‘Dead Snow’ Was One of the Best Zombie Flicks of 2009 (Review)

Written by: Matt Molgaard

Directed by: Tommy Wirkola

Cast: Vegar Hoel, Jeppe Beck Laursen, Charlotte Frogner, Jenny Skavlan

A group of medical students head out for a pleasant Easter vacation in the Norwegian mountains. What they don’t know is they’ve picked the wrong area to set up shop, as these parts played host to the demise of a group of Nazi’s in World War II that now seem to haunt the slopes. Infamous for their savage behavior, the Nazi’s were chased from town into the mountains where it is said they froze to death. But these Nazi’s didn’t just freeze to death, they froze to undeath, and when this group of meddling medical students uncover lost (but not forgotten) gold, the undead Nazi’s are anything but warm in embrace.

An impressive cast featuring the likes of Charlotte Frogner, Vegar Hoel, and Jeppe Laursen (amongst others) anchor this humorous, yet disturbing ensemble and subsequent add a little something unique to the zombie sub-genre. The film packs some solid gore, a few jolts, and some of the best zombie makeup work I’ve ever seen. These ghouls are creepy as all hell, and the realism within the execution of Lene Bruksas’ (and crew) craft conjures quite the stimulating visual experience. Makeup work aside, the agility of these creatures alone is enough to ignite a spark of fear, as there’s no shuffling about here – just break neck speed, and wicked zombie tackles that would make Lawrence Taylor beam with pride.

Athletic zombies and slick FX aren’t the only attributes worthy of praise in the case of Dead Snow. Martin Stoltz’s editing is neatly refined, there are some fantastic lighting tricks that director Tommy Wirkola utilizes. The script itself deserves recognition, as it’s really rather sumptuous considering the inexperience of Wirkola and co-writer Stig Frode Henriksen. An eerie, but under accentuated score creeps from the talent bank of (yet another) green contributor Christian Wibe, to round out what is, in my personal opinion one of the best horror offerings of 2009.

Rating: 4/5