Enjoy this Monday with Mildred!
This is also Zombie World Tour post!
Dead Snow
(Original Norwegian Name: Sno Dod)
A race through the night, chased by something evil, struggling through deep, deep snow with an Edvard Grieg soundtrack throws us right away into creepyville. With a wrench, the scene changes to 70s slasher movie and a group of friends driving into the country for a long Easter weekend of teenage fun, soundtrack now blaring heavy metal. The country is Norway, and they’re deep in the mountains. Once they park the cars it’s a Blair Witch-y forty five minute schlep through skeletal trees in the deep snow to the dusty old cabin-o-fun. The group is diverse, with a geek, ex-military, pre-med and assorted others who play like kids in the snow during the day and party hearty at night. Before you can say “her kommer de nazi-zombier”, the slaughter begins.
And it is a slaughter. Dod Sno is a gory mess of brains and guts and blood drenched everything, as well as a truly gross sex scene. Look for the cliché Old Norwegian Man Who Must Lecture scene. He tells the evil backstory to the bored but polite kids and then wanders off into the night.
With only one gun to defend themselves, our heroes must instead use all the tools in the shed. Yes, of course they have a chain saw. The film is peppered with Evil Dead nods, including a couple of Raimi’ish quick cut sequences, as well as Raiders of the Lost Ark and Friday the 13th. Though it follows the standard slasher plotline, this is not a standard movie. Nazi zombies in a pitched battle on a snowy plane is anything but standard. The total yardage of guts is astounding, and in one scene played to hilarious heights. (You’ll laugh at that line once you’ve seen the film.)
There must be a law against B movies in Norway, because I’ve never run across one. Dod Sno is believable, coherent, slick and well made. The day scenes are gorgeous and the night scenes are easy to see. It’s good to see how nonchalant the filmmakers are about heroic women characters. Very refreshing. The writing is fantastic, the actors are hilarious, and the Nazi zombies are evil and gross and hilarious as well.
Don’t let the subtitles throw you, though now and then they flash by a little too quickly. If you’re looking for a fun romp through gore filled snow, then please watch this film.
LINKS:
Dead Snow Movie Trailer
CFR: In Addition: I really liked this movie. First: I totally love Norway and hope to visit one day. Second: Well, I can’t feel guilty about wanting zombies, especially Nazi zombies, being sent out of Midgard, aka our Earth. 🙂
Only complaint: I’m really tired of the trope in our horror stories where we punish people for wanting sex. Ok, so these people get away and some of them want to sleep with each other. In my world they should not be selected for zombie attacking. Let us not punish those who do what is natural. Think of it this way: Would you punish someone for wanting to eat lunch? This is a trope in lots of horror, mostly slasher flicks, and I would like it to go away.
Now go and enjoy Dead Snow!
Chick Flicking Reviews 