Dead Snow (2009) Dir: Tommy wirkola
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If there's one genre in which a film can get away with being kinda bad, it's the horror genre. All you have to do is look at half the low-effort supernatural horrors which hit screens seemingoy in their dozens every year to know that. This German horror, from director Tommy Wirkola, isn't renowned for its quality, but has amassed a reasonable cult following since its release in 2009.
The first thing to note is that if you're looking for well-written characters, deep emotional themes, and an award-worthy screenplay, this is not the film for you. The characters have next to no real depth or development, the story is only somewhat cohesive, and there are plotholes all over the place.
However, where this film's strength lies is with its immense entertainment value. The ridiculousness of everything taking place on-screen shouldn't work, but it kind of does. The practical effects are absurd, but they were so much fun. The zombies didn't really act like zombies, but it was fine because of how ridiculous they were.
The narrative is very basic, and not particularly well-written, but, despite this, it succeeds in providing some genuinely laugh out loud moments, especially in the second half of the film. It very much felt like classic B-movie shenanigans, and I for one was here for it. From a critical perspective; the film is pants, but from an enjoyment perspective; it's great.
None of the acting is particularly good - with even the best performers being more goofy than anything else, but I for one still enjoyed some of them. The standouts, at least entertainment-wise, were Vegar Hoel, Charlotte Frogner, Stig Frode Henriksen, and Lasse Valdal. I'll also give mentions to the likes of Evy Kasseth Rosten, Jeppe Beck Laursen, Jenny Skavlan, and Ane Dahl Torp, at least for their appearances.
Overall, as I've made abundantly clear, this is not the kind of horror film you watch for its quality. It's not even the kind of horror film you watch to get scared, but it is a great time, as long as you're prepared to accept the absurdity of the action and the cheesiness of the acting. I for one am very glad I watched it.
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