Nazi zombies have the Reich stuff

Sveinung Svendsen / IFC Films

Two and one half stars

By Gary Buiso

If history teaches us anything, it’s that a policy of appeasement does not work against Nazis. As the Norwegian horror film “Dead Snow” shows us, the failed policy works even worse with Nazi zombies.

The film, written and directed by Tommy Wirkola, offers an anemic plot, rich visuals and outrageous puddles of gore. The Scandinavian filmmaker manages to charter new territory — using a zombie’s intestine as a rock climbing rope is just cool — while still paying homage to Sam Raimi and “The Evil Dead” series.

The story is standard fare: A group of Norwegian medical students are vacationing in the mountains on Easter break when their holiday is suddenly interrupted by an old man who warns of terrible events that, people prefer to keep quiet about. “There is an evil — an evil you don’t want to awake,” he says.

Since no one ever listens to old men who portend evil, in no time, a game of Twister is interrupted by the arrival of the undead fascists.

Of course, the audience must just accept the fact that, with little explanation, the Nazis who once terrorized the local town have somehow turned into zombies, in search of their ill-gotten gold.
It’s uber-silly, but “Dead Snow” offers a summertime catharsis for all the Nazi zombie haters among us.

Dead Snow. This film is not rated. Running time: 91 minutes. With Charlotte Frogner, Ørjan Gamst, Stig Frode Henriksen, Vegar Hoel, Jeppe Laursen, Evy Kasseth Røsten and Bjørn Sundquist.