Kollegiet (2007) User Reviews

Danish medium budget, teenage focused version of The Ring

[apoltix · 5/10 · 16 August 2007]

I watched this movie today. The first couple of minutes was a complete waste of my life, in fact, I thought I had just thrown 15 dollars out of the window.

Then all the students start getting killed, and it actually gets interesting. I immediately recognized this as a medium budget Danish spoof of The Ring (2002). My theory was confirmed at the very end of the movie, where the "ghost" role was passed on to the next victim. Much of the plot is more or less copied (or at least heavily inspired) by The Ring. This may not necessarily be a bad thing, as Nordisk Film (the movie company behind this film) actually achieves the thrilling sensation in every "scary" part of the movie - almost everybody in the movie theater almost jumped from their seats when the main characters turned around and faced the deadly ghost. Even if you knew it, the element of surprise is still there.

I give this movie a 6 out of 10, due to the lack of improvisation and imagination. If this movie didn't resemble The Ring so much, it'd probably get a 7 or 8, because it actually was fairly good movie with an exciting (though predictable) plot.

Danish wannabe movie of, The Ring!

[thomaz_13 · 3/10 · 18 August 2007]

I have just seen the danish movie Kollegiet, and if you wanna see a good movie do not watch this one. Only see it if, you want to see a cheap and bad wannabe of the ring. The script and the actors is about as poor as my English.

The plot is very bad and predictable. Although the movie you know when the chocks come and you ain't really scared at any time. and thats a shame because that is the only thing they could have wanted whit this movie.

The main character have a mom who is dead, moves to the apartment smashes a mirror and the ring wannabe girl comes out. That is the long version of the movie:)

Sorry to be so harsh whit kollegiet but I did really not like it.

Weird movie

[PeterRoeder · 4/10 · 22 August 2007]

I just saw this and was greatly disappointed because I love horror movies, and this one sucked so bad. The acting is inept, the plot non-existent even for horror. It is just a Danish rip-off of recent brilliant Japanese horror such as The Ring and Dark Water. However, these movies keeps you guessing and being interested in what is going to happen towards the end. I simply walked out from this movie after about an hour because I didn't care anymore what would happen. The script of this movie is extremely pathetic. I have two degrees from KUA in English and it is nothing like described in this movie. I don't mean in terms of good and bad, I just mean it was an extremely odd description of KUA, and it didn't ring a bell with me at all although I have spent 8 years there. I have never tried living in a dormitory but I doubt it is anything like described in the movie. The use of a mirror in the movie was extremely effective but, all things being equal, I don't think this is a coherent movie at all. It is just random scenes cut together to try and scare (and bore) the audience. In the cinema in Lyngby (a small town) where I watched this tonight there were two women who were screaming all the time in the scary scenes. And they are indeed scary. But this is just an imitation of Japanese horror, and it is a pity that Martin Barnewitz(!?) did not either just make a movie of 90 minutes "terror" or put in a decent story.

I've heard that if you break a mirror and then hold a copy of The Ring in front of it, this flick will be its reflection

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 5/10 · 16 April 2010]

