October 7, 2009

Dead Snow (2009)

OKAY, WE CAN ALL AGREE...

Nazis: bad.
Zombies: also bad.

But Nazi zombies? That’s gotta be super-double-evil-bad, right?

Plot:
In the snowy mountains of Norway, a group of friends go on a trip to a remote cabin – only to run afoul of a group of Nazi zombies looking to protect the secret treasure they hid at the end of World War II.

Critique:

Much like one victim’s head in Dead Snow, the film is split in two: The first half is all buildup, the second half all payoff. And for the bloodthirsty viewer, the clashes between the Nazombies™ and humans do not disappoint. Blood flows, limbs fly, and heads roll – all with just enough humor to ice the crimson cake. (Especially awesome is a bloody showdown between Nazombie squads and two guys wielding a chainsaw, hammers, and a scythe.)

Director Tommy Wirkola treats the Nazombies as near-human – not brain-dead, rotting, walking corpses, but the military men they are (were?). Rather than wandering the snow-covered terrain aimlessly, the Nazis’ colonel leads them on the hunt for our friends, dispersing his men strategically to patrol the area. And these zombies don’t just bite – they punch, stab, can climb trees, and (like most of today’s movie zombies) run at full speed.

Wirkola (who co-wrote the script) also brings some unique action and unsettling point-of-view camerawork – both feats considering how the zombie genre can feel played out at times.

If you dig zombie films and are desperate for a decent one, check out Dead Snow. It’s an out-of-control ride, in the best way possible.

Unfortunately, Dead Snow is not available on Region 1 (US) DVD yet (the Amazon link below is for Region 2). In the meantime, you can watch it on IFC Films On Demand or view it online here.

P.S. Watch for the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it nods to Halloween and The Evil Dead.

Norwegian, with subtitles.

Rating:

Will your kids want to watch it?
Possibly. Zombies have a coolness factor to older kids, and probably play a part in some of their favorite shoot-‘em-up video games. But NO CHILDREN under high-school age should see Dead Snow. People (and zombies) are dismembered, disemboweled, shot, stabbed, and impaled, with blood flowing and spurting freely. There’s also a graphic sex scene in an outhouse (yep). Oh, and a crow is killed.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?
Unless she's a big-time, hardcore gorehound, the answer is no.

Nazis. Why did it have to be Nazis?

Dead Snow
• Director: Tommy Wirkola
• Screenwriter: Stig Frode Henriksen, Tommy Wirkola
• Stars: Jeppe Laursen, Charlotte Frogner, Stig Frode Henriksen, Vegar Hoel, Jenny Scavlan, Evy Kasseth Røsten
• MPAA Rating: NR (sexual content, extreme graphic violence and gore)


Buy Dead Snow for less at Half.com >>
Rent Dead Snow at Netflix >>

6 comments:

Jordan in Texas said...

I was really disappointed by Dead Snow. With the initial concept in place, you'd think they could come up with a story that's a little less trite...instead they just wasted it away.

Keith said...

I do wanna see this one. I've been interested in it since I first saw the trailer.

Kathy B. said...

Not my cup of tea.
However, reading and saying "Nazombie" make me giggle.
Almost like I might want to give it a try.......
Love,
K.

The Man-Cave said...

FF - I never heard of this one, but the premise sounds irresistible. I am going to check out that link to watch it online.

If you like Nazi zombies and are interested in seeing more of them, please see Hard Rock Zombies (if you haven't yet already). I swear it is a real film and it exists. LOL, I even wrote a review on it before the summer.

Josh Lipovetsky said...

Nice review, I heard about this movie on another website. It looks pretty ridiculous. Did they base the Nazi Zombies game in Call of Duty on this movie?

Thanks,
Josh Lipovetsky.

Dead Snow Online said...

I have read so many reviews and I am now confused about this movie as half of them do praises and half says that its a bad option. I think its better to watch and decide after that.

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