Five teenage snowboarders are forced to spend the night in a mysteriously abandoned ski lodge. Except somebody ? or something ? already lives there. It is huge, savage and unstoppable?and now it?s pissed off. But if ... more »you think this is going to be the usual ?trapped teens stalked by a maniac? movie, you?re dead wrong: From the first chilling kill to the final horrific twist, prepare yourself for the smart, intense and award-winning European sensation that has terrified audiences around the world and put the edge back into the body-count genre.« less
Jasmine K. (jazztastic) from SCRANTON, PA Reviewed on 3/20/2009...
Even though this film is in Norwegian, it's one of the better foreign horror films out there. It's got a creepy vibe and the ending has a nice twist. I enjoyed it quite a bit and would recommend it to any horror fan out there.
4 of 5 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
Honestly, Really Good
JBizzle | Under A Rock | 05/05/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I popped this one in not expecting much. More straight to video drek from Starz I thought, formerly known as the once great Anchor Bay. I watched not expecting much, & to my suprise, it just kept getting better & better. This one really & truely is worth watching. This is slasher the way it used to be done... the way that it should be done. Now a quick warning for that certain few that can't get into subtitled films. This is in fact a foreign film & is in fact in a different language. The acting is great, the suspense, the horror, the villain, the blood & guts all done top notch, hats off to the makers of this film. This is a truely spooky flick that has you at the edge of your seat, well worth at least a rental, I was certainly impressed, & I think you will be too. Definately check this one out!!!"
Thaw Thriller-Dale
Santeria | Tallahassee | 01/25/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I watched this in 5.1 with the sub-titles on, mainly because the menu indicates "Norwegian: Dolby Surround Sound 5.1". Well, the menu and most importantly the box for the DVD, is wrong about the DVD detail; the Part in 5.1 has English Overdubbed and the overall sound design is pretty well done.The unfortunate part is that the overdub in english is not totally well done.
That minor element being said, the film does not feel like a slasher film.The character and plot exposition seems to be much more detailed than what you see in almost any so-called "Slasher" film. With a few edits, this story is something that would fit well within the world of , for example, a sub story in Millennium. It has a lot of moderately scarey moments, but its more like a variation on a thriller. You get to discover the story of the stars in the film, and one strong actress comes across as a very strong "Sigourney Weavey" ( a-la ALIENS ) sort of
character.
THE DVD: For most of the rest of the Extras, any viewers will need to keep, or at least turn on, sub-titles since the extras are not dubbed.
OVERALL: Whilst not a great scare, its not as bad as I had expected once I realised the entire film was originally done in Norwegian. You will love the Visual Shots, even if they are mostly not done without FX processing, but if you watch the extras, you will see some beautiful Norwegian Mountain shots. As they say in the extras " its
different to working in Oslo"."
If you think this is your typical "teens stalked by maniac m
Michael Gmirkin | Beaverton, Oregon, USA | 01/25/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I was intrigued by the description given on the back of the box claiming that this was an inventive, outside-the-box horror movie that wasn't simply about teens being hunted by a maniac. Hype aside, that's exactly what this movie is about. It's perhaps a bit more slick and more gritty than the usual fare. But it doesn't tread too far outside the box.
While, as other more competent reviewers than myself have pointed out, one of the selling points of this movie may be that the characters are moderately believable as a group of friends caught up in unenviable circumstances, their apparent camaraderie doesn't rescue the movie from being another "teens in the middle of nowhere getting picked off by an unknown stalker" movie.
The basic premise is that some kids go off the beaten path while skiing, one breaks his leg, and they can't move him out by the time the sun goes down so they have to take refuge in an abandoned hotel / lodge. Camaraderie and gore both ensue.
While the movie takes forever to get going (building suspense; we all know what's coming, just not *when*), once it does, the body count piles up pretty quickly. Inevitably it's down to a plucky chick and a gimped guy with a broken leg to survive.
I had hoped for more from the movie based upon the description from the box. Maybe a Yeti was killing everyone off instead of the usual pick-axe wielding remorseless, non-verbal psycho. Not so, unfortunately.
Negativity aside, it's a decent enough teen slasher flick once one realizes that's what it amounts to. The setting and visuals are occasionally pretty good, pretty grim, gritty, or sparse.
The special features include two short films, a blooper reel, a couple making of featurettes and trailers / TV spots.
Ohh, I might also mention that the movie is in Norwegian (though it has an English track that has it's slightly cheesy moments and not-so-interesting translations / voice acting and 2{?} English subtitle options), as are several of the special features (with translations in subtitles).
In all, I'd rate it as "okay." Nothing especially special, no major deviations from the psycho slasher genre other than a certain grittiness and gore factor. Worth a rental, don't know if it's worth owning?"
Next time, stick to the bunny slope
Tim Brough | Springfield, PA United States | 01/24/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"With a solid set of scares, "Cold Prey" pumps some much needed adrenaline into the dead teenager genre. It follows the basic blueprint of these types of movies: gang of kids goes somewhere remote, get trapped in a claustrophobic environment, get picked off by murderous freak. Pretty cut and dried stuff, but "Cold Prey" runs its body count with style.
First off, this is a suspense flick. Not a "horror-comedy" (Gawd, every new film with that phrase in the title goes straight to my 'skip-it' list) and it isn't torture-porn or a soft-core movie masquerading as horror. No male member of the cast flops his member and none of the women bounce their junk on screen. So if that's what you're looking for, go watch Hostel II. Nobody in "Cold Prey" is out to show what clever culture mavens they are and the script isn't made up of a string of pop-culture jokes. Granted, the script does stay on boilerplate mold (couple finds room to make out in, kids split up for no discernible reason, etc), but by staying smart instead of smart-alek, "Cold Prey" manages to be scary and fun without making you feel like you've just been had."
European Slasher Film Works
The Movie Man | Maywood, New Jersey USA | 01/23/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
""Cold Prey" is a Norwegian film with subtitles, but that should in no way deter you from experiencing this well-crafted horror flick. Following in the tradition of American low-budget horror pictures, it features no name stars, follows a standard plot, and features episodic murders. Incorporated is the tried-and-true theme of the horror of claustrophobia -- the movie is set in an abandoned resort, far from any possibility of outside intervention. Several young people are trapped here and then are stalked by a killer. Yes, a very familiar horror film ingredient, but handled extremely well by director Roar Uthaug. The movie's greatest strength is its foreboding, creepy atmosphere, nicely sustained throughout. So often, modern directors don't realize that suspense is a PRIME ingredient of a successful horror movie. You won't be shortchanged in the suspense department with "Cold Prey." This is a neat little horror film worth investigating."