Dead Snow is set in Norway & starts as several medical student friends travel to a remote log cabin in a small town called Oksfjord, the friends intend to spend the weekend enjoying themselves in the snow. A man suddenly appears & warns them about the surrounding mountains, about a curse that centers on a sadistic group of Nazi soldiers who apparently froze to death there during World War II but are said to still roam the area killing anyone that are unlucky enough to meet them. The medical students laugh his claims off as silly but it's not long before the Nazi zombies have risen from their graves & are trying to kill the students who have to use whatever they can to try & survive as they fight for their lives...
This Norwegian production is known as Død Snø in it's native country & was co-written & directed by Tommy Wirkola & has ridden on the recent success of the big budget Hollywood zombie film, it is actually part of a small sub genre known as the Nazi zombie film which include Shock Waves (1977), Oasis of the Zombies (1981), Zombies Lake (1981) & Night of the Zombies (1983) & I have to say that Dead Snow doesn't particularly enhance the reputation of the genre but it's an enjoyable enough way to waste 90 odd minutes. While a lot of people seem to be raving about Dead Snow I didn't think it was much more than just a good zombie film, the script for instance isn't that great with unlikable & bland character's & absolutely no explanation or reasoning behind anything that happens. There';s something about an old curse, there's some gold in a wooden box & lots of Nazi zombies but how they are all tied together is left unexplained. The pace is good & there's plenty of good moments but overall I would struggle to call Dead Snow a classic, the script also tries to mimic Scream (1996) & have lots of little references to other horror films & genre itself but these seem quite forced & deliberate & I think lack the wit that Scream showed.
The film looks nice enough & it looks to have a decent amount of money spent on it, the isolated snow covered mountain locations look great but director Wirkola doesn't inject any suspense or tension into the film as when the Nazi zombies show up he is more interested in splatter effects which in itself isn't a bad thing. There's some good gore here, there's a slit throat, a ripped open head, spilled brains, pulled out intestines, knives in eyes, people are ripped apart, bits of flesh are bitten off, there's plenty of blood & someone cuts their own arm off with a chainsaw in a scene that surely was lifted from Evil Dead II (1987)? The character who wears a Braindead (1992) shirt didn't go unnoticed either. The zombies themselves don't really act like traditional zombies & the Nazi back-story aspect feels cobbled together at the last minute & is vague & forgettable, maybe the makers didn't quite know what they were trying to go for here but no one aspect really excels.
With a supposed budget of about $800,000 Dead Snow looks pretty good & is well made, the special effects are impressive & the lack of CGI computer effect is welcome. Filmed in Norway. Available in either the original native Norwegian with English subs or an English dubbed I saw the dubbed version which is horribly out of sync at times. The acting seemed alright but none of the character's stand out & I never particularly rooted for any of them.
Dead Snow is an enjoyable zombie film with some good gore & a few nice moments, there's some humour & Scream style dialogue but as a whole I was left wanting a bit more. Enjoyable enough but I didn't think it was any sort of classic & can't really see where all the hype comes from.
This Norwegian production is known as Død Snø in it's native country & was co-written & directed by Tommy Wirkola & has ridden on the recent success of the big budget Hollywood zombie film, it is actually part of a small sub genre known as the Nazi zombie film which include Shock Waves (1977), Oasis of the Zombies (1981), Zombies Lake (1981) & Night of the Zombies (1983) & I have to say that Dead Snow doesn't particularly enhance the reputation of the genre but it's an enjoyable enough way to waste 90 odd minutes. While a lot of people seem to be raving about Dead Snow I didn't think it was much more than just a good zombie film, the script for instance isn't that great with unlikable & bland character's & absolutely no explanation or reasoning behind anything that happens. There';s something about an old curse, there's some gold in a wooden box & lots of Nazi zombies but how they are all tied together is left unexplained. The pace is good & there's plenty of good moments but overall I would struggle to call Dead Snow a classic, the script also tries to mimic Scream (1996) & have lots of little references to other horror films & genre itself but these seem quite forced & deliberate & I think lack the wit that Scream showed.
The film looks nice enough & it looks to have a decent amount of money spent on it, the isolated snow covered mountain locations look great but director Wirkola doesn't inject any suspense or tension into the film as when the Nazi zombies show up he is more interested in splatter effects which in itself isn't a bad thing. There's some good gore here, there's a slit throat, a ripped open head, spilled brains, pulled out intestines, knives in eyes, people are ripped apart, bits of flesh are bitten off, there's plenty of blood & someone cuts their own arm off with a chainsaw in a scene that surely was lifted from Evil Dead II (1987)? The character who wears a Braindead (1992) shirt didn't go unnoticed either. The zombies themselves don't really act like traditional zombies & the Nazi back-story aspect feels cobbled together at the last minute & is vague & forgettable, maybe the makers didn't quite know what they were trying to go for here but no one aspect really excels.
With a supposed budget of about $800,000 Dead Snow looks pretty good & is well made, the special effects are impressive & the lack of CGI computer effect is welcome. Filmed in Norway. Available in either the original native Norwegian with English subs or an English dubbed I saw the dubbed version which is horribly out of sync at times. The acting seemed alright but none of the character's stand out & I never particularly rooted for any of them.
Dead Snow is an enjoyable zombie film with some good gore & a few nice moments, there's some humour & Scream style dialogue but as a whole I was left wanting a bit more. Enjoyable enough but I didn't think it was any sort of classic & can't really see where all the hype comes from.