DEAD SNOW 2: RED VS DEAD (2014)

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Some of my favorite horror-films have strong elements of black-comedy running through them. The 1992 film DEAD ALIVE (AKA BRAINDEAD) is one of Peter Jackson's first films, and its definitely hilarious, and totally gross. Another fine example is the absolutely phenomenal EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY DAWN (1987), which is one of my favorite horror-films of all time. While it is numerically a sequel to 1982's EVIL DEAD, its actually a remake/retelling of the same story, with a few tweaks. Other fine examples include SHAWN OF THE DEAD, ZOMBIELAND, and BEETLEJUICE.


DEAD SNOW 2 could definitely be described as a mash-up of several of these films, and what a mash-up it is. The main character is the soul-survivor of the first outing, DEAD SNOW, a man named Martin. Martin and his friends had opted to spend their Easter vacation in a cabin near Øksfjord in Norway. They end up finding a stash of Nazi gold, which reanimates an SS commander named Hertzog, and his company of now-zombie soldiers.The group of friends try to fend off the Zombies, but all of them save for Martin finish up dead, and even he loses an arm. He gives the gold back to Hertzog, who seems satisfied with that, and then tries to escape. However, a single coin remained in his pocket, prompting Hertog to attack while Martin is trying to start his car.


The sequel opens here, and Martin manages to fend off Hertog, ripping off the Zombie's arm in the process, and toss out the gold coin. Exhausted, Martin later crashes his vehicle, and ends up in the hospital...where they have attached Hertzog's to Martin's stump, having mistaken it for Martin's own arm. This is where the shit starts to truly hit the fan, as accidental murders, tragic misunderstandings, lots of blood-splatter, and comic hijinks ensue.


There are quite a few scenes in this film where I ended up crying "No, No, No, no way!" and then laughing my ass off. This movie ramps up the gross-out comedy from the first outing, and often goes to outrageous places you swear it wouldn't. Director Tommy Wirkola's willingness to really go for the gusto is the highlight here. Vegar Hoel is great as Martin, who transitions from shocked and confused helplessness to an angry desire to stop Hertzog, although he never completely loses his character's awkwardness, which is why the performance works. Joining him is Kristoffer Joner as the most horrendously abused zombie sidekick in cinema history, Martin Starr (from FREAKS AND GEEKS, and both SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING and SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME) appears as the leader of the geeky Zombie-Squad, and genre stalwart Derek Mears (Jason in the 2009 FRIDAY THE 13TH remake, HATCHET 3, and the title character of the now-cancelled SWAMP-THING series).


The movie moves at a very brisk pace, although a few scenes with the American Zombie-Squad characters slow things down a touch. Some viewers found these characters to be unnecessary and annoying, but I didn't really have much of an issue with them. The splatter effects are extremely well-done, and many of them are definitely cringe-inducing, but in a darkly comic way. The shooting locations in Iceland (standing in for Norway) are often very beautiful, and different from most genre-fare.


All-in-all, this is an extremely enjoyable Zombie-outing. If you have never seen DEAD SNOW, I suggest you see that first, although its not absolutely necessary, as the events get summed up at the start of the film. As of this writing, DEAD SNOW 2: READ VS DEAD is available to watch for FREE on YouTube, and absolutely gets my recommendation. 


Four-and-a-half stars! (****.5)

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