Very disappointed :(

Am I Missing Something?

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Me and Norwegian cinema have always gotten along well, from Troll Hunter (2010) to Escape (2012) I've tended to enjoy their work.Cold Prey is a franchise I've been aware of for a longtime but just not gotten round to. I heard they were revolutionary powerful critically acclaimed pieces so when I put this on I expected great things.The cinematography is great, with a gloomy dark filter that really adds to the atmosphere. The cast are decent enough and I personally love the setting.Sadly that's all the film really has going for it. Going in I knew it was a horror but I didn't know what type, the answer is slasher and not a very original one at that.In fact there is nothing at all new about it. Group of twenty somethings seek refuge in an abandoned hotel and get picked off one by one, it really couldn't be more clichéd.Cold Prey isn't bad at all, it's just yet another generic slasher flick and I'm surprised it has two sequels. Fingers crossed that they figured out something in the follow ups to set them apart from the other million movies of its ilk.The Good: Great setting Solid cinematography The Bad: No originality at all Things I Learnt From This Movie: Superglue in Norwegian sounds like super lube, this could end in disaster!

This was a huge surprise to me! Beautifully directed and great acting all round this is as good as, in fact better, than many recent Hollywood horror efforts. It has a fairly simple plot but it works because of the excellent quality of every part of this movie's production. I can't say too much about it without giving away the story but I urge you to watch it. You will not be disappointed whether you prefer well-paced suspenseful build-ups or good old-fashioned gore you'll like this. It's not corny and doesn't have characters doing too many stupid things. The characters are believable and endearing. You don't want them to get hurt. You want them as friends! Most of their actions are understandable and there has been a lot of thought put into how each individual character would react to the situation they're in. No bland stereotypes here. I am hugely impressed and will be seeking out more work from Norway and this director (and some of the actors) as well. A well deserved 8 out of 10 from me.

'Fritt vilt', or 'cold prey' does to you what a horror movie is supposed to do: it glues you on your seat from start to finish.This film doesn't start as a horror story, though. As usual, the horror only comes in when 'Fritt vilt' is well on its way. From that moment on it takes over completely.Those who are familiar Stanley Kubrick's 'Shining' from 1980 cannot escape recognizing some of its elements in 'Fritt vilt'. The horror man using an ax, for one thing. Or its setting in a deserted hotel, isolated by harsh winter conditions. A tough woman battling the horror man, and even the use of hotel room number 237.Lending from Kubrick clearly benefits this Norwegian film. Add to that a competent acting & shooting, as well as a special bonus: an alternative trailer, made on the song of a punk-rock band. It works well with the mood of 'Fritt vilt'.

To avoid the crowded tourist resorts, five snow boarders head out to an isolated mountain with a dazzling descent rate. What they naturally forgot to consider is that one of them might make a nasty fall and in that case they'd be trapped and cut off from the outside world. This is exactly what happens, of course, when Morton Tobias breaks his leg and the quintet has no other option but to look for shelter in a nearby abandoned hotel. The place isn't just forsaken for no reason, as something dreadful took place here years ago. There was a fire and the disappearance of a deformed young boy. All this happened in 1975, thus plenty of time for him to grow into a unworldly and pick-axe wielding psychopath. "Cold Prey" represents a new – and not necessarily American – generation of uncanny slashers. It's wild and exciting, but also massively clichéd and derivative of at least a dozen of other movies. You can easily overlook the unoriginality, however, since the film boosts so many beautiful snowy landscapes and the breathtaking sight of authentic Norwegian glaciers. The atmosphere inside the hotel is grim and sinister, emphasized through detailed camera-work and eerie music. The lead characters are rather amiable (as in: you don't necessarily wish for them to die in such gruesome ways, but it happens anyway) and the killer is a fairly menacing figure. He's a huge bloke, kind of like the Norwegian counterpart of Jason Vorhees, with a thick furry coat and inseparable pick-axe. There's not a whole lot of gore in "Cold Prey", but the violence is mean-spirited and disturbing. The climax sequences are very intense and admirably reveals the answers to several questions that were raised earlier in the film. Good, chilling slasher-fun recommended to all fans of nowadays brutal horror as well as to fans of the nostalgic 1980's. The sequel is – surprisingly enough – even better!