Frostbitten Movie Review
Written by OBS Staff Member Rose
Rated: NR (not rated)
Frostbitten, a Swedish horror film released in 2006 and directed by Anders Banke, opens in the year 1944. SS soldiers are lost in the Ukrainian wilderness and happen upon a cabin in the woods. They take refuge inside from the bitter cold but what they don’t realize is, the inhabitants never actually left the house and some of the soldier fall prey to the family inside. After fighting the bloodsuckers, they discover a small coffin in the basement, with something alive inside, but quickly bury it.
It is now present day in Norrbotten, Sweden. An area of the world that gets 30 days of night. Sound familiar? Well, the fact that the town is shrouded in darkness for 30 days is the only comparison.
A mother, Annika (Petra Nielsen) and daughter, Saga, (Grete Havnesköld) recently move to Norrbotten, after Annika (a doctor) finds a new position at a hospital. After meeting with her colleague and Professor Gerhard Beckart (Carl-Åke Eriksson) for whom she specifically transferred and wanted to work with, things start going a bit awry. Science and genetics, mixed with a high school party and this strange doctor and his only patient, play major roles in this film.
These factors add twists that turns comical on screen. Campy and ridiculous but still very much watch-able, I found myself laughing at many scenes. Not because it was poorly done, by any means, but because the situations themselves are quite funny.
There are some bloody moments, it wouldn’t be a horror movie without it, but the sense of evil and bloodshed is not anything close to what we are used to. Even the acts of violence are comical in nature. However ridiculous, Frostbitten kept me entertained. Up until the ending, which left too much up in the air. I would have liked to see the bow tied a little tighter. It’s possible they didn’t know how to tie up all the loose ends and went for the easy route of an open ending. Regardless, it’s worth a watch.
Rating: 6.5/10
Running time: 98 minutes
