Viewed – 3 March 2010  DVD

Norwegian slasher films are not really what you might consider something to sit up and take notice of, but after watching this I must admit to being intrigued what the country comes up with next…

After being found wondering on a snowy mountain road, Jannicke the only survivor of the murderous rampage of masked serial killer, is rushed to a nearby hospital, where she tells the local authorities of her hellish ordeal.  Whilst recovering, the bodies of her friends are found along with the masked killer, and brought back to the hospital – where it’s not long before the killer is resuscitated and begins his killing spree all over again.

Taking an obvious cue from the first Halloween sequel, this direct follow-on from the stylish, competent Cold Prey seems to be working with not only a bigger budget and larger cast, but also with a director who genuinely knows how to make a horror movie this time around.  Taking nothing away from the original which on its own merits was an effective, if rather tame slasher, this on the other hand offers some effective kills, a smattering of gore and very tense, nail-biting atmosphere whilst also delivering plenty of thrills.  Once again main star Ingrid Bolso Berdal is every bit the feisty heroine, perhaps a touch more gutsy than before, and the cast as a whole flesh this one out with believable characters in a life and death situation.  Originality or anything resembling a new idea may be its Achilles heal, but like the first movie what this does, it does very well indeed – and impressed this jaded horror fan immensely.

Verdict:  4 /5