When you go to see a film about Nazi Zombies, a decent plot is the last of your expectations, but a plot of sorts Dead Snow (Dod Sno) does have, so here’s the basic outline:
A group of medical students and girlfriends decide to take an Easter break at a cabin up in the snow-covered mountains. After a 45-minute trek from their cars (just to make sure they are isolated) they arrive at their destination, unpack and have some snow themed fun, before the evening sets in. Then a stranger drops by to warn them of the mountains history – citing the historical deeds of the cruel Nazis during the Second World War and warning the student’s not to awaken the evil that lies dormant in the hills. Of course the students inexplicitly awaken the evil and have a battle royal on their hands as they try and hold off a horde of angry, evil, Nazi Zombies!
If you’re worried about gaping plot holes, clichés and wholly un-original ideas, then you’d best steer clear, because Dead Snow embraces the spirit of making fun of yourself and everyone who came before you, but does so with such style that you don’t care.
It’s this caviller attitude that helps keep Dead Snow fun, and at the packed Friday night screening, the audience was enjoying every last bit of the film, with waves of raucous laughter filling the theatre. Of course, with any decent horror flick, there has to be a degree of, well, horror. Dead Snow delivers on this front as well. From the steady pacing of the slow bits – the bits where you’re kept waiting, knowing, anticipating that something is going to happen, to the all out assaults of fright and gore, Tommy Wirkola gives the impression that he is a master of the craft.
He even ventures into the ‘he didn’t just do that’ territory, but manages to avoid one of the biggest clichés of splatter horror; the gratuitous nudity. Yes there is a sex scene, but Dead Snow knows what it wants to be remembered for, and it’s not the girls, it’s the blood and guts and the Nazi Zombies.
From the perfect pacing, the awesome scenery right though to the splatterific gore, heart attack inducing tension and sweet comedic relief, Dead Snow holds you firm in its steely ice cold grip, not letting you go for it’s entire one and a half hour run time.
I could mention the acting, but in reality every character is interchangeable, they are only there to kill Nazi Zombies and keep us guessing as to who will survive. Sure they play their given roles well, but no one will remember their acting, just the one liners or the juxtaposition of music and battle. It’s how the characters stand up to the Nazi Zombies that make this a fantastic trip, and possibly the fact that it’s subtitled helps the humour along.
For everything it does wrong, according to the sensible moving making manual, Dead Snow scores points for entertainment value, dishing up, what is in my opinion, the best Zombie movie ever.
Reviewed by: Jonathan Read [ad#filmguide-1]
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