Yeah, on the whole, this is a lesser version of said recent classic in the genre. However, let's dig deeper. Please ignore the votes of 1; I don't know if it's bias or an unwillingness to judge something fairly if they didn't like it that caused them, but objectively speaking, this could be far worse. The technical aspect is, in fact, quite expertly done. Editing, cinematography, the sound, the score, all excellent. The FX are pretty convincing. This builds atmosphere rather well, getting immensely creepy and intense when it goes for such. It only goes for that, though; the plot is severely underdeveloped, essentially unoriginal(as I already mentioned) and clearly merely exists to stage the terror(which, again, is great). There are scenes that serve no purpose other than to add more fear-inducing stuff(the utterly gratuitous dream sequences, for example). In one bit, a couple of people are laughing in the sort-of background, and it gets to be excessive(no one goes on for *that* long), and it costs credibility, as does the one-note, single-trait(innocent, "evil", two-faced, etc.) characters(with what can be a seriously messed up logic). See, I would argue that the acting in this is good, and they(particularly the leads) certainly tend to be natural; they simply aren't allowed to truly explore their roles. I think all of this goes for many of our mainstream productions. Every conclusion about the ghost is reached by guesswork, yet it guides numerous of their actions. This underlines the issue that they don't reveal much about it; while mystery is not a bad thing, you can't expect it to have an impact when what the protagonist is doing lacks a solid basis. In as straightforward a story as this, the audience should never ask "why" someone we're meant to side with is doing what they're doing. There are other gaping holes. The nonexistent fleshing out keeps us from caring when anyone dies. Near the ending, it gets even worse. The very last shot is cheap, sacrificing a chunk of the value of the overall concept for a jump-scare that makes little sense. This could have been an excellent drama-thriller about closed social environments, or an effective piece of supernatural horror. All it had to do was make a choice of what to be, instead of promising both and not completely delivering on either(if you think it succeeds as the latter, try re-watching it, and pick out all the filler and the portions that don't pay off). What we get is a film of two mismatched halves, and you can easily tell where they crudely overlap. Wasted potential. Please, guys, get a better script next time. Perhaps the US remake will improve it. On the plus side, this features a couple of *hawt* chicks, including Rønholt and Mira Wanting(known from Hvide Løgne, or White Lies). There is some disturbing content, bloody and gory violence and sexuality in this. The DVD comes with an informative and interesting commentary track(by the sound guy, the photographer, Neel and director), a 23 minute well-done and fun behind the scenes production, a theatrical trailer and a teaser. I recommend this to fans of those who made it and/or the idea. 5/10

My friends fooled me to watch this one!

[n3vermind · 3/10 · 9 September 2007]

OK so I pluralized friend, actually it was just one friend of mine who had seen this movie with his girlfriend who told me to go watch this with my girlfriend. The reason he thought I should see it was because him and his girlfriend really enjoyed it, plus he said he thought it was a really "scary" movie.

Well I took his suggestion for a Saturday night when me and the misses didn't have anything to do but go see a movie. I thought it could be cool to be scared and if it would make my girl happy so much the better. Well of course the evening was a bust because this movie could not deliver the goods... at all.

I wouldn't dream of spoiling but I think a lot of comments here hits the mark pretty well. The story is so void of originality I thought it was a joke and I kept thinking if this actually was an authorized remake of (insert 20-30 films here).

The story is so done first of all and second, elements are thrown into the movie every where without ever being justified. out of the 5 actors only 2 are able to do a halfway decent job, the main character and the actor Mira Wanting actually pull it off alright. Especially Mira actually gets something out of her character with a few subtle looks and faces here and there she creates a little intensity.

I don't blame the director for this movie at all, actually he shows a lot of promise but with no script for it he can't create the creepy atmosphere that he really does strive for. I just saw what other movies the writer of this one has written and I can see a pattern, in the future I'll be sure to avoid Jannik Tai's written movies, or at the very least, not expect an original idea or thought from him.

Sooooo bad!

[Mojnmand · 1/10 · 20 August 2007]

I went to the cinema a few days ago to watch the movie with my girlfriend. We were both very disappointed. "Kollegiet" is a cheap, not-at-all-scary Danish version of The Ring. And that's it! There's a few shock effects, but the movie is not scary, creepy or eerie at all! I like to compare this piece of junk to Crocodile Dundee - which actually is a movie I like.. Crocodile Dundee has one shock effect, and that's when the crocodile jumps out of the water to grip Linda Koslowski. You might get a shock, because a calm setting is suddenly replaced by loud music and sudden action. But that doesn't mean Crocodile Dundee is a scary movie. It's the same thing with Kollegiet. There's a few shock effects, but it's just not a scary movie. At all! What can be said about the performances given by the actors? Well...nothing good, that's for sure. They are hard to relate to and they seem fake. You never feel you know the characters, and therefore you don't care about them.They are just without any depth what so ever! Kollegiet was a waste of my money, and even worse, a waste of my time.

