SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2009: DEAD SNOW

Shooting some Nazi zombies in Dead Snow.

Cold bloody killings

By John Esther

From the opening scene of Norway's Tommy Wirkola's movie one knows that if you go out into the snowy woods today you are in for a big bloody surprise.

In typical heterosexual-coupled form, eight medical students retreat one Easter vacation in a far and away snow cabin for some winter activity. The first one never arrives. Then another one dies, and then the other (these two after having sex in an outhouse) and now it is a matter of life or death to get back to the car before dying in a very violent vein at the hands of some Nazi zombies.

While there are few funny moments in this film, there are just too many script problems for this odd Sundance film to succeed. If the cabin was the first victim's how come she never encountered these killers before? How come these Nazis have guns but they do not use them? If these are medical students who are not studying during break, why not use their skills when fighting back? Why do they stare at the zombies rather than kill them when they have a friend in dire need? Is this some metaphor for violent voyeurism? And so on.

Apparently the filmmakers were a little too pleased with how much violence they could use to care with other problems in the script. The sex is gross and grossly modest compared to violence. How American of Wirkola. Are "horror" films independent if they have subtitles?.

Moreover, considering the ending are we suppose assume the killers just want their stolen loot back and all is well? Where do they think they will spend it?

And as far as the villains go, the real Nazis were already zombies. There is no need for hyperbole.