Cold Prey [Fritt Vilt] (2006)

DIRECTED BY
Roar Uthaug

STARRING
Ingrid Bolsø Berdal - Jannicke
Rolf Kristian Larsen - Morten Tobias
Tomas Alf Larsen - Eirik
Endre Martin Midstigen - Mikal
Viktoria Winge - Ingunn

Genre - Horror/Slasher/Foreign

Running Time - 101 Minutes


After reviewing films based on CGI killer animals, barbarians, Ninja Turtles, and zombies, it's nice to return to the good ol' slasher film. I miss the days where this blog was mainly about a costumed killer butchering idiotic characters with my two cents added in between. Hell, I miss the days where good slasher films were around period.

Luckily, Stacie Ponder of Final Girl fame decided to pick a modern slasher as her Film Club choice for July. But she didn't pick just any slasher film. No, she picked one from Norway. A-Ha would be proud, Stacie. FRITT VILT, or COLD PREY to those who don't speak Norwegian, was a pretty big hit in Norway when released in 2006. That allowed the film to be distributed within other countries, including the United States, where it has received some decent praise as well. The question is if this praise is warranted because the film is different from American horror films or because it's actually good? Even though COLD PREY isn't the most original slasher film out there, it still manages to be pretty effective even with its massive amount of predictability. Let's see why slasher fans should get a bit warm by COLD PREY...

PLOT
A group of five friends take a trip to the snowy mountains [in the middle of nowhere] for a skiing and snowboarding adventure. One of the friends accidentally snaps his leg in two, causing the group to help him and find shelter at some hotel that's apparently been abandoned for years. After drinking, clowning around, and taking a tour of the hotel, the group soon realizes that someone else is staying at this hotel. This person, dressed in Eskimo gear, begins killing them one by one with a pick-axe. Will there be any survivors, or will everyone be snowed in?

REVIEW
COLD PREY, even in a different language and location, is still your typical slasher film through and through. For those who may have never seen a slasher before, this will be a more than fine start into a very cool, if not formulaic, sub-genre of horror. For those who have seen a slasher film, it's nothing new at all. All the elements are here intact, even if American filmmakers had nothing to do with this film directly.

The narrative is your basic slasher formula. We have a group of friends going to a certain deserted location. We have a killer connected to this location. Both parties end up meeting up, making the situation messier than it should be. There's nothing really new here at all. The Final Girl is set up right away and she does what a Final Girl is supposed to do. We have the stereotypical friends of the Final Girl such as the Boyfriend, the Best Friend Who Likes The Final Girl, The Shy Girl, and The Douchebag. We have a killer who's backstory is connected to the motel these characters are staying in. The killer also has a trademark weapon [the pick-axe] and a costume to hide his identity. It's just very formulaic and extremely predictable. You'll know who'll survive longer than most if you've watch a few slasher films in your time.

Even though you can see everything happening in this film from a mile away, I can still appreciate the fact that it's a slasher film through and through without trying to be something else. COLD PREY isn't trying to use self-referential humor to entertain horror fans. It's not using the story to lead up to some sort of weird twist ending to get some buzz and open itself up for a sequel [even though there is a sequel for this film]. COLD PREY knows what it is, does what it's supposed to do, and does it quite well. Is it original? Hell no. But I knew what to expect going into it and it didn't disappoint me. It uses the slasher formula well and I was never bored by the film.

One of the reasons COLD PREY stood out at the time of its release, besides its country of origin, is the setting. I'm sure there have been other slasher films that take place in some sort of tundra where there's all snow and hardly any civilization to help the protagonists. But a snowy setting is pretty rare for a slasher film and I thought the way the whole isolated mountain area was used in the film was done really well. It actually reminded me of THE SHINING for a bit, with the hotel in the middle of mountains of snow. I think it's a pretty creepy setting and it made the protagonists' attempt to survive more of a challenge. It's easy to hide within the woods or a suburban neighborhood. But how do you hide within miles of snow without freezing to death? Either way, you're in trouble. And since I know nothing of Norway, it made COLD PREY more effective.

I also liked the fact that the characters are more developed than you would expect in a slasher. I'm not saying I know everything about them. In fact, Jannicke and Morten Tobias were probably the two most fleshed out characters while the others were still portrayed in a "cannon fodder" way. Still, it's nice to see slasher characters bonding over drinks and music, and actually having conversations with each other that doesn't involve arguing and sacrificing one another just to survive. They all come across as real people with real feelings, doing real things that I can believe. Even the Douchebag guy was believable because he was never portrayed as over-the-top. I actually kind of cared about these characters and that's pretty rare for a lot of slashers, especially modern slashers. It gave their struggle for survival more tension than I was expecting.

