Looking for the 'ultimate thrill,' a group of snowboarders head to a rarely traveled part of the mountain to face a more extreme slope. When one of the friends crashes and severely breaks his leg, the group is forced to seek shelter in an abandoned ski lodge. There, they uncover some secrets of the long-lost lodge and begin to fall victim to a pick-axe-wielding psychopath who seems more than a bit unwelcoming.
While the Norwegians haven't ever been known as a real 'powerhouse' in the horror industry, they have been making a name for themselves lately with a couple strong showings in the genre. One of these is the snowy thriller 'Fritt Vilt' aka 'Cold Prey.' While the title may sound like Chinglish for the British alt-rock band, don't let that distract you from what is otherwise quite a scary little modern horror. The film starts out well with some truly breathtaking mountain scenery and well shot snowboard action. Moving from the wide expanse of the mountain terrain, the fine direction & cinematography head indoors to capture the creepy interior of the mountain lodge. Utilizing the typical "abandoned" look along with some not-so-typical emeents (like the charred remains of one room), the resort manages to be chillingly decrepit and strikingly beautiful at the same time. Regardless of the great visuals, a film like this does need more to work well. Luckily, it manages to work in those other areas, too. First, the story is pretty strong. It kind of felt like a sequel to 'The Shining' in which a group of kids head to the now-closed Overlook and reap the ghostly vengeance of Jack Torrance. Actually, that seems like an idea Hollywood would actually try, so let's forget that. Back to this movie. . . the acting is good, but not great, and some of their fear is completely unconvincing. The writing, while spotty in the dialogue on occasion, flows well ad is never boring. But, the most important element to a horror like this should always be scares, and 'Cold Prey' has 'em. With a nice mixture of jump scares, creep-outs, and suspense, this Norwegian slasher is actually quite frightening at parts and well worth the look. Overall, it is a worthy addition to the genre and should act as a great flick for those long, dark winter nights.
Final verdict: 7/10.
-AP3-
While the Norwegians haven't ever been known as a real 'powerhouse' in the horror industry, they have been making a name for themselves lately with a couple strong showings in the genre. One of these is the snowy thriller 'Fritt Vilt' aka 'Cold Prey.' While the title may sound like Chinglish for the British alt-rock band, don't let that distract you from what is otherwise quite a scary little modern horror. The film starts out well with some truly breathtaking mountain scenery and well shot snowboard action. Moving from the wide expanse of the mountain terrain, the fine direction & cinematography head indoors to capture the creepy interior of the mountain lodge. Utilizing the typical "abandoned" look along with some not-so-typical emeents (like the charred remains of one room), the resort manages to be chillingly decrepit and strikingly beautiful at the same time. Regardless of the great visuals, a film like this does need more to work well. Luckily, it manages to work in those other areas, too. First, the story is pretty strong. It kind of felt like a sequel to 'The Shining' in which a group of kids head to the now-closed Overlook and reap the ghostly vengeance of Jack Torrance. Actually, that seems like an idea Hollywood would actually try, so let's forget that. Back to this movie. . . the acting is good, but not great, and some of their fear is completely unconvincing. The writing, while spotty in the dialogue on occasion, flows well ad is never boring. But, the most important element to a horror like this should always be scares, and 'Cold Prey' has 'em. With a nice mixture of jump scares, creep-outs, and suspense, this Norwegian slasher is actually quite frightening at parts and well worth the look. Overall, it is a worthy addition to the genre and should act as a great flick for those long, dark winter nights.
Final verdict: 7/10.
-AP3-