Cold Prey

COLD PREY is the English language title for FRITT VILT, a meat and potatoes slasher film produced in Norway by Fantefilm Productions, with the usual stock of attractive young people in dire jeopardy. It's a familiar story; extreme snowboarders wind up at an abandoned ski lodge after a mishap, and discover the lodge really isn't abandoned after all... something evil dwells within. Horror fans have seen this plot played out in dozens of slasher incarnations made during and after the 1980s, but in this Nordic foray the young people are given likable personalities, which helps establish an emotional connection to the audience when the terror actually begins. As a result, I found Cold Prey to be one of the scariest films in recent memory; it had me shivering all over like I had just stepped out of the waters of an icy fjord.

The film starts with a slow and deliberate build-up, using character development, dramatic sound, modern music, and plenty of snow-laden atmosphere to pull the viewer inexorably in. As our downhillers settle in at the lodge to take stock of their situation after the accident, an unforseen danger surfaces, threatening their immediate plans. As the characters suddenly find themselves struggling for their lives and searching for desperate answers, the suspense is quickly ramped up, intensifying as each new circumstance unfolds. This unrelenting tension and unease is exactly what sets Cold Prey apart from other slasher movies.

First time feature-length director Roar Uthoag doesn't neccessarily break new ground with his film, but he proves himself to be one of the more intelligent purveyors working in the field. Uthoag, intent on using the "less is more" approach to storytelling, actually refrains from showing too much of the killer until late in the preceedings, which allowed the director to float the mystery element along with the tension, keeping viewers both intellectually engaged and scared at the same time, a rare feat in any slasher-type movie. As someone who grew up watching classic monster movies I really appreciated that narrative style over an early and sometimes unnecessary unveiling.

Also commendable was the absense of draconian gore effects, a gutsy call for any horror film director to make these days, and the nearly complete lack of explotative nude scenes, which up until now had always been a well-worn staple within the genre. These restraints were yet another form of rarity exercised in a genre known for its excessiveness. Not so rare, of course, was the story's conclusion, which has one of the victims opening up a big can of whoop-ass on the killer. These slasher movies generally end that way and that's the ultimate payoff for some of us fans-- maybe the only reason to watch slasher films at all. Cold Prey is nothing if not guilty of being yet another entry in the dead-teenager pool, but unlike the majority of films in its category, it's at least smartly executed throughout its length. And scary. And that makes it a decided cut above the rest.

The cast performed solidly throughout, but I thought the performances of the young Norwegian actresses Ingrid Bolso Berdal and Victoria Winge were especially notable. Berdal is a star in the making and already scheduled to act in the much anticipated sequel Cold Prey 2. Roar Uthoag's film could easily be the start of a successful series, evolving in much the same way as the first Halloween movie did back in the late seventies. That celebrated film, an obvious source of inspiration to the makers of Cold Prey, spawned no less than seven sequels and two prequels and is considered part of a storied franchise now.

I was also duly impressed with many aspects of Cold Prey's cinematography, shot on location in the beautiful mountains of Jotunheimen, Norway. There was an emphasis on fixed camera shooting and sustained looks, resulting in some stunning landscape scenes and stark interior shots. Unfortunately, and to the detriment of us old-school cinephiles, a hand held camera was used to shoot some of the scenes, making a portion of the film laborious to watch.

Horror filmmakers seemingly employ hand-held cameras (or steadicams) as if it were the only way to achieve artistic notoriety while staying within their expenditure limits. In their defense, hand-held cameras can be an effective tool in filmmaking because they're much easier to wield than conventional cameras when shooting close-ups, tight interiors, and action scenes. This raw shooting method, sometimes referred to as cinéma vérité, does creates a type of kinetic energy on screen, and can have an immediacy that some filmmakers feel is important for building mood and engaging viewers. Or at least that's what filmmakers believe is happening when they use their jittery camera techniques.

The truth is quite the opposite; directors who consistently rely on vérité methods fail to connect with audiences by forcing their viewers to make difficult sense of gesticulating images, images which are frequently incomprehensible, especially in action-oriented sequences. They also fail to create convincing action scenes by not letting their actors perform the neccesary athletic feats required to convince us that these scenes could be real. Insurance liability, physical dangers, and other restrictions are obviously working at odds against filmmakers, so directors continually shake their steadicams around to cover up those fundamental constraints. That shaking or unsteadiness, combined with back-and-forth camera sweeps and the repeated overuse of rapid-edits, masks the truth that actors are only performing histrionic motions and not doing any real stunt work of any kind. This cover-up ultimately creates a weak deception for viewers and helps foster a lack of appreciation from the audience (especially from me).

However, in the case of some lower-budgeted horror films (such as Cold Prey), many young performers are willing to stretch the limits of safety and go far beyond what's required of them when given a chance at a movie part. No matter how much danger is involved in acting out scenes, or how bruised and battered they may get in the process, these budding actors and stunt people repeatedly put their lives and limbs at risk to further their fledgling careers. Steadicam and insurance be damned.

On the surface the action in Cold Prey certainly looks risky. Shredding extreme mountain runs on snowboards at breakneck speeds or flailing through deep snow drifts in brutal freezing temperatures does indeed have inherent risk associated with it. But flopping around on cold hard floors doused in fake blood while wearing skimpy underwear is probably only risking embarrassment to those involved. But I imagine our actors had the time of their lives making Cold Prey, enduring no more than minor bumps and bruises along the way. In actuality, playing make-believe in a horror film at a remote ski area for weeks on end sounds almost sublime to me, even with its strenuous impositions. What an absolutely great way to make a living. We should all be so lucky in life.

Be sure to watch Cold Prey while listening to the 5.1 Norwegian audio track with English subtitles-- it sounds fantastic. The DVD extra's are good too. Behind Cold Prey is an exceptional making-of-feature which manages to refrain from the usual backslapping adoration that we usually see, and concentrates instead on some interesting "how to" moments during production. Also included is the feature, Visual FX of Cold Prey, in which the cinematography, digital effects, sound design and poster design are discussed at length. All very interesting too. There's also an above average bloopers reel and a strong short film, titled, An Evening in the Green.

Buy it, borrow it, or rent it, but please give those Norwegians your love and support. Takk.