“Dead Snow”

Directed by Tommy Wirkola

Written by Stig Frode Henriksen & Tommy Wirkola

Starring: Vegar Hoel, Stig Frode Henriksen, Charlotte Frogner & Lasse Valdal

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

By Scott Marks

A group of mostly attractive college students decide to spend their Easter vacation in a remote cabin frolicking in the snow, throwing back beers and having sex until they begin being systematically stalked and brutally slaughtered by unknown assailants.

Right about now I would normally affix a skull and crossbones to the review and put an amen on it, for next to Sandra Bullock romantic comedies there is no more reviled a genre than the slasher movie.

But wait! These are not your average bloodthirsty spirits of the dead in search of teen prey. This best-dressed fleet of zombies once belonged to Hitler’s elite corps of killing machines. Move over Jason and Freddy Krueger; the Schutzstaffel is about to hit the slopes!

Seven of our eight intrepid Norwegian med school vacationers arrive by car. Athletic Sara (Ane Dahl Torp), the one most familiar with the mountains, decides to travel by foot so it stands to reason that she should be the first to die during the pre-credit sequence.

In order to distract the viewer from the impending Nazi menace, the screenwriters insert a mysterious hiker (Bjørn Sundquist) who provides the campers with backstory concerning the cruel fate that befell the citizens of the Øksfjord mountains. During the war, Øksfjord acted as a link “to stop the trade convoys between Russia and England.” Colonel Herzog (Ørjan Gamst) and his goons enthusiastically proceeded to rape and pillage the locals.

It’s clear co-writer/director Tommy Wirkola wants to pattern his film after Sam Raimi’s glorious “Evil Dead” trilogy. Once the group arrives at the cabin, the dialogue self-consciously centers on references to past horror movies. Whereas Raimi knew how to adroitly blend comedy and horror film references, Wirkola hits us over the head by spelling out even the simplest homage.

Is every cinematic cinephile an awkward, misshapen geek? (Those of you who regularly attend Comic-Con already know the answer to that question.) Wirkola cast Jeppe Laursen as Erlend, the one slovenly member of the group and “the world’s biggest movie nerd.” On their way to the cabin, Erlend asks, “How many movies start with a group of friends on a trip to a cabin?” He then proceeds to rattle off a string of titles that include Raimi’s cult classics. Safely sequestered in the warmth of the lodging, the group engages in a round of Twister because, as Erlend notes, “Hollywood told us it’s so much fun.”

At least Wirkola has the decency to reward Erlend with a shot at outhouse sex with Chris (Jenny Skavlan), the most comely member of the group. Sadly, his brush with the Joy Division is cut short after one of the goose-stepping gorillas pulls her through the privy’s heart-shaped evacuation hole.

This type of comedy/horror hybrid eventually tends to favor one genre over the other, and “Dead Snow” is no exception. For the most part, the laughs are cheap and tend to distract from the overall horrific mood of the piece. Occasionally the film does manage to connect the two. Once bitten, it’s just a matter of time before the victim turns into a victimizer. After one of Herzog’s men takes a chunk out of Martin’s (Vegar Hoel) arm, Roy (Stig Frode Henriksen) tries to comfort his pal by reminding him that Nazis would never recruit someone whose grandfather is half Jewish.

In spite of its flaws, “Dead Snow” is still a fairly entertaining way to kill 90 minutes. It is far from the definitive statement on the subject. That honor goes to Ken Weiderhorn’s shipwrecked shock fest “Shock Waves,” a much more skillful merger of chills and chuckles. Watch it ahead of time. Surf or snow, you’ll be guaranteed a Nazi for all seasons.

Scott Marks was born and raised in some of the finest single screen movie theaters in Chicago. He moved to San Diego in 2000 and has never looked back. Scott authors the blog emulsioncompulsion.com and is co-host of KPBS-Radio’s Film Club of the Air. Please address any bouquets or brickbats to [email protected].