'Cold Prey' DVD Review

A very strong but very standard slasher.

Norway is known for a lot of things: Vikings, fjords, Norwegian Wood and...horror movies? The Norwegian film Cold Prey made a splash in Europe in 2007 before finally hitting US shores on DVD in 2009. It's easy to see why it was popular: it's a slick, American-styled slasher that works as an homage to the '80s slasher heyday.

The plot is typical of the genre: a group of 20-somethings on a snowboarding trip are forced to take shelter in an abandoned ski lodge that turns out to be home to a homicidal maniac. Said maniac proceeds to bump the snowboarders off, one by one. The end.

The folks behind Cold Prey display an obvious love and respect for the oft-reviled slasher genre by delivering a straight-faced film that never delves into the self-aware camp to which so many of its ilk have previously resorted. As such, it succeeds in doing what many slashers have trouble with: creating a creepy atmosphere, with thrills that don't rely solely on gore.

That said, there's little new in Cold Prey as far as slashers go -- except maybe the snowy setting. Standard clichés abound, from the silent, masked madman with the dank chamber to the horny, party-loving kids to the surviving "final girl".

The film bucks the slasher staple of over-the-top death scenes, however, by favoring a realism that adds grit but removes some of the creative fun that slashers usually have with the violence. As such, the kills aren't particularly thrilling, despite some inventive camera angles and lighting techniques. Still, there are a enough jump-out-your-seat moments that will leave you giggling nervously.

All told, Cold Prey falls into that no man's land between being too good for direct-to-video but maybe not quite strong enough for a major theatrical release.

The DVD

Special features include behind-the-scenes featurettes, alternate ending and music video.

Movie: B-
DVD: B