Dead Snow (2009)
"Død snø" (original title)

A ski vacation turns horrific for a group of medical students, as they find themselves confronted by an unimaginable menace: Nazi zombies.

Director:

Tommy Wirkola

Writers:

Tommy Wirkola, Stig Frode Henriksen

Stars:

Vegar Hoel, Charlotte Frogner, Jeppe Beck Laursen

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Vegar Hoel	...	Martin
Stig Frode Henriksen	...	Roy
Charlotte Frogner	...	Hanna
Lasse Valdal	...	Vegard
Evy Kasseth Røsten	...	Liv
Jeppe Beck Laursen	...	Erlend
Jenny Skavlan	...	Chris
Ane Dahl Torp	...	Sara
Bjørn Sundquist	...	Turgåer
Ørjan Gamst	...	Oberst Herzog

Storyline

Several friends take to the mountains and shack-up in the wilderness of back-of-beyond to enjoy a little R & R together, their peace is soon interrupted by a mysterious old man, warning them of a local curse that during the German occupation of the local area that these Nazi invaders were brutal and harsh in their methods of control. Telling of the legend of the villager's revolt that drove them up into the cold, dark mountains where they perished, that is until rumour of their return in the form of zombies, evil Nazi zombies.

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Plot Keywords:

nazi | nazi zombie | snowmobile | zombie | snow | 

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Taglines:

Ein! Zwei! Die!

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Norway

Language:

Norwegian

Release Date:

9 January 2009 (Norway)

Also Known As:

Dead Snow

Filming Locations:

Alta, Finnmark, Norway

Box Office

Budget:

$800,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$5,363 (USA) (19 June 2009)

Gross:

$41,709 (USA) (24 July 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Euforia Film, Barentsfilm AS, FilmCamp

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film's main trailer shows black-and-white World War II archive footage including battleships, parachuting and a command room featuring Adolf Hitler but this material is not seen in the actual movie.

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Goofs

When Vegard first begins searching for Sarah, as he is riding through the area there is one scene with visible sled tracks from previous takes.

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Quotes

The Wanderer: Believe me when I say this, These were some evil sons of bitches.

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Connections

References Evil Dead II (1987)

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Soundtracks

"Harry"
Written by Magnus Grønneberg (All rights reserved)
Performed by The CC Cowboys
Sony/BMG Music Entertainment

User Reviews

A crowdpleasing mix of chills, thrills and chainsaw dismemberments for all the family.

Last year Sweden stormed the horror front with an introspective, brooding character piece that doubletimed as a stylish vampire flick in the form of LET THE RIGHT IN. This year it's Norway's turn in the Scandinavian horror helm with DEAD SNOW. If the former retained some of the glacial minimalism of their fellow countryman and all-around venerable cinema giant Ingmar Bergman, Wikola's zombie slasher flick isn't too proud to have a chubby horror fan sporting a BRAINDEAD tshirt make out with a horny chicka in an outhouse while nazi zombies stalk the perimeters about.

Wearing its influences on the proverbial sleeve with the same cheering aplomb the characters discuss movies like Friday THE 13TH and EVIL DEAD, keeping tongue firmly in (someone's) cheek and regularly closing its eye to the audience in conspiratorial agreement, DEAD SNOW is a consistently entertaining little slasher flick even if with hardly an original bone in its body. Hearkening back to a long tradition of youth-gone-wild-in-the-middle-of-nowhere horror flicks and substituting the usual assortment of demons, hillbillies or cannibals that usually populate these movies with nazi zombies fresh thawed-out from their icy graves, the movie strikes a careful balance between the cartoonish and the horrific, while remaining bloody enough (even with CGI blood) to satisfy gore enthusiasts.

That's not to say the movie is without faults. It's baffling how, out of the elaborate mythology and various occult theories that surround the Nazis, the writer manages to come with the most flimsy, pedantic of backstories for the zombies. A little research would've gone a long way to turn it into something more interesting. While the build-up in the first half is carried on the backs of actors who make up for their lack of great acting chops with genuine chemistry, the second half can be a bit aimless and meandering. You can run in the woods from zombies only for so long. When the characters put up a fight though, chainsaw and hammer in hand, it's as good as it's ever been.

Overall a surprisingly entertaining, competently made movie that hides its relative low-budget behind a professional look and fan enthusiasm. Bound to be one of the crowdpleasing horror-comedies of the year even if it veers closer to forgettable than great in the long run.