Dead Snow
Directed by Tommy Wirkola
Norway 2012
PLOT
A group of medical students goes to a mountain cottage for a vacation filled with snowmobiles, beer, sex, and dumb games.
Soon, Nazi zombies—soldiers cursed during World War II—will awaken and come to reclaim the gold the youngsters have stolen, ready to get it back at any cost…
THOUGHTS
“What’s scarier than a zombie? A Nazi zombie!” These are the words of director Tommy Wirkola, with whom we completely agree.
Dead Snow is undoubtedly one of the most significant titles, not necessarily for its quality, but for its cult/scult impact, reinvigorating the not-so-new idea of combining the undead with Nazi soldiers.
This small Norwegian film quickly became an underground phenomenon, spawning two sequels.
The formula that makes the film work is one of the most tried and tested: lots of blood and plenty of humor in a constant yet enjoyable pursuit of excess at all costs, with scattered homages to iconic films and directors, especially Raimi and Jackson.
Amputations, dismemberments, chainsaws, hammers to the face, eyes ripped from their sockets are the main ingredients of this rich Norwegian dish, especially in the extreme finale, but never feeling “gratuitous” or ridiculous. The humor and hard rock rhythm lighten the intensity of certain scenes.
While nothing much happens in the first forty minutes except for introducing us to the group and getting to know the kids, the second half explodes with the full power of splatter and gore.
Here, Wirkola shows himself to be a capable and tasteful director, handling things well and reaching the peak in the climactic daytime battle in the open field. In this scene, we can appreciate the excellent zombie makeup work, the very good special effects (worthy of a mid-high budget production), and the extreme amount of blood spilling onto the snowy landscape, creating an impressive visual impact.
A fun, disgusting movie that has no pretensions, never takes itself seriously, but is fully capable of entertaining and surprising.
PANDEMONIUM MOMENT
A girl being hunted by Nazi zombies gets eaten and dismembered. The scene is shot from her point of view, with great effectiveness and unease.
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