Dead Snow

I had looked at the dvd of Dead Snow for what felt like years before I gave in and bought it.

The triple threat of a genuine fear of zombies, a natural distrust of Nazis and an overactive imagination meant that I put off watching the film for as long as possible.

It was with nervous anticipation that I watched the film.

PLOT: Six students head up into the mountains for a skiing holiday. They fail to take heed to a wandering stranger’s overly cryptic warnings about Nazis’ and curses and continue about their drinking and skiing. After stealing from a mysterious old box they awaken a hoard of possessed undead Nazis who are out for blood. END PLOT

The plot of Dead Snow isn’t deep but I can’t imagine anyone would watch the film with the expectation of seeing a historically accurate portrayal of the German invasion of Norway. There is an attempt at laying out some mythology but it is as ridiculous as it is basic.

The tone is light hearted and the action, although very bloody, is very slapstick which may not appeal to some tastes. There are some genuinely amusing one-liners and reaction shots but there are also some ridiculously funny laughs to be had as well – Hanna being attacked by the bird in the tree and the entire amputation sequence were hilariously well done.

There is plenty of blood and guts and I mean this literally. I think Dead Snow takes the award for most deaths by intestine removal but although there is plenty of gore it is very cartoony and is played for laughs rather than scares. In fact the most grotesque scene was a bathroom sex scene which emphasises the need for hand washing but again it was played for a cringing laugh.

Despite a standard run time of 90mins Dead Snow almost takes too long to get going but once it does the time flies. It is in no way a scary film but you quickly realise that it isn’t trying to be –Dead Snow is played purely for laughs.

Dead Snow gets a 6.5/10. It is a thoroughly entertaining film but now that I have watched and enjoyed it I can’t imagine that I will need to view it a second time.