In the horror genre, it’s not an easy feat to have a sequel match up to the original film. With some franchises expanding up to ten films – you best believe with each passing entry, the quality may suffer and in most cases; it does. That’s not to say there aren’t any sequels that are on par with their predecessor or in even rarer cases – better – but it is indeed a rare occasion in any genre.
When DEAD SNOW was released, it was met with high expectations. The trailers showed gory battles with Nazi zombies and equal amounts of humor; it was easily one of the most eagerly awaited genre films of that year. Unfortunately it failed to meet the expectations of some and left them wanting more from the somewhat uneven film. While it most definitely delivered on the gore, the comedy elements were far too over the top for a film that was also attempting genuine scares. Had the film gone the more comedic route with a lighter tone – it may have worked better and delivered what the audiences anticipated.
And that’s exactly what the sequel does.
The film starts off immediately after the events of the first film where Martin has barely escaped with his life from the horde of Nazi zombies who slaughtered his friends. He suffers a severe car crash after dismembering the leader of the undead battalion’s arm and is brought to the hospital where he is questioned for the murders of his friends. Attempting to provide a glass half full look on the situation, the doctor explains to him they have sewn his arm back on and to his horror he discovers the arm belongs to none other than the very undead captain.
In an IDLE HANDS fashion, he has no control over his new limb and through one bloody mishap after another begins to unravel that the undead soldiers are making their way towards a village to fulfill an incomplete mission. Calling on the help of the Zombie Squad, Martin teams up with the unlikely trio along with a museum caretaker and discovers he has the ability to raise the dead to help win the battle against the Nazi soldiers.
In the immortal words of Simon Pegg; “How’s that for a slice of fried gold?”
As previously mentioned, the first film’s biggest fault was certainly its tone. Something that tried to have scenes of horror mixed in with slapstick comedy; a formula that may work providing the two don’t meet often. It’s a hard machine to tune to insure it runs correctly and smoothly for the viewer; and in the instance of the first film, it was something that should have been left by the waist side in favor of a more comedic film.
The second film understands what kind of film it is, and while there are certainly still the expected gross out moments – the film never attempts to be overly serious. It strides as a full blown comedy with the horror elements taking a back seat which is a welcome addition. Think Monty Python meets DEAD ALIVE – and you pretty much have DEAD SNOW 2: RED VS DEAD summed up almost to a “t”.
Thanks to this film, I have discovered there are more conventional uses for intestines than I had originally thought possible. Fueling up a tank for example, whoduthunk?
What this film has going for it in laughs, it also delivers with brilliant gore gags and well-constructed action sequences that would give any thrill seeker a run for their money.
This truly is one of those films that manages to hit every beat it’s supposed to, becoming equal amounts of funny, gross and just downright offensive. The only kind of fan I could picture not at the very least liking this film is the kind that can’t take any humor with their horror whatsoever. Being that the film favors that element over the latter, it’s not something meant to be taken seriously and it never tries to be.
The Blu Ray/DVD release from WellGoUSA packs quite the punch in the special features department; a feature length commentary with director Tommy Wirkola, short film “Armen”, a visual EFX featurette, Dead Snow Motion Comic Book and a trailer. What really amped this package up for me however is the inclusion of the international version of the film DOD SNO 2 which is essentially the same film as the main feature except the scenes that feature non-American characters are shot in their native language. Why is this so cool you ask? Because it’s insane that there are two versions of the same film that don’t hinder either experience. The English friendly version is just as enjoyable as the non-English friendly version as they are both shot nearly identically. So if you’re a purist who wants to see this film shot in its native tongue, you can, if you’re someone who may not appreciate foreign language films – well, you’re covered there too! And instead of cheesy dubbing, the English friendly version has the actors speaking English and with no noticeable performance handicap. It’s brilliant. 
If you find yourself on the fence being that you weren’t a huge fan of the first film, hop off and check this one out. It does everything you expected the first one to do and does it in spades. A rarity in the genre for sure; this is a sequel that outshines the original in almost every conceivable way.
DEAD SNOW 2: RED VS. DEAD is currently available to rent via VOD, iTunes and Amazon. DVD & Blu Ray available Dec. 2nd, pre-order here.
Directed by: Tommy Wirkola
Starring: Vegar Hoel, Orjan Gamst, Martin Starr, Jocelyn DeBoer, Ingrid Haas, Derek Mears