Room 205

[Scarecrow-88 · 5/10 · 11 February 2009]

Danish supernatural slasher, heavily influenced by Asian ghost tales like Ringu or ju-on. Katrine(Neel Rønholt)moves to a dorm managed by the really bitchy Sanne(Julie Ølgaard), the kind with a major superiority complex, thumbing her nose at those who are below her economic status quo. Katrine is an extremely likable gal, whose past yields a startling truth which plagues her, concerning the suicide of a mentally disturbed mother. Katrine takes a shine to the handsome Lukas(Jon Lange), little knowing that he is just a player wanting to have sex with her..his charm and looks mask this, with her bewitched only to find that he has a reputation for such behavior..in actuality, he was linked to Sanne. Sanne, at first, seems to offer her hand to Katrine..but a rotten practical joke during a dorm party goes awry, and Katrine is excommunicated from Sanne's "pack." Alienated, Katrine embraces a friendly relationship with the oft-ridiculed Rolf(Mikkel Arendt;who favors Paul Bettany), a decent enough chap, quiet, keeping to himself, but considered creepy and uncool therefore a subject to nasty behavior. Lena(Mira Wanting), is Sanne's best friend(..although, Sanne often has her working as a type of servant, commanding her to run errands, often insulting her in one way or another like taking jabs at her IQ and coke habit). Sanne's room houses a bedroom mirror holding the tormented soul of a girl sodomized by a group of college males twenty years ago, and when Katrine accidentally shatters the glass(..after seeing the ghost of the girl), the vengeful spirit is set free, aiming at those in Sanne's inner circle. Like in Asian ghost tales, the girl pops up after victims encounter a premonition of their up and coming demise in a mirror during a confrontation with Katrine. Katrine is the catalyst for how this all started and she is with all the victims when they see their grim fates in mirror glass. One falls through a table with a shard of glass stabbing her into the throat. Another's head is crushed when attempting to exit a stopped elevator that starts back up with no time for him to escape. A third receives a broken piece of mirror glass directly into the eye after a scuffle takes a turn for the worse. Together Katrine and Rolf will work together to send the ghost back where she came from.

Director Martin Barnewitz uses several visual techniques toying with focus and light, often vibrating his camera when the ghost appears to an unknowing victim, with loud sound effects and music cues awakening the viewer to her ghoulish presence. The dorm was actually an abandoned retirement home and an ideal place for a film about a ghost on the loose. Neel Rønholt is incredibly photogenic and she's just adorable..plain without much make-up, but far from a wallflower. And, that smile with the little wrinkles, she's just a sweet-heart and I couldn't help but wish for the best despite the gamut she's put through over the film's running time.Arendt as Rolf, is also ideally cast, sympathetic to her cause and understands her plight because he himself has faced a lot of scrutiny and strife. Of course, Ølgaard, as the true antagonist Saane, always creating problems because it's in her DNA to inflict misery to those she deems inferior, is also perfectly cast. Lange as the smarmy stud Lukas, is able to switch from a potential love interest for Katrine to a sneaky heel rather well..these kind of guys exist in every part of the world. The ghost has a massive forehead, white pale skin, albino eyes, wearing a gown. Katrine "gains access" to this girl's fate since she was the catalyst who released her.

Is this danish cinema dead?

[andrias88 · 2/10 · 11 November 2007]

When you walk in to see this film, you don't go to see great art. You go to get scared shitless. You go to frightened and thrilled. I went to see this movie for that reason. Mission... not... accomplished... The film starts OK. The cinematography is interesting and the slowly unfolding plot seems to be heading somewhere. But it's not! After a couple of minutes you start wondering: Is that all there is to it? Has horror really been reduced of a couple of clichés and unintelligent plots? The story doesn't hold. The "monster" isn't scary. The characters are paper thin. So thin, that you suddenly start to laugh of how stupid and unoriginal these characters are: There's the shy girl who has a hard time integrating into the campus community. There's the evil girl who's just like every female villain in teenage flicks. There's the sexy snob and the good looking oddball with a golden heart. This film is basically a Mean Girls version of The Ring. But the worst part of the film is the monster. Do you remember that spoof on Samara in Scary Movie 3. The monster in Kollegiet is just like that. And the feeble attempts to give her some back story doesn't work. You end up feeling sorry for the people behind this plain horrible horror film, which basically is a mockery to the slasher genre.

Verdict: A very bad attempt to make a danish mainstream version of The Ring. Can only be recommended to teenagers who like unintelligent films.

