Cold Prey (2006)


REVIEWER RATING: 
6/10


This is a Norwegian slasher film that did some serious damage at the box office in its home country and proves that even with the standard predictable plot a decent film can arise. The story follows a group of friends on a trip to some deadly Norwegian alps for some freestyle snowboarding, where one of them takes a tumble and breaks his leg. With no proper way to receive aid, the friends bunk up at an old abandoned ski-resort nearby in hopes of waiting out the storm and trek to the car the next morning. Naturally they pass the time by sexin' things up and drinking aged alcohol. Their music blasting eventually stirs up the resort's previous tenant (a thought-dead boy, whom is now a man with an urge to kill).

The movie doesn't kick into gear until around the 40-minute mark, when the killer decides to off one of the members of the group. This is understandable considering they'd have little to work with if he murdered them too early in the film. Once the killing starts the surviving members try to barricade themselves into one of the rooms, but of course they'll have to come out sometime. With one of them unable to walk on his own, the try their best to survive through the day, not just from the killer, but the deadly weather as well. Though, the plot is cliché, the movie works due to its interesting new setting. Rarely do we see a slasher set during a winter storm on a secluded mountain top.

The killer also works since he's just a regular guy geared up to handle the cold weather, so his face is naturally covered by material to keep himself warm. Though, his size is what makes him intimidating, towering over his victims by a foot or two. Since he uses a standard pick as his weapon of choice, we don't get a lot of gore, but there's a decent amount of blood. However, the movie's aim clearly wasn't to please us with gore, but to chill us with tension and it actually works in a couple scenes. My favorite part of the film involved a sequence in which one of the survivors runs outside in the pitch black of night with only a flashlight -- short, but awesome scene. The movie just shows that even if you have a predictable and clichéd story you can deliver a decent watch.

A decent slasher from Norway that uses the standard premise, but throws a little realism and an interesting new backdrop. Worth a check if you can get your hands on it.
OVERALL: 
A decent slasher from Norway that uses the standard premise, but throws a little realism and an interesting new backdrop. Worth a check if you can get your hands on it.


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