Daily Archives: January 28, 2019

Cold Prey: Get Snowed In With This Winter Slasher

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Norway isn’t a major horror player. But the northwestern European nation has produced a few noteworthy chillers including the Dead Snow movies and Trollhunter. In the mid-2000’s, Norway even produced its own budding slasher franchise – the Cold Prey movies. Released in 2006, the original Cold Prey was a box office hit in Norway. Followed by a sequel and then a prequel, rumours are swirling that Cold Prey may even get an American remake. As the winter chill sets it, consider re-visiting this foreign-made slasher.

Synopsis

Five friends – Jannicke, Eirik, Mikal, Ingunn, and Morten – head to the remote Norwegian mountains for a snowboarding getaway. But when Morten breaks his leg on the slopes, the group takes shelter in an abandoned ski lodge. Snowed in and miles from help, Jannicke and her friends quickly discover that they’re not alone in the old lodge. A masked man, hidden somewhere in the lodge’s dark halls, has been waiting for them.

Cold Prey Slick But Conventional Slasher

Cold Prey is a straightforward, conventional slasher movie. Don’t go into this one expecting any subversive twists on the formula. Aside from its snowy setting, Cold Prey is content to trade on the familiar. You’ll recognize lots of bits taken from slasher classics with a bit of Wrong Turn thrown in for good measure. Yet in spite of its lack of originality, Cold Prey more than compensates with slick filmmaking.

A snowy surprise a few scenes later is filmed perfectly, shocking you even when you mostly know it’s coming.

Few slasher movies from the ‘80’s had these production values. Everything about this Norwegian horror flick looks good. From the cinematography to the performances to its crisp editing, Cold Prey is a ‘cut above’ most indie slashers. The result are a few well-executed scares. What the movie’s first kill lacks in gruesomeness, it makes up for with some visual flair and well-executed editing. A snowy surprise a few scenes later is filmed perfectly, shocking you even when you mostly know it’s coming.

Light on Scares on the Blood and Scares

Gorehounds looking for creative kills and all manner of gore and vicscera will be disappointed. In this regard, Cold Prey is a rather tame slasher movie. It shares more in common with the horror movies released during the slasher-lite renaissance of the late 90’s, like Urban Legend, than what was getting released during the original 80’s cycle. The body count in this slasher is low. Additionally, most of the kills coming via a pickaxe. Slick editing also means you won’t see much in they way of bodily destruction. In the absence of explicit graphic violence or nudity, Cold Prey offers a good introduction to the subgenre for newer horror fans.

Director Roar Uthaug more than capably sets up thee teases and jumps, but never fully exploits the movie’s claustrophobic setting.

In addition to its safe approach to gore, Cold Prey is pretty light on scares. What you’ll mostly find in the movie are a few gentle jumps and moderate levels of tension. Director Roar Uthaug more than capably sets up these teases and jumps, but never fully exploits the movie’s claustrophobic setting. Much like its death scenes, what this slasher offers are professional looking scares suitable for younger horror audiences looking to get their feet wet. As compared to other foreign horror movies released around the same time, including Inside and High Tension, Cold Prey is absolutely tame.

Cold Prey Benefits from Likable Cast and Memorable Killer

Like its good production values, Cold Prey benefits from a strong and likeable cast. Nothing deviates from expectations. You’ll find the familiar character types present in just about any slasher movie. It will take all of a few minutes to figure out Jannicke is your ‘Final Girl’ and Morten is your comic relief. Really where things depart from the more obviously derivative fare is in the genuinely good-natured performances from all the cast. In particular, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal stands out as the resourceful Jannicke.

Everyone knows that a good slasher film needs a memorable villain. Cold Prey’s ‘Mountain Man’ largely fits the bill with an overall creepy and imposing look. Though the killer’s tragic origin is largely unexplored, the screenplay, credited to four writers, gives you just enough to elicit a bit of sympathy. The end effect of how the movie handles its killer is to leave you wanting to see more of him, which isn’t a bad thing.