Caution when renting; it's overdubbed

[mysticwit · 6/10 · 2 November 2008]

Rating based on US DVD of Room 205 (Kollegiet), not the original version. I'd rate this higher, but apparently Ghosthouse Underground doesn't trust the audience to be literate enough to read subtitles. What would have been a very good horror film was ruined by overdubbing the original dialogue with English. It's not the 70s anymore, trust the audience to be able to follow subtitles. The vocal performances are lost under new, studio polished American voices, which takes away from the quality of the film. It's a shame, because it's nice to have a film based on fear, not gore. It's not a perfect film, and I wasn't scared, but it made me want to see more from this cast and director.

But shame on Ghosthouse Underground for overdubbing! I know they've ruined Vikaren (The Substitute) based on the overdubbed trailer at the beginning of this DVD. I've seen that subtitles, and I shudder to think of how they ruined that one.

So know if you rent this, you aren't going to get the full benefit of the original film.

Mirrors can hold an unforgiving past.

[lost-in-limbo · 5/10 · 7 November 2009]

Danish supernatural horror following the style of the recent Asian ghost story crop? Quite possibly. 'Room 205' isn't too bad, but fairly an uninspired minor effort on all fronts with the college dramas (outcast---fitting in with in-crowd) taking centre stage, as the slow-moving ghost story feels secondary. When this side of the story begins to push along it's rather straight-forward with a nasty little back-story (told in flashback later on) behind the evil entity. Even the stringy concept about souls being trapped in mirrors is an interesting touch, which was done better in the little more complex Korean horror film 'Into the Mirror' (that got an American revamp in 2008; 'Mirrors'). In all, the old-hat story is kind of flat and threadbare with clichéd build-ups and scares, but at least coherent in its progress and considerably depressing in tone. Too bad it ends on not a redundant, but lame cheap shock ending. Something a little more haunting would have worked better. In these cases it's what you call all style, little substance. The slick direction proves it with the flashed up visuals, broodingly dour illustrations and effectively instrumented atmospheric sound work caught within a cramp, gloomy dormitory. Juddering editing and camera-work seems to be used around the minimal special effects and sped up jolts which are competently pulled off. The make-up of the ghost is slender and a little bit of splatter doesn't go astray either. The performances were a lot better than expected and one of the film's main staying power. The endearingly sympathetic Neel Rønholt is strong enough in the central role and Julie Ølgaard is potently good as the spitefully, stuck-up antagonist. Moderately creepy, but systematically plotted and forgettable.

A slow building shocker.

[michaelRokeefe · 8/10 · 11 November 2008]

Room 205 is a Danish product part of the Ghost House Underground collection; and my favorite of those I have watched. A pretty scary ride that plods along at first, but when the blood starts to splatter and body count builds...we have an awesome shocker on our hands. Katrine(Neel Ronholf)decides to move into an old dorm in order to go to college. Its like most, not very modern, plenty of vacancies and of course a ghost story. The dorm seems to be ruled by a nasty spirited Sanne(Julie Olgaard), who decides who's 'in' and who's 'out'. When Katrine seems to hook up with Sanne's ex-boyfriend Lukas(Jon Lange), she is automatically put on the 'out' list. That means some spooky pranks and some humiliation along with the incited fear of the ghost of a student that died in room 205. It comes to the point that a string of murders are not blamed on a mysterious ghost, but Katrine; she if forced to figure out how to get rid of a spirit that seems to be living in every mirror in the dorm.

I found Olgaard exciting to watch; not a shabby actress...and very nice to look at. Most of the scenes are dimly lit, but those ghostly visions were superb. Also in the cast: Mira Wanting, Mikkel Arendt and Rikke Lylloff.

Some good screams and great special effects.

[lastliberal · 6/10 · 25 April 2009]

Originality in horror is hard to achieve. I have heard this film compared to The Ring by more than one person, but, as I liked that movie, I would give this a chance.

The incredibly beautiful Danish actress Neel Rønholt play Katrine, a girl who moves into a college dorm that is haunted by the ghost of a girl who died in Room 205. Katrine is kind of a klutz. She is always breaking things. When she breaks the mirror in the bathroom of Room 205, the ghost is released.

Suspicion is thrown on her after some deaths: Lena (Mira Wanting),Lucas (Jon Lange), and Sanne (Julie Ølgaard); and she joins with another outcast, Rolf (Mikkel Arendt) in a plan to capture the ghost.

Good FX and tension, with lots of screams. A great ending.