I do wish the killer was fleshed out more, which is probably the biggest flaw about COLD PREY. I knew who he was just by what was presented before he appeared, but that's about it. We don't know his motivations. We don't know how he survived for so long in this area. There are a lot of questions that needed to be answered about this villain that weren't.

The violence in COLD PREY is very tame. We hardly see any gore in this film. We do see blood trails and there is one moment where one of the character's torso gets visibly impaled by a pick-axe. We also get a neck being snapped and stabbings. But most of the kills are off-screen, which doesn't really matter since they're done in a generic manner anyway. And for a slasher, there's no nudity either from anyone. I guess this part of the formula got lost on its way to Europe.

The direction by Roar Uthaug is actually quite good. The film looks extremely polished as it was shot on Super 16mm. I thought the outside cinematography [by Daniel Voldheim] showcasing the snow was really stunning. The look of inside the hotel was beautiful as well. Everything was pretty much blue-grey and dim - which set up a gloom feeling from the start. The editing is solid. The tension and suspense is there somewhat. I'm not sure how much the budget for this film was, but it wasn't wasted in the least. Just a really nicely directed film. It's obvious Uthaug has seen a few slasher films in his time because he filmed a pretty decent one.

The acting in the film is excellent. I won't go into every actor, but Ingrid Bolsø Berdal is fantastic as Jannicke. She's likeable from the beginning, giving probably a one-note character on paper a lot of dimension that was appreciated. She was my favorite for sure. Rolf Kristian Larsen as Morten Tobias was also strong. He had to act like he had a broken leg for much of the film and was actually pretty funny at times. I tend to like characters that are portrayed as the underdog - in this case, he had feelings for Jannicke that weren't recipocated. Larsen played the character well. If I had to point out another actor, it would be Endre Martin Midstigen as Mikal. He played the douchy, bad boy of the group who just wanted to get laid. He had a good performance too because I liked him and hated him at the same time.

THINGS I'VE LEARNED WHILE REALIZING THE SUN DOESN'T ALWAYS SHINE ON TV

- Morten's soul mate is his right hand. 90% of the male population feel the same way.

- This group of friends enjoy hitting the slopes. So do Courtney Love, Lindsay Lohan, and Charlie Sheen.

- Mykal got startled by a red stained bath tub. Looks like Carrie White didn't get to clean her mess after her mom tried to murder her and stuff. Lazy bitch with her dirty pillows...

- Never argue with a girl who says the room is too cold during sex. It's a great excuse in case you have a small penis!

- With just one bullet in a shotgun, Jannicke was afraid to blow her opportunity in shooting the killer. That's why you need Arnold Schwarzenegger around. He never misses a target. Just ask his 9 children [4 of which he knows nothing about]!

THE FINAL HOWL
COLD PREY is a pretty standard slasher film, but it's a well-made one and worth a look for anyone who loves slasher films. The characters are likeable, the direction and acting is solid, and the setting definitely compliments the film. It won't completely rock your socks off but it's more than serviceable nonetheless.


SCORE
3 Howls Outta 4

Frontier(s) (2007)

DIRECTED BY
Xavier Gens

STARRING
Karina Testa - Yasmine
Aurelien Wilk - Alex
Jean-Pierre Jorris - Herr von Geisler
Patrick Ligardes - Carl von Geisler
David Saracino - Tom
Maud Forget - Eva
Samuel Le Bihan - Goetz
Chems Dahmani - Farid

Genre - Horror/Survival/Foreign

Running Time - 109 Minutes


With a lot of people being frustrated by the current state of U.S. mainstream horror due to the remake trend, they've been looking elsewhere for their horror fix. Some stay with the classics and are completely satisfied watching these films over and over. Others look into the independent horror scene, appreciating what unknown filmmakers are presenting with lesser budgets. And then there are those who watch horror from other countries. Either way, the horror fix is being satisfied in some way, shape, or form.

One of the major countries where horror has been appreciated currently is France. The buzz really began in 2003 with Alexandra Aja's HAUTE TENSION, which in turn led to 2006's ILS, 2007's INSIDE, and 2008's MARTYRS. Instead of presenting PG-13 horror for mainstream audiences, horror in France doesn't hold back, presenting very adult themes and massive ways of gore and violence that have been memorable to those who have seen these films [even to Hollywood studios who want to remake these films - 2008's THE STRANGERS was a quasi-remake of ILS while MARTYRS is being planned for an Americanized reimagining].

