Cold Prey (aka Fritt Vilt)

First there was "Switchblade Romance" which showed that not only was the slasher alive and well, but that it could have a very bright future. Hard-hitting and tense like a hypochondriac with constipation. Then "Wolf Creek" took us through the Outback and several levels of Hell along the way. Crocodile Dundee jokes aside, this one pulled no punches.

Now, Norway's getting in on the action with the chilly "Cold Prey".

So what makes this film unlike other tired, dull slashers? Very much the same things that elevate "Wolf Creek" and "Romance": an abundance of style, complicated character relationships, psychologically realistic characters, attention to (even the most minute) detail, and the ability to know the thin border between the terrifying and the laughable. "Cold Prey" ticks all these boxes.

There are other slashers films about some teens that have went for a ski weekend and are massacred by an unknown madman. But "Cold Prey", right away, signals that it's different. Characters are real, if not always likeable, three-dimensional people you can believe in and not mere killer-fodder who must be disposed of before the Final Girl can walk away.

And yet, it does have all the classic elements of a slasher. The Final Girl rule is in effect, the killer comes from a troubled past, and teens will be teens won't they? But none of it is redundant, there's an almost post-modern awareness at work here. You know slashers, so does Roar Uthaug, so here's a really nicely done one.

An abandoned ski-lodge makes for an atmospheric locale, with lots of cold lighting, shadows, and rustic set pieces. Carefully plotted and as nerve-wracking as nails on a chalkboard. And for all Gorehouds out there, "Cold Prey" doesn't skimp on the violence.

Beautiful Norwegian scenery is used to good effect, the atmosphere is great, but what really makes this slasher stand out from the rest is character building.

Yes I kid you not. Here is a solid slasher horror that actually works on building it's characters, thus making you you sincerely care about them when the blood and guts start flying. It certainly makes the entire experience far more effective.

Special kudos to its female lead Ingrid Bolso Berdal and its director Roar Uthaug. The latter should have a Hollywood career up and running in the not so distant future.

A couple of reviewers are saying this is different from most slasher films because there is 'character building'. This maybe true but did it make me care for them anymore?not really,im affraid i just took this film as a good old slash em up but done with more style than most horror films. I think they try to make us feel sorry for the killer but that doesnt really work with me either,all in all a good old slasher film with a bit more style than most,not in the same league as switchblade romance though!

Solid story wich builds up to an exiting klimax. Really scary!

I like to think of Cold Prey as Dead Snow for grown-ups, not that I didn't like Dead Snow but this is a far superior film. Both films have a very similar opening act but where Dead Snow choses comedy Cold Prey goes with solid character building (as noted in other reviews) and the acting is well above the norm for this genre. It is certainly a slasher film but a far classier effort than seen from the USA in recent years. The plot may be nothing new but that really doesn't matter as it very well directed, the film also will not insult your intelligence by explaining what's been going on all the time. Also has one of the genre's coolest 'bad guys' in a long time (pardon the pun).