"Not everyone survives moving away from home"

[idurknum2000 · 2/10 · 30 April 2013]

When this movie first came out I was a poster promoting it. Its tag-line was "Ikke alle overlever at flytte hjemmefra" which roughly translates into: "Not everyone survives moving away from home" I have never before laughed out loud at a movie tag-line before, but that was what I did. And I was confused as well. Was it a horror or a comedy?

Then I saw the movie and realized, if you don't watch it as an unintentional comedy it really sucks balls. The plot in a porn movie would make more sense, not only that, but the acting would be more convincing in a porno. Cartoonish, is the only word that comes to mind when thinking about the acting. I imagine a porn movie would probably also be more scary and less predictable.

Despite the horror of sitting through such an awful movie, I still give it 2 stars. One for being good background noise, and one for the hot chicks in it.

The Ghost Of Coherent Plotting...

[loogenhausen · 4/10 · 8 November 2011]

Apparently the Danish can make subpar J-horror movies too. Room 205 features stock characters, a mish-mash plot and almost zero suspense leading to an abrupt and clumsily-paced climax. The ghost and its appearances are more eyebrow-furrowing than scary and at about the hour mark you'll start to wonder if this is actually a horror film or a movie about angsty Danish college kids - Degrassi Copenhagen if you will. The acting is passable but it takes so long to go anywhere that you end up not caring for a single person in the film. This is definitely one of the more disappointing flicks in GHI's 2008 batch. Only recommended for hardcore ghost story fans with nothing else left to watch.

Leaves viewers with more questions than answers

[jordondave-28085 · 3/10 · 17 August 2023]

(2008) Room 205/ Kollegiet (In Danish with English subtitles) HORROR

Female teenage student, Katrine (Neel Rønholt) whose just moved into a University dorm and while their start to receive flashbacks that's related to an urban legend about a previous female student death that is somehow connected with the dorm of "Room 205"- hence the title! The audience is being kept in the dark about what happened until near the end! Inconsistent and conventional horror film with coincidences which lacks credibility raising a lot of questions without answering them, such as "what makes this typical normal student chosen to be the one to get flashbacks from the dead girl without affecting any of the others whose stayed their longer than she has?", "What became of the other people who were their when this death occurred to the dead girl who was once alive?" and finally "How or ever were there was ever was a cover up?"

disappointing

[maria_kortegaard · 4/10 · 13 February 2009]

I decided to watch this movie because the trailer was promising. I must admit I was extremely disappointed when it ended and I was left with the feeling "was that it?". The effects were good and the acting was not bad (I actually think Neel Rønholt did a pretty good job), but everything else was pretty much a mess. The plot was a cliché, seen hundred times before and way too predicting - it had a serious lack of surprises or unexpected events. I really missed that twist you often see in horror movies (e.g. The "real killer" is often the person you least expect it to be and you're totally freaked out that the person is a psycho or something like that). Anyway, I was really waiting through out the whole movie for that thing you expected the least... but it never came. Also the characters of the movie were very typical and not that interesting. The movie did have some scary moments, but just not enough. All in all, it was a disappointing movie.

Angry Ghost

[Pairic · 7/10 · 13 February 2021]

Room 205 (Kollegiet): Danish Horror. Katrine moves into a student residence in Copenhagen, her dorm is run by a clique. Their domineering games and power plays are like something from Dangerous Liaisons. Twenty years ago a girl died in mysterious circumstances in the dorm. Katrine starts to have worrying dreams and when the clique play a trick on her she smashes a mirror releasing the angry ghost. The bullying at times is almost as bad as the supernatural horror, a few people exerting control over others. But when the ghost gets going not Just Katrine but also the bullies become aware of it's existence and it's power to affect things in the materiel world. It starts off with poltergeist effects but soon blood is spilled and then the ghost begins to pick people off. Some horrific scenes as lifts and mirror shards are used to dispatch the students. The ghost herself is well imagined and quite terrifying as appears in mirrors and lifts. Mundane and mondo horror mix in this intriguing piece. Directed by Martin Barnewitz and written by Jannik Tai Mosholt. On Netflix. 7/10.

"Mr. Halloran, what's in Room 205?"

