Fritt vilt

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.

It was a movie that started in the style of a classic horror movie. It wasn't a very excited movie except for the chase scenes. It was cliché with the characters and everything.

(... 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.

It's midwinter.Five youngsters are heading for the Jotunheimen mountain area to go snowboarding.On the slope,one of them has a bad fall and breaks a leg.There is no sign of any other people around and their mobile phones are out of range.They catch sight of a mountain hotel in the distance and decide to find shelter there.The hotel lies emtpy and silent,obviously closed down years ago.The phone lines are dead and the youngsters realize they have to spend the night in the hotel.Unbeknownst for them there is somebody else in the building-somebody thirsty for their blood...Pretty eerie Norwegian slasher with truly creepy looking killer.The director Roar Uthaug manages to create few moments of suspense and terror.There is very little gore and the motivation of the killer is fairly silly,but if you want to be scared give "Cold Prey" a look.

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.