Dead Snow (2009) Movie Info
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Movie Name | Dead Snow (2009) |
| Director | Tommy Wirkola |
| Screenplay Writer | Tommy Wirkola, Stig Frode Henriksen |
| Based on Novel by | — (Original screenplay) |
| Lead Actors | Vegar Hoel, Stig Frode Henriksen |
| Cast | Vegar Hoel, Stig Frode Henriksen, Charlotte Frogner, Lasse Valdal |
| Genre | Horror, Comedy, Zombie |
| Release Date | January 9, 2009 (Norway) |
| Duration | 1h 31m (91 minutes) |
| Budget | ~$800,000 |
| Language | Norwegian |
| Country | Norway |
| Box Office (Worldwide) | Cult international success |
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A group of university students, roughing it in the harsh, remote wilderness, closes in on a cache of gold once possessed by a brutal regiment of Nazi soldiers buried nearby. Unfortunately for our hapless, horny heroes, the Nazi soldiers weren’t buried very deep, and are now closing in on them.
“Wait a sec, is this a review of Dead Snow or Oasis of the Zombies?”
If that thought occurred to you, you have my sympathies; you sound like a total zombie geek. (If you’re not, why in the world were you watching Oasis of the Zombies? You have my sympathies there, too.) Anyway, despite the plot points shared with Oasis (and even a nearly identical prologue), Dead Snow rises above its brethren as certainly the best Nazi zombie movie to come out in decades.
Actually, it has less of a plot than nearly all of the Nazi zombie movies I’ve seen except for 1977’s atmospheric Shock Waves, which is telling. I guess less is more, too many of these Nazi zombie flicks bog themselves down with backstory or tepid plot twists. Dead Snow does it right for what it is, offering just enough explanation to set things up and add to the suspense before moving on to the undead mayhem we’ve all been waiting for.
And it is indeed mayhemic. The snowy mountains of Norway turn red from all the quartering, gouging, bloodspattering, headsplitting, crotchbiting (the bad kind), intestinal tug-o-war, and a host of other ouchies. Good thing our heroes are all medical students, right? As the group thins, those remaining prove to be more than just another load of victims with maybe one plucky Final Girl or Boy. Channeling the spirits of Ash Williams and Lionel Cosgrove (not to mention the Norwegian resistance during the Nazi occupation), these kids get creative and transform into some of the most resourceful, bloodsoaked zombie-asskickers this side of Plaga Zombie.
Through it all, the film’s keen sense of style and humor, along with the fine photography and beautiful setting, let me get absorbed in the atmosphere and gorefest without caring too much that some plot devices and character expositions are formulaic. Careful pacing and style greatly heighten the terror in several scenes. Without losing its sense of fun, Dead Snow is full of suspense (some artful, some predictable) that builds up until it explodes in over-the-top, wet n’ chunky action. The acting is solid along the way, and we’re treated to a bit of character development as the kids face their worst fears and uncover hidden strengths. (Cliché? A little. So what? They’re crushing undead skulls with hammers at the same time.)
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