One of these French horror films that has gained a lot of attention is FRONTIER(S), a brutal survival horror film directed and written by HITMAN director, Xavier Gens. FRONTIER(S) had quite a journey to get released in the United States. After Dark Films had planned for the film to be part of its Horrorfest: 8 Films To Die For series in 2007, where it would have been shown in theaters with the other seven films. However, the MPAA rated the film NC-17, which caused the film to be pulled out of its theatrical release. The film was released on DVD a year later, where it gained an audience.

FRONTIER(S) is an interesting film compared to the other French horror that has been recently released. The film, while French in nature, pretty much takes the American horror template used in what's called "Backwoods Horror" such as DELIVERANCE (1972), THE HILLS HAVE EYES (1977), and especially THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974) as its main narrative to drive the film forward while being much more brutal and gorier than most TCM films. It's almost as if Xavier Gens wanted to prove a point that what works [quite constantly since a lot of horror films use the TCM formula] in the United States can also work in other countries, such as France. And while FRONTIER(S) isn't as good as the original Tobe Hooper classic, or as memorable as its other French horror counterparts, the film is still worth a look.

PLOT
Horrible riots have taken over Paris. A group of friends, who are now wanted after a robbery, run away from the riots and the local authorities to make sure their plan stays intact. Farid (Chems Dahmani) and Tom (David Saracino) are ordered to find a place to hide, while pregnant Yasmine (Karina Testa) and her on-and-off boyfriend Alex (Aurelien Wilk) take Yasmine's brother Sami (Adel Bencherif) to the hospital after he's been shot. Unfortunately, Sami dies the moment he makes it to the hospital, which catches the interest of the local police. Yasmine and Alex run away and take off to meet up with Farid and Tom, who are staying at a countryside hostel. What they fail to realize that the people who own this hostel are really Neo-Nazis, who eat human flesh and impregnate the women they capture in order to create a "pure-blood" race to continue the family legacy.

REVIEW
FRONTIER(S), like I mentioned, is pretty much by-the-numbers THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE but in Paris, France instead of Paris, Texas. While the template for me is a bit tired [you have no idea how many horror films I have watched that have used the TCM model], at least it's interesting to see a French version of it. Still, compared to HAUTE TENSION [which had a memorable plot twist that people still debate about] and MARTYRS [a film that really did things outside the proverbial box], FRONTIER(S) comes off a bit generic and "been there, done that". Still, at least FRONTIER(S) uses the template well enough to be more than watchable.

FRONTIER(S) is a pretty predictable film with a pretty predictable narrative. If you've seen THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and you've seen HOSTEL, then you've probably seen this film. It's easy to figure out what's going to happen in the film: A group of strangers go into the country, find a place to stay at that's run by eccentric characters who happen to be Nazi cannibals who want to kill them. And who stays alive the longest in the film? Well since there's only one girl protagonist in the film, I'll give you a guess. While the journey getting there is always fun, and especially bloody and gory, you still get a sense that you've seen this film before. But horror is hardly original these days, so I should commend Xavier Gens to choosing a great film to base FRONTIER(S) on. But I wish there could have been more surprising elements in play to really make the film stand out beyond its country of origin. Having a character hang by hooks and another character sitting with the family at dinner as they eat human flesh isn't exactly thrilling like it used to be. I'll watch the original THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE for that.

The most interesting thing about the narrative is the backdrop that deals with the riots. Apparently, there's a bunch of civil unrest going on due to race and class, which makes our protagonists quickly interesting since they're all Middle-Eastern in some capacity. It also makes their struggle with the Neo-Nazis believable, since it's obvious these two group of people would never get along for an reason. However, the backdrop just happens to be an afterthought for much of the film. The Nazis are not responsible for the riots, so this political and social angle doesn't apply to the main plotline. The only time we hear about the riots is when the characters watch television or play the radio, which is not very often at all. I think it does make the issue between the opposite sides a bit more effective since the riots are about race, but the backdrop could have really brought about a nice commentary about race and class differences that could have easily made this film stand out more than it actually does. As a matter of fact, if you take away the backdrop, FRONTIER(S) wouldn't change all that much as a film except shortening the running time. Talk about a lost opportunity.

