At face value, there's really nothing all that original about the Norweigan Cold Prey: it is essentially the story of a group of friends who are stalked by a hulking, masked psychopath. All the genre cliches are firmly in place: from the isolated setting, to the spunky Final Girl facing off against the killer in a climatic death match. Luckily, what makes this film ultimately so enjoyable is that the director is able to take often used genre tropes and approach them in a far from workman-like manner, creating something that readily embraces the slasher sub-genre and differs enough to make it ultimately worthwhile.
As the flashy, and admittedly cool Seven inspired opening credits montage tells us, something bad lives in the mountains of Norway. Something that has racked up a body count of over 100 people over the past couple decades; something that leaves no trace of its victims, leaving befuddled search-and-rescue teams to assume the missing were hit by avalanches, or other mountain associated hazards. Finally, it has ties to a young boy being chased, and killed in the snow, though the exact connection is unanswered until the very end of the film.
Enter 5 young friends seeking skiing-and-snowboard-related merriment: couples Jannicke and Eirik, Ingunn and Mikal, and fifth-wheel Morten Tobias, a.k.a, "The Funny Guy". Any fan worth his salt will easily be able to see the large "INSERT AXE OR OTHER SHARP/BLUNT OBJECT HERE" floating over his head. The fun ceases, (or increases, depending on your moral stand point), when Morten breaks his leg in a snowboarding accident. Too far from their car, or any other signs of civilization, the group seeks refuge inside an abandoned ski-lodge, that, judging by appearances, is likely related to the Overlook. After using super-glueing Morten's wound closed, with an appropiatly horrified reaction from the 'patient', the remaining 4 explore the lodge, unaware that the aforementioned force from the opening credits calls the hotel 'home', and he does not take kindly to strangers...
Surprisingly, the film does not take its main strength from its kills; in fact, the kills, though they definitely pack an 'oomph', they are relatively bloodless. The movie's power source is in fact the writing of its protagonists. Inside of being mere cardboard cutouts, manufactured by the fine folks at "Slasher Central Casting", that exist merely to be killed in the most horrific ways possible, these are, *GASP*, actual people. Actual, surprisingly lifelike characters with believable worries and fears, which makes the audience connection that much stronger then most slasher fare. An example: the character who is all over her new boyfriend whenever someone isn't looking (i.e. blinking), in this case, Ingunn, would be branded by any other film as The Slut. And, as the 'rules' decree, she would be killed either in the process of sex, or immediately after sex. However, not only is she a VIRGIN, she's actually hesitant over actually having sex, whereas her boyfriend, Mikal, is the one pushing for them to 'take their relationship to the next level', and reacts in a surprisingly callous way when she suggests they wait. Also, the Final Girl, Jannicke, is not the virginal heroine most have come to expect. She fears moving in with Eirik, his own suggestion, will in some way erode the magic of their relationship, and that they will likely find themselves falling out of love soon enough. Naturally, there is a slight, unspoken tension between the two because of this, but luckily not nearly to the point where the romantic melodrama becomes its own, unnecessary subplot. Here's looking at you, Spider-Man 3. Finally, the comic-relief has been in love with Jannicke for years, a love that he knows will never come to fruition, making him all the more vulnerable, and surprisingly, non-annoying for it. Granted, these aren't hugely deep or insightful character trait, but they don't have to be; they're just realistic and sympathetic enough to make the audience actually care what happens to them, making the lead up to the kills all the more suspenseful.
Those going in expecting a MBV3D-style gore fest will likely come out disappointed. Instead of relying on flying viscera to amuse the audience, the film instead is a slow burning exercise in suspense. The tension is gained from the characters exploring the various hotel rooms, some of which bear the marks of past actions of violence. From a room ravaged by flame, walls spattered with may be blood, a broken window with hair and blood on the edges, to a missing axe, it is apparent that not all is well in this lodge. Or maybe, as Mikal glibly remarks, "Someone just wanted an axe". Following the murder of one of the characters, a short, brutally effective stalk set piece, the realization that something is very wrong climaxes when Jannicke and Mikal discover the killer's trophy room (a chilling scene marred only by Jannicke and Mikal responing by nervously laughing and thinking nothing of it until later). That being said, what the kills lack in splashy-flashiness, they make up for by retaining an undeiniably brutal feeling to them. Especially the first kill. Yikes.
The film is shot beautifully, with the sweeping camera and many aerial shots capturing the full splendor of the mountain side; at first evoking a sense of beauty, only to later evoke a sense of dread and isolation. Like the original My Bloody Valentine the setting plays a key role in determining the look of the killer. Whereas that film had a miner, the boogeyman here is a man covered with appropiate gear for outdoor weather, a relatively simple look that manages to be extremely intimidating. There isn't quite enough time spent with him to establish much in the way of personality, but through sheer size, and animalistic grunts, and overall appearance, he's definitely able to hold his own with other slasher greats.
