his butt post-dump? Eh, no? Please. Again it may have been intended as a joke? I dunno, maybe it's those long winter nights in Norway that has led to a somewhat strange and misguided sense of humour. Anyhow the Nazi zombies do eventually turn up in numbers but they seem to be computer generated which takes away some of the threat as it's difficult to create genuinely scary monsters with cheap CGI. They are perfectly serviceable for a low budget horror picture to be fair, but I'm just not much of a fan of CGI and prefer proper make up and physical effects.
This is throwaway stuff but it might entertain fans of modern horror films I guess.
Don't mess with medical students... unless you are a Nazi zombie
siderite26 July 2009
Come on! It was fun! Zombified Nazi soldiers from the war are attacking a bunch of students. And the students fight back. A lot of references to Evil Dead here, a lot of fun, stupendous gore, with all the guts and brains and blood you would ever want.
At times the humour in the film actually hurt the viewing, since it was obviously artificial, so the greatest flaw of the movie, according to yours truly, is that it was not consistent, ever shifting from parody to the real thing. But eve so, it was tons of fun.
Although I have to admit, the funniest part of the movie is when the Nazi zombie officer appears with a spotless officer hat. I can only imagine the poor guy, eternally cleaning his military attire.
At times the humour in the film actually hurt the viewing, since it was obviously artificial, so the greatest flaw of the movie, according to yours truly, is that it was not consistent, ever shifting from parody to the real thing. But eve so, it was tons of fun.
Although I have to admit, the funniest part of the movie is when the Nazi zombie officer appears with a spotless officer hat. I can only imagine the poor guy, eternally cleaning his military attire.
Dead Snow
Scarecrow-8817 October 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Medical students, on vacation in the Norwegian mountains, run afoul of an army of foul, decaying Nazi zombies bent on retrieving a box holding precious jewels and gold doubloons. The plot's as simple as that as outrageous gore is gratuitous and plentiful with lots of bodies being torn into and apart. Closer in spirit to Evil Dead(..lots of homages to the first two films, particularly the second one, and both are even mentioned in the dialogue by a movie nerd)than Night of the Living Dead, director Tommy Wirkola and his film-making team choose a breathtaking location to set this ultra-violent splatter movie. The Nazi zombies are a ghastly breed, their flesh rotted to a vast degree, suited in deteriorated uniforms and helmets that are worse for wear. Wirkola takes about twenty or so minutes to establish who the characters are and then turns the zombies loose upon them, with lots of gaping, blood gushing wounds, chainsaw and ax damage, with even a face split open, not to mention violence involving intestines(..the highlight for gore aficionados would have to be the stitching of an open neck wound using a fishing hook!). CGI is noticeable, but there are enough practical effects to satisfy purists, I believe. While the film goes completely over-the-top in the department of relentless gruesome carnage, there are some instances of pure mean-spiritedness(..such as the accidental stabbing as one of our heroes is so caught up in continuously assaulting a zombie, he turns and impales his own girlfriend, and Wirkola allows this to progress as he watches her choke and gag on her own blood and it spurts out!)to be seen as well. Funniest scene might be when one of our heroines is up in a tree hiding from two zombies looking around, her position given up by a squawking bird(..that or the never-tiresome "decapitated head gag" where one of the girls thinks her pal is peering from outside the window when in actuality a zombie soldier is holding up her head!). Hilarity ensues including how an attempt at hurling a Molotov cocktail towards the zombies results in the setting afire of the cabin removing their own place of refuge..as well as how a snowmobile can pulverize zombies. Eyes are gouged with sticks and faces / heads are crushed under foot. Strong stomachs required. A must see for zombie fanatics.
Don't believe the hype
leirbag_p11 October 2009
I've read comments on this board about how much this movie will blow your mind. Don't believe them. They are truly lying. This movie disappoints in pretty much every aspect: the script, the acting, the humor, the horror, the characters... anyway, the (non-existent) story overall. I'm a zombie fan and this was below average, even if it is supposed to be a b-movie.
Maybe if I hadn't read the comments before I watched the movie, I wouldn't be so disappointed. I would just think it's another forgettable hit-and-miss at the zombie genre.
If you want a zombie comedy, go watch Evil Dead or Shaun of the Dead.
4 out of 10 because the FX were good and because if you don't buy the hype, it's not THAT bad. It's just bad.
Maybe if I hadn't read the comments before I watched the movie, I wouldn't be so disappointed. I would just think it's another forgettable hit-and-miss at the zombie genre.
If you want a zombie comedy, go watch Evil Dead or Shaun of the Dead.
4 out of 10 because the FX were good and because if you don't buy the hype, it's not THAT bad. It's just bad.
Start to finish
kosmasp16 July 2009
There is one major problem, horror comedies have these days: Most of the times, when the gore/horror kicks in, the humor goes/flies out the window. Not with this movie though. It stays right on track and achieves to stay funny and scary at the same time (maybe "gory" would be a more appropriate word).
While there isn't much of a plot (a few people somewhere have to fend of something evil), there is a fun ride hidden in this movie. Even the illogical attitude shown and some script failures don't really mess up a genuinely funny movie. And yes, while it might be considered more of horror movie (lots of blood), this is mostly a fun watch. Especially for those who think "Braindead" is a great movie ... References to other horror comedies included (T-Shirt).
While there isn't much of a plot (a few people somewhere have to fend of something evil), there is a fun ride hidden in this movie. Even the illogical attitude shown and some script failures don't really mess up a genuinely funny movie. And yes, while it might be considered more of horror movie (lots of blood), this is mostly a fun watch. Especially for those who think "Braindead" is a great movie ... References to other horror comedies included (T-Shirt).
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