Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead (2014)

Still on the run from a group of Nazi zombies, a man seeks the aid of a group of American zombie enthusiasts, and discovers new techniques for fighting the zombies.

Director:

Tommy Wirkola

Writers:

Tommy Wirkola (screenplay), Vegar Hoel (screenplay)

Stars:

Vegar Hoel, Ørjan Gamst, Martin Starr

15 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vegar Hoel	...	Martin
Ørjan Gamst	...	Herzog
Martin Starr	...	Daniel
Jocelyn DeBoer	...	Monica
Ingrid Haas	...	Blake
Stig Frode Henriksen	...	Glenn Kenneth
Hallvard Holmen	...	Gunga
Kristoffer Joner	...	Sidekick Zombie
Amrita Acharia	...	Reidun
Derek Mears	...	Stavarin
Bjarte Tjøstheim	...	Priest
Christian Rubeck	...	Politiman
Charlotte Frogner	...	Hanna
Jesper Sundnes	...	Nazi Doktor
Tage Guddingsmo	...	Zombie Navigatør

Storyline

If the worst day of your life consisted of accidentally killing your girlfriend with an axe, chain-sawing your own arm off, and watching in horror as your closest friends were devoured by a zombified Nazi battalion, you'd have to assume that things couldn't get much worse. In Martin's case, that was only the beginning.

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Plot Keywords:

zombie | soviet zombie | nazi zombie | sequel | supernatural power | 

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Taglines:

Heads up. They're back.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody horror violence and gore throughout, and language including some sexual references

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot in both Norwegian and English.

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Goofs

The Soviet zombies all lose their power when the Soviet commander is killed. But the Soviet zombies were resurrected by Martin, so they should be tied to Martin.

The Soviet zombies don't lose their power when their leader is killed. They were already outnumbered and losing the fight before he died.

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Quotes

Herzog: Platoon... Sieg Heil!

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Crazy Credits

There is a scene after the ending credits.

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Alternate Versions

In English-speaking countries the film was released in an English-only version. For this, all Norwegian dialogue scenes were also shot in English.

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Connections

Referenced in El Rato Muerto: Top 20 películas de Zombies según un Zombie (2019)

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Soundtracks

Ding Dong Song
Written by Anderz Wrethov and Mats Söderlund
Produced and mixed by Anderz Wrethov
Performed by Mats Söderlund (as Günther)

User Reviews

Funnier sequel

Version: Grimm Up North festival screening

Actors: 6/10

Plot/script: 7/10

Photography/visual style: 6/10

Music/score: 7/10

Overall: 7/10

Nazi zombies! 2009's Norwegian horror film 'Dead Snow' was the very definition of a 'high concept' movie, given that it could be fully described and sold with those two words (and punctuation). I found it no more than OK, but someone would appear to have appreciated it because Hollywood tapped director Tommy Wirkola up for 'Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters', starring Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton.

Again, critical reviews were somewhat frosty (no pun intended), but H&G:WH made a comfortable profit, and Wirkola has used his industry cred to come back to 'Dead Snow' for a sequel.

The Hollywood influence is evident in several areas of 'Dead Snow 2'. It is considerably larger in scale, for a start, including pitch battles between the undead fascists and their new (or rather, old) Communist adversaries, as well as a tank, large numbers of extras, and a lot more daylight wide shots that indicate a higher budget.

Then there are the American characters, leading to a lot of the dialogue being in English, which is bound to raise the international saleability. It is also a lot funnier. The original played it more-or-less as a straight horror, buying into the ridiculous premise, but the sequel highlights this incongruity for comedic effect.

There are also a few jokes at the expense of the Americans, sly cinematic digs and a whole lot of gore that leans towards the slapstick side. It reminded me more than anything of the Finnish 'Nazis on the Moon' comedy 'Iron Sky', and that is a positive association in my book.

The music is very well-used, and I detected hints of world-building in the nature and rules of the resurrection, raising the prospect of an entire 'Dead Snow' series. There are some slightly uncomfortable hints of terrorist Anders Breivik in the demented Norwegian main character, taking extreme actions in response to a threat others cannot (initially) believe, but maybe I am just reading too much into it.

It's all exuberant fun, with a commendable sense of its own ridiculousness. Some of the gags are a bit low-brow for me, but others are genuinely funny, end even quite witty. Dead Snow 3? Why not, I'd watch!

Details

Country:

Norway Iceland USA UK

Language:

Norwegian English German

Release Date:

7 October 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead

Filming Locations:

Iceland

Box Office

Budget:

NOK35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,331, 12 October 2014

Gross USA:

$37,473

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,187,477

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tappeluft Pictures, Saga Film, XYZ Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1