DEAD SNOW (2009, Blu-ray released October 20, 2009 – MSRP $42.99 CAN)
I’ve been lamenting lately the lack of “good ole” zombie movies. It seems everything in the last decade has been about stronger, faster, smarter and angrier zombies and , while I enjoy the hell out of most of them, it feels like a slow degradation of the genre, not an evolution.
Co-writer/director Tommy Wirkola‘s Norwegian zombie extravaganza, Dead Snow (aka Død Snø) seems to be following this trend. Nazis driven out of a small mountain village at the end of the war have, for no appreciable reason, turned into zombies that want to kill more than eat and, in the end, really just want to protect their stolen Nazi gold… sort of. Look out vacationing teens (*snort* these are teens like 90210 had teens), the zombies are gonna get you!
But there is praise to be given here. There is a lot of fun, some sassy nordic women and some solid carnage and plot tension. I’d like to specifically address the cinematography and some of the special make-up effects. Really good stuff! The blood and gore by Lene Bruksås and her effects team, may not be as real as some people would like, but it always suits the mood of the scene. And D.O.P. Matthew Weston has done some really great things with the night scenes, worked really hard to get great shots in snow storms and overall kept the lighting in a really, really believable space, which I know can get really tough in some of the scenarios they shot. Especially when shooting video, as Weston has in this case. A couple big scares are thrown in for good measure and some surprisingly good acting when the moment calls for it.
There are some cute homages to other zombie/undead movies and for a low budget movie I think it really pulls together well on the special effects and makeup front. Even when it’s bad it’s good. In the end, if you like zombie flicks, you WILL like this one, even if you are an undead purist like me.
Much like The Brothers Bloom Blu-ray disc, Dead Snow is available from E1 in Canada right now, months before release in the USA. American fans anxious to get their hands on the Norwegian Nazi-zombie fest can feel safe in the knowledge that they can order from Canadian retailers and e-tailers like Amazon.ca, who currently list the Blu-ray disc for $29.99 CAN.
Considering its low-budget origins, Dead Snow looks surprisingly good on Blu-ray. Sporting a relatively high-bitrate AVC encode in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, the transfer accurately represents the work, but clearly reveals the limitations of the source material. While bright scenes won’t disappoint, the darker moments of the film come off relatively grainy and soft. You’ll want to listen to the Norwegian DTS-HD Master Audio track (the English dub is a simple 2.0 track) to experience chainsaws and rock music as they were meant to be heard.
The disc offers a number of special features including trailers, a couple of make-up and special-effects specific featurettes and a look at the cast and crew at the Sundance Film Fest. But the near-50 minute “Ein! Zwei! Die! – The Making of Dead Snow” doc really takes the cake. It’s great to see the cast and crew having so much fun while working on what is clearly a geeky labour of love.
The Dead Snow Blu-ray disc from E1 is one of our Top 10 New Blu-ray Discs for Halloween 2009.
Previously on The Blu-ray Blog: EINS! ZWEI! DIE! Zombie Film Fest Darling ‘Dead Snow’ comes to Blu-ray in the UK
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