The zombie genre refuses to die. Recent films like "
Shaun of the Dead" have given zombies new comedic life. Even Jane Austen has had a zombie makeover with the publication of "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies". The latest contribution comes from Norway, with Tommy Wirkola's "Dead Snow (Død snø)" giving a double-dose of undead: Nazi zombies. In its opening scene, a woman is chased by zombies through a snowy Norwegian wood, accompanied by Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy". After this promising start, the film decomposes into something more lifeless.
A group of friends sets out to their cabin in the woods for Easter vacation (begging the question: was Jesus the first zombie?). These soon-to-be unhappy campers will suffer the familiar misfortunes that occur whenever a group of young, attractive people party in a remote setting. The most obvious influences are playfully referenced, including "Evil Dead" and "Friday the 13th."
A wise old hiker, "The Wanderer", mysteriously passes through and tells the kids of the area's history of wartime atrocities at the hands of the Germans. A civilian uprising eventually drove the soldiers into the mountains, where they froze to death. What happened next is left unclear, though the friends are warned about an "evil presence".
It's hard not to love a zombie in a uniform, but whatever orders they're following seem arbitrary. Do zombies only come out at night? At first the answer seems to be yes, then no. Can zombies use weapons? They still have guns and knives from the war, but they only use knives. These zombies also use their fists as often as they use their teeth, with some scenes resembling a Western-style brawl. What do the zombies want? A subplot of stolen treasure, reminiscent of John Carpenter's "The Fog", only makes things more...foggy.
For fans of graphic violence and creative killings, "Dead Snow" doesn't disappoint. The battalion of zombies and their leader, Colonel Herzog, provide gore galore. The horror often goes hand-in-hand with humor. One character, having been bitten and afraid of becoming a zombie, is reassured that they wouldn't want to recruit him - since he is part Jewish. Why zombies can be funny is best left to Freud, and why Nazi zombies can be funny is best left to Mel Brooks (who might have called this film "Zombies on Ice").
"Dead Snow" recaptures some of its whimsical mayhem when the remaining characters make their last stand with chainsaws and hammers, and zombies pop out of the snow like gangrene gophers. Despite these inspired bits, much of the film is aimless shambling, as if in search of its own brain. Still, "Dead Snow" is sure to be the best Nazi zombie film of the year.
