Films like Dead Snow are not the types of films that will be marketed to a mainstream audience. Chances are if you haven’t already heard of this Norwegian Nazi zombie horror flick, it’s not up your alley in the first place. Horror message boards have been buzzing about Dead Snow for at least a year now. Given a proper US DVD release, Americans can join in the silly fun that abounds in this film.
A group of college co-eds embark on a raucous journey to a secluded cabin in the snowy Norwegian countryside for a well deserved break from their studies. If that sounds like the beginning to countless other cheesy horror films, that’s exactly right. The self-described “film geek” in the group even points this out as they trudge through the snow. On their first night there, the clueless co-eds are paid a visit by a mysterious man who seemingly comes out of nowhere (on a sub-zero temperature snow covered mountain range with no other buildings in sight) and gives them a word of caution – this very hill was one that Nazi’s occupied during World War II and did unspeakable things to the people who lived here. The Nazis are still angry and out for blood.
The group brushes off the old man’s warning and as soon as he leaves, they commence with consuming large amounts of alcohol and having sex wherever they can. Oh, and they also stumble upon a random box of Nazi gold. And stereotypically, this is when the zombies arrive to attack. From here on, we’re not quite sure why the zombies are attacking. Are they out to get their gold back? Do they still think they’re at war, since they actually fight with weapons instead of simply biting people? Or are they just hungry? Really it doesn’t matter. For zombie fans, this is where the fun starts. In the last half of the film, and during the brilliant climax, there is plenty of blood and guts (lots of guts) and really cool zombie makeup and costumes to satiate any zombie fan.
Dead Snow is a very cliché horror movie, made to be a cliché horror movie. It has elements of Shaun of the Dead, Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, and plenty of its own charm. Of course there are flaws, but that’s not the point. Dead Snow, the Norwegian Nazi zombie (pirate?) horror movie, is definitely worthy of the buzz that it has received, and is a must-watch for zombie fans.
Presented in a 1.66:1 aspect ratio, this film really looks better than it ought to be. That’s probably more due to the breathtaking location though, but this really is a pretty looking movie. The sound mix on this release is very well done, and the great horror sound effects are nicely highlighted.
Feature Presentation disc:
Trailers: The Skeptic, Pontypool, The Appeared, The Escapist, I Sell The Dead
Bonus Features disc:
Behind Dead Snow – Shows filming a few scenes, and the fun vibe on set. (18:37)
Special Make-Up Effects of Dead Snow – Mostly shows them making fake heads. Not much dialogue, mostly set to music. The disappointing part of this is that with how cool the zombie make-up was, there is less than 1 minute of time devoted to that. (6:29)
Original Theatrical Trailer
Teaser Trailer
Madness in the North! – An extensive making of featurette. (48:57)
Madness in the West! – Shows the cast & director’s exploits on their way to the Sundance Film Festival. (17:53)
Outtakes – All of the outtakes are of the fight at the end of the movie. (2:04)
VFX – Shows how they did a few of the effects shots. (3:19)
Burning the Cabin – With two days left, the crew set the cabin on fire. Due to lighting problems, the footage couldn’t be used in the film. Here is that footage. (1:00)
The Sounds of Dead Snow – The first half is great, talks about the sounds they used. Then they play a heavy metal song over them recording the sounds. Shouldn’t we be actually hearing those sounds instead of listening to music over it? Odd. (5:41)
Dead Snow has the perfect balance of camp and gore to have made its way into my regular Halloween horror movie watching rotation. With it’s silly humor and gross-out effects, it’s the perfect movie to watch with a crowd. Just the premise alone makes this foreign horror worth a watch.
MPI Home Video presents Dead Snow. Directed by: Tommy Wirkola. Starring: Vegar Hoel, Jeppe Laursen, Jenny Skavlan, Stig Frode Henriksen. Written by: Stig Frode Henriksen, Tommy Wirkola. Running time: 92 minutes. Not Rated. Released on DVD: February 23, 2010. Available at Amazon.com.
