Fans of horror, comedy, and the very particular combination of horror-comedy films about flesh-eating zombies, would no doubt love 2009's Norwegian zombie movie Dead Snow. Directed by Tommy Wirkola, Dead Snow follows a group of medical students on a ski trip in the Arctic mountains. But when a creepy local inform them that a group of dangerous villainous are prowling the area, they must survive a crazy Nazi zombie attack.

The movie was clearly a hit amongst zombie fans, as Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead was later released in 2014, following the lone survivor of the original attack. Over the years, we have been provided with an array of corny, typical zombie movies; in the past couple of decades, there's been a wide array of zombie comedies (Shaun of the Dead, Anna and the Apocalypse, Zombieland, Little Monsters, and more), some we laugh at for their terrible special effects, and some we actually think are classic masterpieces. So where does the Dead Snow movies exist in the spectrum, and could they be actually great?

How To Enhance A Typical Zombie Plot

man with blood on his face
Euforia Film

If giving us a zombie attack wasn't enough to grab our gore-loving attention, then why not throw in some Nazis to enhance the storyline? We are actually not shown how the Nazis became zombies, although we really don't care because the chances are that we're all just here to learn how to survive a zombie apocalypse. Introducing the Nazi element to an otherwise very typical zombie movie is actually intriguing and something we haven't seen amongst other movies before (unless you've seen the obscure Peter Cushing movie Shock Waves from '77). Of course, Nazis are the ultimate movie villain, which means we do not have any sympathy for our zombie enemies (unlike many zombie films, in which 'humans are the monsters' much of the time) and actually kind of love watching them run around, being slashed up.

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Besides the walking dead being Nazis, the zombie fighting plot is nothing less than brilliant. Everyone who has watched a zombie movie just loves the idea of getting stuck in to a brilliant fight for survival; whether we'd survive is a question for another time, but watching zombies get chopped up is entertaining nonetheless. Dead Snow, on that note, does not fail in providing us with a snowy resemblance to classics like Evil Dead, with all the guts, brains, blood splatter, and gore you could hope for; it's undoubtedly fun to watch someone using a zombie's intestines as a rope as he hangs off a cliff, or watching someone's head get pulled apart. Of course, on top of the fact they have to battle to survive, they're fighting raging Nazi lunatics, which just makes the movie even stranger, ridiculous, creative and more enjoyable.

The Zombies Came Back For Seconds in Red vs. Dead

man with gun shooting zombies 
Euforia Film

Upon the release of the first Dead Snow movie, the film became very well-known for the brilliantly disgusting special effects and was actually more gruesome and violent than much of what we had been shown before. The storyline might not run deep and is not one for character development, but that isn't much of a concern when you're looking for a classic zombie flick, and Dead Snow is one of the most downright entertaining of them all.

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The film was horrifyingly gory and bizarre enough to come back for seconds, and the hills were alive again for more Nazi maniacs tearing people apart limb from limb. As the flesh-craving Nazis just won't give up, the sole survivor seeks help from some zombie enthusiasts, and discovers plenty of new techniques for how they can fight. What is brilliant about Dead Snow 2 is that it expands on the original storyline and follows the plot but is still just as gory as ever.

There is nothing worse than getting hyped up for a sequel and it not being as good or what you thought it was going to be. But, do not fret because the sequel to this crazy, unique zombie apocalypse is still full of the admirably gruesome work as the first and is definitely another crowd pleaser. In fact, after the success of the first movie, Dead Snow 2 seemed to step it up in zombie makeup, comedic effect, and fake intestines.

The Ridiculous Fun of Dead Snow

Dead Snow: Red Vs. Dead Nazi head
Nordisk Filmdistribusjon
Sena

Both movies are of course typically cheesy, and can be seen as typical zombie flicks, but Dead Snow really stepped up the mark when it came to its gore factor. Amongst all the other zombie movies we have seen, Dead Snow is definitely a must-see and is bound to have you gasping with delighted shock. Both Dead Snow and its sequel became much loved movies, and if you're a lover of brains, blood, and plenty of slasher vibes, then the Dead Snow movies are fantastic and essential.