Cold Prey - Eiskalter Tod

(... though you might jump in your chair a couple of times). Set in the snowy landscape of Jotunheimen, Norway, a group of young adventure-seeking boys and girls ends up trapped in a mysteriously abandoned mountain hotel. They try to enjoy their stay in spite of the circumstances, but after a while they realize that something horrible haunts this else-how so charming (?) old building.

As with most horror movies, don't expect anything new, it's just the same old spooky murders in another setting. The setting isn't that badly created though, and with some improved dialog and acting skills among the actors, and some elements of unexpectedness, this could have become a classic like good old' "De dødes tjern". Unfortunelately, this is not the case. An OK thriller/horror-movie, you will probably be able to enjoy it, but there's nothing extraordinary about it.

People have talked and talked about the revolution within Norwegian films for a few years now. That everything has become so much better. In my opinion, most of the films produced in the last few years, within this so-called revolution, has been the same old stories and concepts that Norway has made from day one, except the productions has become better. I have visited the theater for basically every new Norwegian film, with high hopes and a wanting to like what they show, and every time I walk out disappointed and with less hope for our present generation of filmmakers. This all changed today. I went to the premiere of Fritt Vilt expecting a nice slasher film, and I walked out 95 minutes later, with hope restored and a nice smile on my face. I actually felt good.

The film is a slasher film, through and through, and that is both one of it's strengths, but also it's weakness. The film contains basically every little slasher movie clichè you can think of. It's just they do it so very well. It is a genre film and it doesn't bring anything new to the concept, but it's fresh for us Norwegians. The film doesn't try to be anything more than a good horror film.

The setting is excellent. An old abandoned hotel in the middle of nowhere up in the mountains. The back story is not exactly original, but it works well enough to pull of some really scary scenes. The look and feel of the hotel and the isolation is all there, and the evil that is lurking sure is creepy.

Roar Uthaug does a few neat tricks early in the movie, which makes you sit at the edge of your seat through out the film, and his direction is good. The script is good enough for a horror story, but sometimes, especially in the opening scene, the dialoges are pretty campy and lame. But they redeem themselves quickly when the sh#% hits the fan.

The acting is excellent from most of the cast. I hope we'll see a lot more of Ingrid Bolsø Berdal in other films. Having her in the lead was a smart move. I would also like to credit Rolf Kristian Larsen. He had some funny commentaries and face expressions. The weakest actor, and at times so bad it was annoying, was Endre Martin Midtstigen. I'm not sure why he was in the movie. He must know someone in the production team, cause he has no acting talents what so ever.

A creepy horror film from Norway, and one of our finest films in recent years. I hope to see more of Roar Uthaug in the near future. I think this is a director with much to come. Also Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, we want more of you! Keep Up The Good Work!

New on R1 DVD. Sequel recently released to theatres in EU. Even a casual reader will easily find 2 major memes about this in its reviews - 1. "Hey this is great! Sure is lots of snow in Norway!" 2. "Nothing new here. Sure is lots of snow tho!" Actually both are on the mark. It probably has been over-hyped a bit, especially in Scandinavia. Understandable local pride. The basic isolated-teens-stalked-by-unknown-maniac script has been frozen in aspic for over 2 decades, at least since Jason Voorhees 3rd or 4th romp thru Camp Crystal Lake. Yet I found myself paying considerably more attention to this than usual. I realized about half-way thru, its primarily because the movie is populated by real actors, or at least by young people who can act. I liked the characters and cared what happened to them, because I know people who look and act like them. As opposed to at least 80 percent of similar fare of recent vintage here in the US of A, which has become a junky dumping ground for - 1. Trust fund babies with no discernible wit or talent taking a week off from partying/rehab/custody hearings/jail. ("Hey acting isn't so hard!") 2. Models who just know they deserve to be movie stars. 3. Pole dancers. 4. Girlfriends of A list rap stars. 5. C list rap artists. 6. Special appearances by former B movie actors/hit TV series stars fresh from detox for the 5th time and eager to tell OK! magazine they're on the comeback trail. All of the above playing 'characters' that are only to be found in bad horror movies, episodes of WHO WANTS TO DEGRADE THEMSELVES FOR A MILLION, or sitting in judgement on American Idol. What a revelation! Good acting makes a real difference, even in B genre pictures.

A group of friends go on a skiing trip... when tragedy strikes -- one of them breaks his ankle. Taking shelter in an old hotel, things seem to be okay for the time being, and one of them leaves to go for help. But wouldn't you know it? They've taken up residence in the home of a brutal, nasty killer.

My past associations with Norway are varied. When I was much younger, my family took in two Norwegian exchange students for a week. They were nice enough, though they had a strange aversion to showering. Instead, they relied heavily on Neutrogena, not coincidentally a Norwegian product. I have never used Neutrogena myself, but have a soft spot in my heart for it due to its spokeswoman being a huge love of mine...

Later, Norway arose again when a group of friends decided they would move to Norway following the 9/11 attacks, to live in a more peaceful country with more progressive values. They went so far as to learn Norwegian, and while I was not intimately involved in this, I did supply them with some Norwegian books and read a few of them.

A few years later, a Norwegian film crossed my desk -- "Naboer" ("Next Door"), one of the best films I had seen in a while, and very psychological. My past experiences of Norway on film were with "The Thing", so this really opened my eyes. And that was the last I saw of Norway, until now... with "Fritt Vilt" ("Cold Prey"), another winner.

This film really revives the slasher genre. I enjoyed the new "Friday the 13th", but felt it wasn't anything special. "Cold Prey" brought the idea home. A group of young people in isolation, hunted down and hacked to bits. That's horror gold, people. You can quote me on that -- horror gold. No clichés about drug use, sexual promiscuity or anything else... this plot is sold on good storytelling and bloodshed.

The film does start a bit slow, and this is intensified if you're not into reading subtitles. But there's a good cast (I especially enjoyed Viktoria Winge, whom I can't wait to see in the sequel) and the build up pays off. Even the killer stands out. He's not a mutant, not a revenge addict... when you finally get to see him, he's terrifying in his normality. Nothing supernatural here -- you get trapped in the mountains, and this guy might get you! This film should be available at all video stores and shopping centers.

I strongly urge a rental and perhaps even a purchase. It hit home for me, and I think many others will agree. (I also suggest tracking down "Naboer" if you haven't seen it yet, as the two would make a great couple for a Norwegian double feature.) If this is what the Norse have to bring us, I say long live Odin and long live Thor. I'm ready.

While snowboarding in the ice mountains with Jannicke (Ingrid Bolse Berdal), her boyfriend Eirik (Tomas Alf Larsen), Mikail (Enfre Martin Midtistigen) and his girlfriend Ingunn (Viktoria Winge), Morten Tobias (Rolf Kristian Larsen) has an accident and breaks his leg. His friends seek shelter to spend the cold night and they find an abandoned hotel in the middle of nowhere. They discover that the hotel was closed in 1975 when the son of the owners vanished in the mountains. However on the next morning they find that they are trapped in the hotel with a psychopath killer, and they have to protect themselves trying to survive.

"Fritt Vilt" is an engaging thriller that has a predictable story but entertains. I startled many times along the feature, and I liked the performances of the unknown cast. The gorgeous Ingrid Bolse Berdal has the strongest character and her performance is very convincing. I have just seen in IMDb that there is a sequel of this movie. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Presos no Gelo" ("Trapped in the Ice")