A group of college students on a ski trip in the Norwegian
​wilderness are attacked by an army of Nazi zombies.

HORROR

Dead Snow (2009)

Directed by Tommy Wirkola

Written by Tommy Wirkola and Stig Frode Henriksen

Starring Vegar Hoel, Stig Frode Henriksen, Charlotte ​Frogner,
​Lasse Valdal, Jeppe Beck Laursen, Jenny Skavlan,
​Ana Dahl Torp, Bjørn Sundquist, Ørjan Gamst

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Connor Eyzaguirre

May 30, 2017

8/10

For horror fans, Dead Snow is a joy to watch. It's essentially a horror buff's fever dream brought to life, what with the countless movie references, the comedic overtones, and of course the army of Nazi zombies. Dead Snow is surprisingly well-made and far more clever than most low budget zombie flicks. Its use of practical effects is reminiscent of the early Romero films, and its intelligent script and realistic characters bring to mind an inspiration from Shaun of the Dead. This film is the culmination of decades of good and bad zombie movies and the tropes they created. Technically speaking, Dead Snow is not just a movie. It's art.

This Norwegian horror masterpiece starts out simply enough. A group of med students take a ski trip to a remote cabin in the woods (always a good idea) and soon find themselves being attacked by an army of Nazi zombies led by the reanimated corpse of the sadistic Nazi Colonel Herzog. One by one, they are torn apart by the zombies as Herzog tries to track down the gold and silver they stole from his men. The zombies in this film aren't just your run-of-the-mill walkers. They're smart, coordinated, and can wield weapons. Adding this little addendum to the zombie formula actually makes the film more tense and fun to watch. Not to mention the occasional comedic moment that keeps the film from taking itself too seriously.

On paper, this never should've worked. It should've been a ridiculous waste of time. Chalk it up to smart filmmaking and a desire to make your own mark on the zombie genre, which writer/director Tommy Wirkola has certainly done. Dead Snow has everything a horror fan wants in a good horror film. It's gory, it's violent, it's funny, it's dramatic, and it stays unpredictable throughout. Easily one of the best zombie films of the decade and a well-deserved cult classic.