So, again, definitely not going to change the world, or usher in a whole new wave of cinema as we know it. But, there's nothing wrong with a film taking tired cliches and reviving them in a fresh, invigorating way. Besides, I'm just amazed by the fact that we have a successful foreign horror film that DOESN'T have an American remake in the works. Hope I didn't jinx it...
As the flashy, and admittedly cool Seven inspired opening credits montage tells us, something bad lives in the mountains of Norway. Something that has racked up a body count of over 100 people over the past couple decades; something that leaves no trace of its victims, leaving befuddled search-and-rescue teams to assume the missing were hit by avalanches, or other mountain associated hazards. Finally, it has ties to a young boy being chased, and killed in the snow, though the exact connection is unanswered until the very end of the film.
Enter 5 young friends seeking skiing-and-snowboard-related merriment: couples Jannicke and Eirik, Ingunn and Mikal, and fifth-wheel Morten Tobias, a.k.a, "The Funny Guy". Any fan worth his salt will easily be able to see the large "INSERT AXE OR OTHER SHARP/BLUNT OBJECT HERE" floating over his head. The fun ceases, (or increases, depending on your moral stand point), when Morten breaks his leg in a snowboarding accident. Too far from their car, or any other signs of civilization, the group seeks refuge inside an abandoned ski-lodge, that, judging by appearances, is likely related to the Overlook. After using super-glueing Morten's wound closed, with an appropiatly horrified reaction from the 'patient', the remaining 4 explore the lodge, unaware that the aforementioned force from the opening credits calls the hotel 'home', and he does not take kindly to strangers...
Surprisingly, the film does not take its main strength from its kills; in fact, the kills, though they definitely pack an 'oomph', they are relatively bloodless. The movie's power source is in fact the writing of its protagonists. Inside of being mere cardboard cutouts, manufactured by the fine folks at "Slasher Central Casting", that exist merely to be killed in the most horrific ways possible, these are, *GASP*, actual people. Actual, surprisingly lifelike characters with believable worries and fears, which makes the audience connection that much stronger then most slasher fare. An example: the character who is all over her new boyfriend whenever someone isn't looking (i.e. blinking), in this case, Ingunn, would be branded by any other film as The Slut. And, as the 'rules' decree, she would be killed either in the process of sex, or immediately after sex. However, not only is she a VIRGIN, she's actually hesitant over actually having sex, whereas her boyfriend, Mikal, is the one pushing for them to 'take their relationship to the next level', and reacts in a surprisingly callous way when she suggests they wait. Also, the Final Girl, Jannicke, is not the virginal heroine most have come to expect. She fears moving in with Eirik, his own suggestion, will in some way erode the magic of their relationship, and that they will likely find themselves falling out of love soon enough. Naturally, there is a slight, unspoken tension between the two because of this, but luckily not nearly to the point where the romantic melodrama becomes its own, unnecessary subplot. Here's looking at you, Spider-Man 3. Finally, the comic-relief has been in love with Jannicke for years, a love that he knows will never come to fruition, making him all the more vulnerable, and surprisingly, non-annoying for it. Granted, these aren't hugely deep or insightful character trait, but they don't have to be; they're just realistic and sympathetic enough to make the audience actually care what happens to them, making the lead up to the kills all the more suspenseful.
Those going in expecting a MBV3D-style gore fest will likely come out disappointed. Instead of relying on flying viscera to amuse the audience, the film instead is a slow burning exercise in suspense. The tension is gained from the characters exploring the various hotel rooms, some of which bear the marks of past actions of violence. From a room ravaged by flame, walls spattered with may be blood, a broken window with hair and blood on the edges, to a missing axe, it is apparent that not all is well in this lodge. Or maybe, as Mikal glibly remarks, "Someone just wanted an axe". Following the murder of one of the characters, a short, brutally effective stalk set piece, the realization that something is very wrong climaxes when Jannicke and Mikal discover the killer's trophy room (a chilling scene marred only by Jannicke and Mikal responing by nervously laughing and thinking nothing of it until later). That being said, what the kills lack in splashy-flashiness, they make up for by retaining an undeiniably brutal feeling to them. Especially the first kill. Yikes.
The film is shot beautifully, with the sweeping camera and many aerial shots capturing the full splendor of the mountain side; at first evoking a sense of beauty, only to later evoke a sense of dread and isolation. Like the original My Bloody Valentine the setting plays a key role in determining the look of the killer. Whereas that film had a miner, the boogeyman here is a man covered with appropiate gear for outdoor weather, a relatively simple look that manages to be extremely intimidating. There isn't quite enough time spent with him to establish much in the way of personality, but through sheer size, and animalistic grunts, and overall appearance, he's definitely able to hold his own with other slasher greats.
So, again, definitely not going to change the world, or usher in a whole new wave of cinema as we know it. But, there's nothing wrong with a film taking tired cliches and reviving them in a fresh, invigorating way. Besides, I'm just amazed by the fact that we have a successful foreign horror film that DOESN'T have an American remake in the works. Hope I didn't jinx it...
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