The race issue is also flawed due to the Nazis themselves. The father of the family wants to impregnate Yasmine [before he finds out she's already pregnant] to keep his family going. The problem with this is that the "pure blood" spiel the man and the rest of the family seem to hold in such high regard makes that plan unbelievably flawed. I really doubt that any Nazi would want to procreate with a person who is not "pure", since breeding someone who isn't considered "perfect" would go against their code of honor. Maybe they were desperate to keep the family growing, so they decided to take in anyone, I don't know. But it really doesn't make sense and it's never really explained why this family is so focused on making Yasmine part of the family. Impregnate her? Maybe. But make her one of them, knowing she doesn't fit in their portrait of perfection? I don't really buy it. And it's not really explained either, which doesn't help.

Also it's kind of hard to make your characters likeable when they start acting like assholes at the beginning of the film. For one, they stole money from somewhere, apparently for Yasmine's abortion [an angle that's strangely dropped for 75 percent of the film]. Then they argue for minutes to the point that it gets somewhat annoying. Then they end up doing stupid things that makes me want to walk inside the television and kick them in the balls for being idiots. At least Yasmine and Farid are developed enough to root for. Yasmine is established as the Final Girl of the film - a character who is pregnant by someone who seems to want nothing to do with her [even though he does but won't admit it], her brother is shot and killed, and ends up being tortured by Nazis to assimilate her into their family. Farid, on the other hand, seems to be the moral center of the group. He won't sleep with any of those Nazi sluts because he has a girlfriend [which I'm not sure is true or not] and is actually active in terms of trying to save his friends and trying to escape. The other members of their group are too selfish for their own good, even though Alex changes due to circumstance, so it's easy to see why they would become victims. Hell, I thought the villains had a ton more personality than our "heroes". The father had a real presence of power. The sibling rivalry between the children for who would claim their father's throne was interesting. And they all had different characters where you could tell them apart. Is it bad that I wanted the villains to succeed here? No, I'm not a Nazi. I just like colorful characters, and the protagonists were anything but.

What really makes the film work is the brutality. There is a lot of blood and gore in FRONTIER(S), which helps differentiate from other films following the same type of storyline. The buzzsaw scene is pretty gruesome. We have someone getting hung by hooks through their ankles in a vicious visual. People get cut open. People get stabbed and shot. Fingers get chopped off. There's also a very memorable scene where one character gets burnt to death in a steam room as his face melts. There's a lot of violence similar to stuff we have seen in torture porn films. But it works and actually enhances the story. I thought the SFX and make up teams did a really good job here.

Xavier Gens definitely directs a better film in FRONTIER(S) than he would later with HITMAN. His visual style is very energetic and enthusiastic. There's a lot of shaky cam during the more action-filled scenes, which actually enhance the viewing experience rather than it causing a distraction. The colors are vibrant and the editing is very solid. He also brings a ton of tension and suspense to the film, especially during the final act and during a scene that could have been taking out of THE DESCENT where Farid encounters people inside a mine in night vision from his camera. The soundtrack is also very solid and really captures the oppressive feel of the movie. FRONTIER(S) is nothing we haven't seen before, but Gens still manages to direct a fine film here.

The acting stands out in FRONTIER(S). All the actors are great in their roles, but Karina Tests was the highlight as Yasmine. I really bought every emotion she put into her character, from being distraught, to being scared, to being confused, and finally to being angry and determined to make these Nazis pay. It's a really great performance that deserves a look. Chems Dahmani as Farid was also pretty solid, as well as the actors playing the family of Nazis. I truly believed these actors believed in the situation they were going through. That's some fine work right there.

THINGS I'VE LEARNED WHILE CHOOSING TRUE BLOOD OVER PURE BLOOD

- The female lead character is named Yas and she's pregnant. For someone named after a contraceptive for birth control, she sure didn't live up to it!

- Don't trust women who force you into sex. They're either diseased whores, serial killers who use their sexuality, or actually men posing as women. Either way, there's gonna be blood in your urine.

- One of the Nazis called Farid a "half-breed" due to his ethnicity. That's all he's ever heard. That's how he learned to hate the word. Both sides were against him since the day he was born.

- Yas and Alex tried to pull the chains off the wall to free themselves. Unless they're Dokken, they're probably wasting their time.

- There was a ton of arguing and violence during the family dinner. Who said that a Nazi cannibalistic family wasn't normal?

THE FINAL HOWL
While I find other modern French horror films to be better than FRONTIER(S), the movie is still worth a watch to see how a French director takes an American horror premise and gives it a foreign flavor. The acting, direction, and the brutality are highlights, while the narrative leaves a bit more to be desired. Not the most original horror film out there, but at least it's made well and it's entertaining for the most part, even if a bit a depth could have truly had FRONTIER(S) live up to its potential.


SCORE
3 Howls Outta 4