Dead Snow
Directed by: Tommy Wirkola
Norway, 90 mins

Cast: Vegar Hoel, Stig Frode Henriksen, Charlotte Frogner, Lasse Valdal, Evy Kasseth Røsten, Jeppe Laursen, Jenny Skavlan, Ane Dahl Torp, Bjørn Sundquist, Ørjan Gamst
Toronto Theatrical Premiere

Død snø (Dead Snow) caters to fans of films like Evil Dead and Bad Taste. It knows what its audience wants and it delivers it in spades. It truly is a crowd pleaser. Much like a summer blockbuster, Dead Snow delivers the thrills but lacks the depth and sustenance of a well built film. It's main goal, entertain and sell tickets, not win academy awards.

The only thing worse than a zombie is a Nazi-zombie! A group of young adults travel to a secluded mountain cabin in the middle of winter. Party time! It would have been a great time if the festivities weren't rudely interrupted when a "local" (I say this losely as he seems to live in a tent) appears at the door, invites himself in and tells the group a legend. It seems a group of Nazi soldiers, led by the evil Colonel Herzog, were
driven into the Norwegian Alps – along with a fortune in stolen loot – to die near the end of WWII. Of course, there just happens to be some of their loot inside the cabin and these zombies want it back.

Though I know you were sold the moment I said nazi-zombie, I do have to warn you that the acting in Dead Snow isn't great, the cinematography is bland and the story treads on ground we've seen many times before.  Of course, with the bad comes an equal amount of good. There are some very nice kills, lots of gore and a good amount of comedy spread all over the film. As long as you know what you're going to see, and you are in the mood, you should easily come out of the film having enjoyed yourself.

What I liked the most about the film was the creature design. The "nazi-zombies" look extremely good. Instead of the typical white or green skin, Dead Snow goes with more of a grey in order to match the grey Nazi uniforms. Colonel Herzog, the "head" zombie, looks especially good (it would be his severed head on the poster).

They say girls love a man in uniform. The same might be said about zombies in uniform. Whether you're a traditionalist (slow zombies)or you follow the new way of thinking (fast zombies), you'll quickly forget which side of the fence you're on. If you like your zombies the way I like my zombies (killing and being killed in all sorts of fun different ways), Dead Snow is sure to win you over. It could very well be the must see zombie film of the year.