This is the sequel to the surprisingly decent Norwegian slasher Cold Prey, which hit US DVD shelves a couple months back. The first flick had a lot of great atmosphere and even a couple creepy scenes, but it was lacking on the action-front, which is why I didn't give it as much of a favorable review as I wanted. Now I understand why the first was all about the character development and mood -- it was basically to set things up for the sequel, which takes place immediately after the events of its predecessor. I'm sure that wasn't the intention of the two films, but that's exactly what we got. Basically what the first movie was lacking is more than made up for in this sequel.

Halloween 2 with Jason Voorhees is what I would best describe Cold Prey 2 as, because that's exactly was running through my head while watching the flick. The killer is big, brutal and wields large weapons, yet he captures some of the creepy and quiet-stalking-like qualities of Michael Myers. The story this time follows the remaining survivor of the previous film receiving aid at a small nearby hospital. After regaining consciousness, the survivor describes the events that led her there. The local police set foot to the abandoned ski lodge, where the remains of her friends lay, including the corpse of the killer.

The police bring the bodies into the hospital to confirm the girl's story and perform autopsies, but before they can get started, the body of the killer somehow begins to show signs of life. The doctors are then forced to help revive the killer to a more conscious state, which also inadvertently seals their fates. It doesn't take long before this beast of a man rises once again, grabs the nearest object, and starts offing the hospital staff. Now it's up to the remaining police and the sole survivor of the first incident to take care of this abominable mountain-man once and for all.

The flick takes about 30 minutes for the viewer to get a handle of the characters before it kicks into gear and gives nearly an hour's worth of sweet action, as the survivors attempt to avoid the mountain man and exit the hospital in time for more police to arrive. The death's are pretty bloody, but sadly there's not a lot of on-screen gore. Although there are a couple somewhat creepy scenes, a lot of the great mood and atmosphere that the first had is lost in this one. That's essentially the price you have to pay when you want a feature with lots of action elements, which in my opinion make for a more entertaining watch (depending on the story).

Slightly more backstory is revealed on the killer, but not much more than what we already know from the first. The events that unfold aren't easily predicted and some situations that these characters get into aren't entirely unrealistic. The killer also makes for an interesting hunter, laying down a couple traps for our victims to find themselves caught in, proving that he's also fairly intelligent. I also really loved the sequence towards the end when the police encounter the man alive for the first time -- very cool stuff. The ending? Luckily, unlike most horror efforts, the climax to this movie doesn't suck. Third film? Yes, please!

While the first film delivered a very moody and atmospheric slasher, its sequel offers us a great old-school ballsy action-oriented slasher with an intimidating and potentially iconic killer. If you thought the first movie was lacking then I'd recommend taking a look at this sequel. Worth a check, especially if you're a fan of the sub-genre.