Despite being unnecessary and obviously only existing to capitalize off the success of the previous installments, Cold Prey 3 is a film that I've been waiting for a while now. I wasn't the biggest fan of the first movie, but it offered some great atmosphere and cinematography, both of which are lacking in slashers now-a-days. The sequel up'd the action and body count, which is what the first needed to be a great flick, but it didn't have the atmosphere that made the first memorable. I was hoping the third would somehow capture both positive aspects of each film, but sadly, Cold Prey 3 turned out to be your pretty standard backwoods slasher that we've seen several times before.

Being a prequel you'd expect there to be a bit more backstory on the bruiting killer from the previous installments, however, all we're really given is a 15-minute intro of what we already know and witness him murder his parents as a young child. The flick then fast forward to 12 years later and follows a group of young adventure-seeking 20-somethings that decide to go camping out in the backwoods of Norway, but their real destination is to visit the infamous abandoned ski lodge that we're all familiar with. After making a quick stop at the lodge, the group decide it's too spooky to stay the night and rough it out in the nearby wooded area instead. Naturally, it's not long before they find themselves hunted down by a large and mysterious hooded man.

Aside from the fact that it doesn't take place in the ski lodge at all, one thing that was definitely missed is the snow, which kind of defeats the purpose of it being called "Cold Prey" now. I guess the movie is set during a period before winter, because the backdrop is pretty sunny and dry. There's even a clichéd scene where some of the characters decide to go skinny dipping in a lake, which seems to be some sort of requirement in backwoods slashers for some odd reason. Speaking of characters, none of them are likable, in my opinion. With the little development we're given for each person, it leaves us with little reason to care whether they'll somehow survive through the ordeal. The killer also doesn't seem as menacing this time 'round, but then again he's younger and less "experienced," so I suppose it makes sense.

On a positive note, the movie did have some aspects of its predecessors, like for instance some great cinematography and even a couple surprisingly tense sequences, but other than that, there really isn't much else worth noting.

Cold Prey 3 isn't necessary a bad film, in fact, as a standalone it's a pretty decent backwoods slasher. However, when compared to the previous movies it just falls flat, and in many ways. Not recommended unless you're a huge fan of the previous flicks, but even then, don't expect much.