Dir: Tommy Wirkola
Rating: ***** out of 5 stars
Truth is, when you make a film about Nazi zombies, people WILL watch it. The filmmakers behind Dead Snow could have been lazy and made a complete piece of shit, and it wouldn't matter because it has Nazi fucking zombies! We'd watch it, regardless. But these guys made the extra effort and created one of the best horror-comedies in recent memory. It has everything I could ever want in a horror movie - great characters, tons of blood and fantastic gore, hilarious black humor, Evil Dead references, and a kickass soundtrack. Simply put, I'm in heaven.
Seven college students take a trip into the mountains for a ski trip, but they are unaware that the area has a dark history of Nazi cruelty. A local man warns them about evil forces plaguing the region, but the kids blow it off. Before long, their fun is cut short by a legion of undead Nazis who crawl out of the snow and start picking off the tourists. One of the guys takes a snow mobile in search of his missing girlfriend, while the other survivors gather weapons and look for help.
All the characters are likable, including the local 'stranger' who arrives to warn the protagonists. For his 5-minute scene, he is really awesome, and I wish he had more screen-time. The humor of Dead Snow is great and there are even laugh-old-loud moments. Director Tommy Wirkola definitely has a talent for comedic timing of his shots. I cannot wait to see what he does next.
As zombie movies go, this one is pretty unconventional. There are a few ideas I have never seen done before, but I'd rather not spoil them here. Furthermore, these zombies don't really eat flesh and they may not even infect victims with a bite (its debatable). And they definitely aren't slow! But for all you zombie traditionalists, don't worry, there is still plenty of blood and kickass gore. Great gore can really make or break a movie for me, it means a lot to me - and this movie definitely passed the test. The zombie and human kills are CRAZY, it's awesome.
One last note - the music. The film has a lot of Norweigan metal I can't understand, but dammit, it is cool! I hope I am able to get ahold of the soundtrack someday. If you enjoy films like Shaun of the Dead, this movie is a must see. Of course it's not as clever (Edgar Wright, duh) but among the Shaun-inspired films out there, Dead Snow definitely stands out. It is a hilarious blood-fest and certain to be a genre classic.
5 comments:
Saw it today and LOVED IT! Would like to get my hands on that Norwegian country tune....
Do you mean "Harry" by CC Cowboys? That plays when they're driving to the mountain at the beginning. If that's not the one you're thinking of, let me know, I have all the songs :)
Do you know the metal one they plave for a little bit ?
I can't find it anywhere D:
I'm sure I could help you, but you gotta be more specific. There's a lot of metal in it :P
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