Film Review: COLD PREY 2 (2008)

Being a huge fan of the original film I was very much looking forward to seeing Cold Prey 2 (2008) a horror film from Norway that really feels like one of the best slasher films from America.  Screenplay by Thomas Moldestad (with Story by credit to include Martin Sundland and Roar Uthang) and directed by Mats Stenberg this film takes place directly after the events of the previous film where we find our lone survivor Jannicke (Ingrid Bolso Berdal) making her way back to civilization and being saved by Ole (Kim Arne Hagan) who takes her back to the local hospital where we meet nurse Camille (Marthe Snorresdotter Rovik), whom also happens to be romantically involved with Ole.    Jannicke tells the police what happened to her and her friends and while she recuperates in the hospital, the police send a team to search for the bodies of her friends and the man that killed them.

The police return to the hospital with the bodies of her friends and that of the man who tried to kill Jannicke.  Unbeknownst to all of them, the man isn’t quite dead yet and when he is fully revived he sets his sights on killing everyone in the hospital in order to get back to his own home.  Jannicke, on the other hands, sets out to finish what she started which is to kill the man and avenge her friends at any cost.  What happens next is a cat and mouse chase throughout the hospital corridors where no one is safe and there are no safe places to hide.

This film takes a page out of Halloween II (1981) by taking place almost exclusively in the hospital and having the police delve deeper into whom the man is and what is his history which actually makes for some interesting backstory.  This being said, there is still plenty of mayhem to be had in this film just like what was in the original film which will not disappoint audiences.  This is a much bigger canvas for the film to expand on and a great film to showcase the rising talent of Berdal who is the equivalent of Norway’s Jamie Lee Curtis.  You will not come away disappointed!

Film Review: THALE (2012)

Writer/director Aleksander Nordaas explores Norwegian folklore in his film Thale (2012) in which two cleaning people Elvis & Leo (Erlend Nervold and Jon Sigve Skard, respectfully) stumble upon the secret hidden in the basement of their current job.  The two men get more than what they bargained for when Thale (Silje Reinamo) appears out of nowhere.  The men don’t know how to communicate with her but they do know that something is strange about her and it is only through the tapes and documentation left behind by Hvittkledd (Morten Andesen) that they learn the truth about what she is but time is running out as there are people looking for Thale and Elvis and Leo will find themselves caught in the middle of something they don’t truly understand. 

Thale is a fantasy horror film that tries to base everything in reality which is very similar to how fairies were treated in the film Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (2010).  This is more of a dramatic horror film that does an excellent job creating realistic characters thrown into a situation that they do understand and how they deal with it.  Reinamo is especially effective as Thale as most of her performance relies on body language and subtle mannerisms.

Despite being completely in a singular location Nordaas makes great use of the space which is anchored by amazing art direction and set design that says so much about the world that Thale lives in especially when she communicates so little to Elvis and Leo.  There is so much that is visually communicated creating a very rich and atmospheric film.  This is definitely a film to seek out if you’ve never heard of it and you want to take a chance on something different and unique.