Geniuinely terrifying nail-biting slasher which is so competently made using suspense instead of sheer gore, despite the formulaic trappings often associated within the popular sub-genre. The key is the setting and the killer. The setting, an abandoned ski-lodge isolated in the middle of Norwegian snowy mountains, miles upon miles away from civilization. A group of skiers, young adults on their way to a lodge when deciding to snow board down and over potentially dangerous terrain leaves one among them with a broken ankle. Finding the the ski lodge as refuge, the group will decide to spend the night waiting for morning to go for help. They, however, are not alone..a hulking menace, hidden underneath pounds of protective clothing, carrying a pickax he swings with a vengeance, the group will find themselves in for one hell of a nightmare.
Ingrid Bolsø Berdal is the final girl, Jannicke, who is placed in quite a predicament when her friends and lover are being stalked and killed, having to protect her handicapped comrade, Morten Tobias(Rolf Kristian Larsen, the comedy relief of the picture), whose broken ankle provides quite the detriment towards fleeing quickly as the menace draws near. As many final girls in slashers are, Jannicke is resourceful, quick-thinking, and courageous, attempting to stay one step ahead of the killer who knows this difficult environment a lot more than she does. Her lover, Eirik(Tomas Alf Larsen)was on his way to get help, when he is upended by the killer. Young couple, Mikal(Endre Martin Midtstigen)and Ingunn(Viktoria Winge), having been together only a short amount of time but are crazy for each other, round out the cast of potential casualties. The opening of the film, concerning a scar-faced kid possibly being buried alive as snow topples upon him by an unseen assailant, and the dangerous manhunt to find him, making headlines(..this was in '75)is set up for a reason understood later.
Many will find that this slasher operates under the normal guidelines instituted since the 70's. It doesn't stray too far from what you expect, all the way to the conclusion. BUT, director Roar Uthaug, despite this, is able to create an incredible sense of terror, and my nails were bitten to the quick, even though I had a good idea how it'd all end. The menace just comes out of nowhere ready to plunge that pickax into bodies with a ferocity you feel when it seldom misses destroying objects in the vicinity. And, the horrifying situation the characters are stuck in(..thanks to the setting which echos THE THING and, the feeling of no escape, evoking WOLF CREEK)really grips you(..well, it did me). It might not be original, but it's so damn well made, with Uthaug squeezing every bit of dread he can get out of the cold and inhospitable ski-lodge and Jotunheimen's wintry mountainside..it does take a while for the killer to make his presence known with Uthaug carefully establishing the characters(..he even shoots some angles as if through the eyes of the killer, peeping in on their conversations before striking). Little things are also expertly presented for later use in the film like a shot gun shell and a key-ring with a teddy bear. I hope to see more from this director because his action scenes are briskly filmed, with exciting photography capturing the characters, as they attempt to stay alive while being stalked, extraordinarily well.
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