Cold Prey Is Horror Comfort Food

Technically, Cold Prey isn’t a remarkable horror movie in any regard. By and large, this is a derivative and safe slasher movie that offers nothing new. Nevertheless, just like your favourite old sweater, it’s a hard movie not to like. Its familiarity in part makes it a fun and safe movie. That is, Cold Prey is reliable. Everything it does, it does very well.

THE PROFESSOR’S FINAL GRADE: B

The Dark: Brooding Allegorical Tale of Abuse and Trauma

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An English-language Austrian movie filmed in Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada, The Dark is yet another horror allegory borrowing bits of zombie narrative. It follows on the heels of several similar 2018 releases that included Cargo and The Cured. Now after making the rounds at film festivals, The Dark hit several streaming platforms earlier in January. Justin P. Lange makes his directorial debut in what has been described as a supernatural-themed look at childhood trauma.

Synopsis

Abducted and blinded, a young boy is brought to a tract of woods known as the ‘The Devil’s Den’. Lost and alone, he encounters an undead girl, Mina, who has haunted the forest and wreaked havoc on trespassers for years. After Mina spares the boy’s life, the two abused and lonely souls slowly bond with one another. But their friendship is threatened when outsiders come looking for the missing boy.

The Dark is One Half of a Great Movie

For approximately 25 to 30 minutes, The Dark is a taut indie horror movie. Mixing the supernatural with some mystery and elements of a dark fairy tale, writer and director Justin P. Lange keeps you in ‘the dark’ with where his story is going. In fact, I would recommend that you not even read the movie’s official synopsis. Too much is given away and there’s something refreshing about Lange’s early storytelling. He confidently builds and sustains a quiet tension that’s bolstered by the absence of conventional story set-up. No, the narrative doesn’t twist like an M. Night Shyamalan movie. The Dark is quieter, more subtle. Instead, Lange first introduces you to the clearly suspect Josef Hofer, slowly and methodically allowing the true nature of his actions to trickle out.

…Lange eschews cheap jump scares and the use of jarring sound effects.

Where Lange further excels is with his ability to boil up the slow-burn. After some playfully dark humor in the movie’s gas station scene, Lange drops you deep in the woods. In an abandoned cabin, he films a 15-minute or so run that has you intently watching the screen, waiting for things to jump out at you. To his credit, Lange eschews cheap jump scares and the use of jarring sound effects. In fact, The Dark is an extremely introspective movie with some occasionally jarring and grounded violence.

Methodical Storytelling Gives Way to Plodding Pacing

Unfortunately, Lange can’t maintain his slow-burn pacing beyond the first act. Once the undead Mina opens her mouth and starts talking, the movie quickly shifts gears. And no, this tonal about-face doesn’t fall on Nadia Alexander’s shoulders. Both child actors – Alexander and Toby Nichols – capably carry the movie with affecting performances. Though The Dark maintains some horror elements, both the suspense and fairy tale sensibilities are seemingly dropped. Lange shifts his story to a psychological character study with grand ambitions of exploring the impact of child abuse.

…The Dark never gets under your skin emotionally in spite of some suggestive and disturbing scenes.

Clearly, The Dark wants to be a bold allegorical tale. But Lange’s lost and wounded child characters feel underwritten. There’s an emotional connectivity lacking from the movie. On a cognitive level, you’re aware that you should identify and sympathize with the young characters and their growing friendship. Nevertheless, The Dark never gets under your skin emotionally in spite of some of suggestive and disturbing scenes. Much of this problem can be attributed to the very slow pace the movie falls into in its second half. Without any sense of urgency or clear big picture, The Dark limps to its underwhelming climax.

The Dark Falls Short of Poignancy For Which It Aims

As far as directorial debuts go, Lange shows a wealth of potential with The Dark. For 30 minutes or so, Lange treats audiences to an engaging and moody indie horror effort. However, Lange’s attempt at merging supernatural and zombie elements with a more introspective examination of childhood trauma never quite gels. In all likelihood, the cumulative effect of its tough subject matter and glacial pacing in the second half makes The Dark a tough sell.

THE PROFESSOR’S FINAL GRADE: B-