Ich Bin Ein Zombie
A group of eight medical students decide to spend the Easter break up at a remote lodge in the mountains where they plan to ski amongst other things. But not long after they reach their remote destination they get a visit from a creepy local who warns them that during the war a Nazi unit was based in the region who went missing, never to be heard of again. But these friends both hear and see them as they have become Nazi zombies and start a full scale assault on these fun loving friends.
Director Tommy Wirkola knows his horror movies and that more than anything else is why "Dead Snow", a Norwegian zombie movie, is so popular. Yes it has an entertaining idea which sees an old troop of Nazis having become zombies attacking a group of teens in a remote cabin but it is down to awareness as to why it works. Take for example the classic scene in the cabin when they first hear a noise outside, one of the guys says he will go out to look and so we get the first possibility of the door open when something could be there. Then there is the stepping outside and you think something is going to come for him from a side but then as he steps in we get the outline of a hood behind him with no face till the person steps forwards and it is the local man. Every second of that scene works because it plays to the expectations and knowledge of a horror fan aware of the typical possibilities which present themselves with what is such a typical set up of teens in an isolated cabin.
Now for a while Wirkola just plays with the knowing what "Dead Snow" is, using the cliches to bring enjoyment rather than groans but before being self aware becomes tedious he changes track and gives us the full on zombie action. I am not going to go in to specifics but will say we are in the realms of extreme blood spurting, knife wielding action which is highly effective thanks to the decent work of the special effects team.
What will surprise some is the fact that "Dead Snow" is a Norwegian horror movie and that means subtitles but you end up not paying a lot of attention to them as it features a self explanatory, even universal story which doesn't require you to think about too much. And when it isn't hitting you with the graphic nature of the horror it takes some time to take in the beauty of the mountain surroundings which are quite beautiful.
What this all boils down to is that "Dead Snow" is a lot of fun with its self awareness providing plenty of humour as well as moments of horror. But at the same time it doesn't over do it as it also keeps things entertaining as a zombie action movie which allows it to bridge the language barrier.
Tags: Zombie Movies
