Review by Peter Syslo
COLD PREY (Norway 2006) is a recent DVD release from Anchor Bay Entertainment (www.anchorbayent.com). Aside from the Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation (2.35:1), Dolby Surround 2.0 in English Dub, and Subtitles, the DVD has a slew of extras which include: an alternate ending; Behind COLD PREY featurette; The Visual Effects of COLD PREY featurette; Car Scenes; Bloopers; short films MOUNTAIN ROSE RUNS AMOK and AN EVENING IN THE GREEN; a music video for “One Eye Open” by Bloodlights; trailers; and TV spots. Anchor Bay always puts a lot of effort into their DVDs, which you could easily gather from this package. Getting to the film itself, I thought that COLD PREY was a pretty good slasher film. Honestly, it wasn't original and it pretty much stuck to the traditional slasher formula, but it was beautifully shot, well-acted, and it was interesting to get the Norwegian take on the slasher sub-genre.
COLD PREY is directed by Roar Uthaug and the story is by Thomas Moldestad, Martin Sundland, Roar Uthaug, Jan Eirik Langoen, Magne Lynger, and Marit Haug. The film stars Ingrid Bolso Berdal, Rolf Kristian Larsen, Tomas Alf Larsen, Endre Martin Midtstigen and Viktoria Winge. The director of photography is Daniel Voldheim.
The story of COLD PREY is pretty straightforward. A group of five young adults take a trip to a ski slope in order to do some snowboarding. However, their fun is cut short when one snowboarder has an accident and breaks his leg. Realizing that they can't get off of the mountain as easily as before, they decide to stay in an abandoned ski lodge. They actually find it quite comforting and they start to heal their injured friend. But, they are definitely not alone and things quickly become uncomfortable for the group.
COLD PREY was a very good film; my only true “beef” with it is the lack of originality. But, keep in mind that I am a tough customer when it comes to slashers; they are my favorite sub-genre and thus, I am naturally going to be a little more critical of them. I just felt that I had seen this film many times before and, for me, it didn't bring anything new to the table. All in all though, it was a fantastic film. It looks absolutely gorgeous, with some of the best cinematography (courtesy of Voldheim) that I have ever seen; for the stunning visuals alone, the film is worth watching. I felt immersed in the cold “wintery” atmosphere of the Norwegian mountains and that was well-contrasted with the claustrophobic, yet “comforting” atmosphere of the ski lodge.
Speaking a little more about the familiarity of the film, it followed the basic template for the slasher film in nearly a “textbook” fashion; that is why I am a little “torn” about the film. But, if you wanted to make a slasher film, this would be a great model for you to do so. The isolation scenario is set up, right from the beginning (which has a bit of Carpenter's THE THING or 30 DAYS OF NIGHT in it) and you do have a bit of the back story, which is important. The five young adults fall into the typical sorts of roles but actually they are a little more intelligent and thoughtful than usual - more on that later. The killer stalks each victim in a traditional fashion and “pops up” for the kill, exactly where you would expect it to happen. Once the group realizes that they are being “picked off”, one of the five tries to go for help... and that turns out to have mixed results. You have the heroine (Berdal) who battles the killer but you feel that you already know the outcome of the fight. Lastly, you have the twist ending where the identity of the masked killer is revealed. Basically, there aren't a whole a lot of surprises in the picture (for me, at least) but I will say again that the film is very well-made and it is one of the most beautiful slashers that I have ever seen.
Regarding other elements of the film, the acting was superb; everyone involved did an excellent job and gave very convincing performances. Mind you, I watched this with Norwegian audio and English subtitles; still, the performances were genuine and compelling. I also want to say this about foreign horror films, in general: The teens/young adults in foreign horror films are so much less annoying than their U.S. Counterparts. Why are young actors in U.S. horror films typically so moronic and annoying? Are they meant to be scripted that way? Maybe it is just a matter of taste and marketing. U.S. filmmakers must try to hook into that “annoying” and “disrespectful” quality in order to connect with a U.S. Audience. I don't know, that's just my opinion. In a sense, I could consider the intelligent cast of COLD PREY to be a novelty element in a slasher film.
Gnawing through the flesh: COLD PREY was predictable, yet it was a beautiful film to watch. In short, it is a classy and well-done slasher film, which adheres to the traditional slasher formula. The scare moments are there, but again, you can kind of see them coming. Overall, the pacing is a little slow, but I do like the fact that the film takes its time to “tell the tale”. The look of the killer was pretty interesting (face covered with fabric/animal skin for deep cold protection), though you don't get a full view until the last ¼ of the film. There are a few vicious kills, with top-notch effects; not too gory, but just enough to convey the danger. The first kill scene was the best; one of the guys is sexually refused by one of the girls and he leaves in a huff. One thing leads to another and that girl is viciously killed with an ax. The scene is done with a lot of style and it is a bit unnerving because the kill takes place right under the noses of the other group members. Very effective. So, to wrap it all up, any slasher fan will appreciate what this Norwegian team has done with the sub-genre. The high production value and the skillful filmmaking more than make up for any lack of originality. I liked the film, it is definitely worth watching, and I give COLD PREY an 7/10.