Dead Snow by MPI HOME VIDEO

Actors

• Vegar Hoel

Format

• Color
• NTSC
• Subtitled
• Widescreen

Editorial Review

Let us begin with two words: “Nazi zombies.” Let us add two more: “Hitler's gold.” Yes, it's true. These are the elements of Dead Snow, a Norwegian horror picture that unleashes an undead blitzkrieg across an otherwise inviting winter landscape. The five vacationing med students who have blundered into this backcountry in search of fun have no idea that their actions will draw the attention of the aforesaid zombies of the Third Reich (what these reanimated corpses are doing in the mountains of Norway will be explained in good time). It would be nice to report that Dead Snow lives up to the outrageousness of its concept, but far too much of this thing is taken up with standard-issue slasher tropes: self-conscious dialogue about the plot's resemblance to an Evil Dead scenario, gross-out moments for their own sake (a sequence in an outhouse is especially regrettable), and decidedly uneven acting. The movie earns a few points for a grabby nighttime opening sequence and its unhealthy devotion to the art of entrails stretching (which, when it comes to people hanging off snowy cliffs, can have practical applications you probably never even thought about). The enthusiastic mayhem can't be denied, so if a sheer body count is your yardstick, Dead Snow comes across. But given the proximity of Nazi gold and the possibilities suggested by Hitler's minions returning from their snowy graves, this movie disappoints. –Robert Horton