Much like life, movies with limited release, or those that go straight to DVD, are like a box of chocolates; you never know what you are gonna get.  But occasionally, you can find a straight to DVD gem or two that deserves discussion.  Such is the case with this Sundance Film Festival fan favorite Dead Snow (trailer). 

Now, John tweeted a few weeks ago that this awesome movie would be streaming on Netflix.  Sadly, our friends from Blockbuster video have claimed this movie as an exclusive for the next few weeks.  So you can’t get it from Netflix, RedBox, or any other rental place, only Blockbuster.  I left the wonderful world of Blockbuster rentals a few years ago when they charged me yet again for a late fee on a movie I returned days before.  I vowed to never rent there again, but this being the only way to enjoy Nazi Zombie goodness, I signed up again.  And I will say is, this film was well worth signing my soul away to the devils at Blockbuster.

The story of Dead Snow is not an unfamiliar one; some rather attractive people go to the mountains to spend Easter vacation at a cabin.  One of the campers had goes and meets an untimely demise.  Her worried boyfriend takes off in his snowmobile to look for her, leaving the rest of the campers behind.  The couples drink and pair off when then suddenly a wandering old gentleman interrupts their party.  The old man insults their coffee, smokes cigarettes and provides us with the necessary exposition to move the story forward. He tells them the dark history of the region: during World War II, a force of Einsatzgruppen led by the dreaded Standartenführer (Colonel) Herzog occupied the area. During three long years the Nazis abused and tortured the local people, and near the end of the war, with Germany’s defeat looming, looted all their valuables before starting to withdraw from the area. The citizens managed to stage an uprising and ambushed the Nazis, killing many. The surviving Nazis, including Herzog, were chased into the mountains, and it was assumed that they all froze to death. The hiker says the area still has an evil reputation.

The old guy leaves and wouldn’t you know it, the couples find a box of gold below the floorboards.  Reminiscent of Pirates of the Caribbean, some gold falls on the snow to awake a hoard of killer Nazi zombies.  The zombies attack the campers, killing a couple of them.  Breaking a few horror movie rules, the remaining campers decide to split up; the guys will defend the cabin while the girls try and get back to the SUVs and get some help.  What ensues is a very bloody series of chases and fights in the snowy mountains. 

There is a lot to like about Dead Snow.  First, what could be better than a hoard of killer zombies?  A hoard of killer Nazi zombies, of course!  It’s the perfect combination of evil and I can’t believe we had to wait this long to see it on screen.  You immediately love to hate these dead assholes and that makes the movie a ton of fun.  The best is Standartenführer Herzog who barks zombie orders to his dead minions. 

Next, there is a ton of action, especially at the end of this movie.  The guys who stay back to defend the cabin find a shed loaded with zombie killing tools including a bright red chainsaw.  Surrounded, these two yuppies take out a whole field of zombies in some very cool and unique ways.  Oh, we can’t go wrong with a sub machine gun mounted to a snowmobile…

Finally, the movie is gory as shit and there is a ton of blood.  And blood on the white snow stands out quite well, might I add.  The Nazi’s love to munch on their victims entrails and you get to see a lot of them.  Thankfully, the heroes in this film are not at all likable because their deaths are quite gruesome.  It’s the kind of gruesome that is so over-the-top that it should be shared with a room of people. 

Dead Snow was filmed and produced in Norway, so unless you speak fluent German you will either have to endure subtitles or a decent dubbed version.  I chose the subtitle route as I prefer trying to glean some sense of nuance from the original language.  In either case, the language is not a barrier and this movie won’t be known for an outstanding script as it’s pretty b-rated.  You’re gonna watch Dead Snow for its zombie goodness, fantastic fight scenes, and a very BAD ASS ending!  The Rotten Tomatoes consensus sums up this film quite well, “Though it doesn’t cover new ground, Dead Snow is an entertaining mix of camp, scares, and blood and guts.”