Writers: Roar Uthaug, Thomas Moldestad, Martin Sundland
Director: Roar Uthaug
Cast: Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Rolf Kristian Larsen, Tomas Alf Larsen, Endre Martin Midtstigen, Viktoria Winge, Rune Melby
I had high expectations for Cold Prey. Foreign language horror movies usually feel fresh compared to the deeply formulaic and repetitive American ones (which are still quite entertaining for the most part, I must add). High Tension, Quarantine and Inside were refreshing and fun. The Cold Prey movies had very positive reviews, so all in all I was quite looking forward to seeing them.
Well, I'm afraid the original Cold Prey was a moderate disappointment. It was all done efficiently and effectively, but didn't really shine at any point. The only thing it missed in order to be a traditional American slasher was people speaking in American accents. It's clearly a deliberate effort. One of the characters keeps throwing one-liners in English and both the first and second movies feature songs in English for the end credits (and I'm willing to put money that the upcoming prequel follows that tradition). It's not a Norwegian take on the American slasher formula, it's a pseudo-American slasher movie with Norwegian actors.
There is nothing here we haven't seen before: A masked unstoppable boogeyman with a traumatizing childhood experience, a group of friends who get stranded with the killer, friction between the characters over mundane issues like commitment and readiness to have sex, almost everyone gets killed until it's up to the final girl to confront the villain. Even the snowy setting has been done before.
So what do we have left? Are the killings extremely gory and creative? Hardly. Is the buildup toward a kill suspenseful and scary? Not really. With that said the cast is quite likable and the movie is entertaining enough throughout as long as you lower your expectations and don't expect too much.
--Mickey
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