[Austin_Powers-1 · 8/10 · 22 December 2007]

When you decide to watch a film like 'Kollegiet', you need to get your expectations clear. The horror genre DOES have a lot of clichés, but what differences does it make if it works? 'Kollegiet' is not a horror film with tons of blood and ripped off limbs, but a lurking and highly unpleasant horror flick, which gives you everything you need as a horror fan.

The story about the ghost in the mirror we know from such films as 'Candyman' and the ghost itself is clearly inspired by the Japanese horror style. By the first look it sounds like cheep recycling, but 'Kollegiet' ends up being one of a kind. The chocks are lurking in the dark and opposite other horror films, this Danish horror flick sends out the chocks in such unexpected moments that you'll be finding yourself screaming and jumping while shouting "F**K!!!". The blurred camera-work makes it even more spooky and atmospheric, and it all leads to some of the most unpleasant chocks I haven't seen in any horror film besides 'The Grudge' about three years ago. Comparing with the Danish so called horror film 'Midsommer', which was let down by a boring script and lousy acting, 'Kollegiet' does the job extremely well.

The actors are doing it surprisingly well, and give a trustful picturing of an ordinary day on s student hostel. Sweetheart Neel Rønholt shines in the role of Katrine, which gets another kind of stay than she expected (but of course we – the audience – knows better…). The high age of the additional cast, ex. Mira Wanting and Mikkel Arndt (29-30), is not a problem during watching the film.

Bad reviews or not. 'Kollegiet' is within no doubt one of the best and most effective Danish horror films in a long time – if not ever. It does exactly what a horror film needs to do: It scares the crap out of you!

Tired of the usual Hollywood horror flicks - Try this !!!

[nicocain · 10/10 · 6 December 2007]

An excellent film with new ideas.

I give it 10 out of 10.

Despite a low budget - this movie shows great direction, cool acting and effects.

I hope other directors are inspired by some of the techniques used here.

A definitely satisfying watch...Don't read too many spoilers and reviews of it. Just leave your expectations at the door and enjoy the horror ride!

Turn up the horror...Make more movies like this!

Smart Sexy Little Horror Outing

[czarnobog · 10/10 · 29 November 2011]

If you prefer "movies" to "films" you might find this one too story driven and less gory or sensationalistic than you like.

The first thing that caught my attention in this film was the warm soft color pallet. Unlike the annoying dim cold blue gels so overused by many fledgling DPs, this film breaks the mold with liberal use of orange and red throughout, in the settings and props and costumes. The result is an airiness that dispels any claustrophobia in the mostly interior college dorm location. The camera work is often very tight, reminiscent of early Polanski and John Huston with occasionally unorthodox but evocative framing. The lighting is highly effective, appropriately dark in some scenes but never murky.

The soundtrack is also a delightful break from the standard "ominous" horror beats and groans. Ethereal chimes dominate the music tracks, owing a lot to the Icelandic band Mum. The sound effects tracks are beautifully designed and unique; again the director avoids the usual horror film clichés in favor of experimental choices that work very well.

The actors are sexy and wholesome, much as you might expect from a bunch of healthy young Scandinavians. They're very good, serious actors who quickly but subtly convey the nuances of their characters, thanks to the director's steady hand.

As for the scariness, this is more on the level of Japanese creepy vengeful ghost scary than jump out of your skin American or Brit shock horror, but the story is nicely developed and fast paced, with enough intriguing mystery to hold your interest to the end.

If this movie starts to bore you then you need to put it away until you're mature enough to appreciate its artfulness.

quality girl horror

[morten-221 · 8/10 · 1 September 2007]

I have just come home from the cinema, and have the movie fresh in memory the movie itself was good, nice acting, excellent cinematography, only minus is the script itself. eg. normally you'll find a red line between an original wrongdoing, and why suddenly a lot of people turn up dead, or something similar. any link in this movie is hard to find. the shock effects in the movie were decent, i found them reasonably scary, and my girlfriend found them scary enough to rip of all the hairs in my armpit (she reached for my upper arm and missed by a few inches)

in short god acting nice pictures good shocks and a plot that barely is good, but could be better

MUST Watch with friends

[nadalstar · 10/10 · 26 February 2021]

At the beginning I thought that was a copy of the ring but at the end it had a very good plot twist that made me stare at the tv for half an hour. I think that it has nothing to be jealous of inception.