Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Vampires with a Swedish, Nazi Twist!, January 23, 2009
Frostbitten is a Swedish-made horror movie about vampires with a Nazi SS bloodline. Yes, you heard that right--Nazi SS vampires! It also has a very effective dark humor which runs throughout the movie. Frostbitten is only in Swedish language, with optional English subtitles. So, if subtitles annoy you then, this one may not be for you, no matter what. However, if you can handle that, then you may find this one an entertaining and rather humorous gem of a lesser-known horror film.
For all you hard-core war/horror fans out there, Frostbitten mostly just begins with a war-related scene. However, it's really quite a good one. From there, the war/SS theme runs throughout the movie and continues only as the basis for what's happening otherwise.
About right now, you're probably wondering exactly where and how the Nazi/war element weaves within this otherwise hardcore vampire movie. Well, it begins at the very beginning. As the movie opens, a group of SS soldiers from the 5th SS Panzergrenadier Division Wiking are seeking shelter in a seemingly deserted, snow-covered cabin in the woods. Once inside, the SS soldiers find that the cabin is not so deserted as they thought. Inside, they begin an unwinnable battle with the undead which produces vampire lineage surviving into present-day Sweden. The original SS Officer is later the head of the clan, with all sorts of modern-day vampiric adventures. This movie is in the same vein (no pun intendend) as the recent 30 Days of Night which deals with a vampire party during a month-long period of natural darkness.
As I said earlier, Frostbitten has some very effective dark humor (which I love). There is even a hilarious scene involving a talking dog, which you have to see to understand and appreciate. I'm not even going to attempt to explain it, although it does make sense when it happens. The acting and special effects are also quite good, always keeping the movie better than it might be otherwise.
In the end, as promised, Frostbitten does circle back into the the SS soldier theme, with a climax in which the heroine does battle with the undead SS vampire fuhrer. It's all really better than it sounds, believe it or not. This is really one of those movies that only seems ridiculous when when one tries to describe it. The intentional dark humor element only helps to make that even more difficult.
Trust me. Frostbitten will take a serious bite out of most anyone who takes the time to experience it. For some, that bite may be more enjoyable than expected. So, expose yourself to the thrills, and get Frostbitten today!
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Blood and ICE...Horror Film That Blends Quirky Humor and Slick Atmosphere!, October 6, 2009
I was impressed with Sweden`s own art house vampire film "Let The Right One In", so of course, I was very interested when I heard about "Frostbitten" (or Frostbiten according to the film's opening credits), Sweden`s first vampire movie. Directed by Anders Banke, the film is another vampire flick that blends quirky humor, visceral vampirism and genetics as its main premise. The film is a little flimsy if you talk about its plot but the movie is quite fun.
Annika (Petra Nielsen) and her daughter Saga (Grete Hayneskold) had just moved into a snow-laden town somewhere in Sweden. Annika had accepted a position at a local hospital led by an enigmatic Doctor Beckert (Carl-Ake Eriksson). The area is currently experiencing a month-long lack of sunlight and abundance of polar weather. Meanwhile, a young cocky medical assistant named Sebastian (Jonas Carlstrom) steals a batch of red pills from Beckert's office, either out of curiosity or for a "party favor" for his friend Vega (Emma Aberg) isn't really clear. After Sebastian takes a red pill, he begins to feel a little sick and very odd; his senses become enhanced, he even begins to hear dogs talk and has gained an intolerance to normal food. Sebastian also finds that he is slowly developing a lust for blood...
Let's see, "Frostbitten" isn't going to make my list of favorite vampire films but I have to admit the movie does have its charm. I guess the best way to describe the movie would be a collision of quirky comedy and blood-soaked adrenaline, it bounces around jump scares and comedy while maintaining a feeling of tension. The movie's plot is full of gaps and characterization is kept at a bare minimum. The "30 Days of Night" angle isn't really brought into play as much as I would have liked since this element only serves as a very minor ingredient to the film's plot. The film's central focus falls upon its teenage characters such as Sebastian, Vega and company who are out to have fun.
Sebastian takes center stage as the first victim of the red pill. His slow transformation to a vampire pretty much sets the film's tone and I have to admit, the sequences really cracked me up. It comes off a little grim at times, as we see Sebastian trying to drink his household condiments (ketchup, milk, juice etc.) and finds that his body is rejecting them. The young man's meeting with his girlfriend's parents become rather humorous as her father is a minister and you can guess what happens when he hears him saying `grace' and gets fed with a trout cooked in garlic sauce. Yes, the film does have its charm and parts of it were very funny and entertaining.
Sadly, the film has several plot missteps that I thought were just rather disappointing. The plot with our mysterious Dr. Beckert is a little underdeveloped that this subplot never becomes compelling or interesting. I also felt that the sequences with Beckert and Annika didn't match the tone of the rest of the film. In this area, the film feels rather episodic and lacked coherency in its script. I thought the movie was going to be a solid comedic bloodbath but this area just felt a little too forced. The Nazi angle at the beginning of the film didn't really reach any inherent gravity to the narrative; it feels rather insignificant. It does provide some background to the vampire named Maria and to Beckert, but the way it just becomes attached into the plot is very difficult to buy into. However, I liked Beckert's transformation sequence, I thought it was a good homage to old-school effects.
"Frostbitten" has a lot of things going on between the fun-hungry teenagers and the Annika-Beckert struggle and the film does have several editing tricks up its sleeve. It did hold my focus and I felt like I was watching one of your cheesy horror low-budget films. I guess this was what the director intended. The vampires are curiously very sensitive to light, they can be repelled by a copy machine and even by a car's powerful headlights. The vampires themselves have the superhuman qualities we see in most vampire movies; strong, fast and feral. The vampires can be killed by the usual traditional means. The film also does have very nice cinematography that accentuates the frozen environment. From the indoors and the outdoors, the film does have the right atmosphere.
This Swedish vampire thriller relies on its visuals and brings the core of its story from genetic studies. I thought the transformation from human to vampire through the use of a pill is a little hard to buy into. The film is also very predictable and rather unoriginal; it also lacks innovation and feels very routine with its barefaced scares. To its credit, the film does have its charm and leanness; the film has enough vampire stunts, humor and bloody scenes to charm the horror fan. The film is amiable enough and accompanied by good visuals, "Frostbitten" can be fun when you're in the mood for a vampire movie with flamboyance and comedic allure.
Recommended! [3 Stars= Good with Flaws and Redeeming Qualities]
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Sweden knows it's vampires!, September 26, 2009
Imagine my surprise when I watched this film not knowing what to expect or even remembering where I heard about it from and finding that Sweden not only made one vampire film for the ages in the last decade (the enchanting Let The Right One In), but already had hit a more traditional home run for the genre a few years ago with 2006's "Frostbiten" (one t or two, take your pick). The premise is thoroughly standard, but the execution is fabulous. Almost everything you want from a modern vampire film with only a few cliche's holding it back. If you love vampire films, this should be on your list.
The story begins during the German's ill-fated assault on the Soviet Union in WWII. Now, the first thing i thought was "What if a localized vampiric plague was what really stopped the Third Reich's advance and won the war for the Allies? A great idea!" However, this is merely the genesis of the story. SS troops encounter an abandoned cabin to hole up in and find that they weren't the only evil bastards to have that idea. Slaughter follows. Fast forward six decades to modern Sweden, where cute new girl in town Saga meets adorably quirky goth goddess Vega, who is eager to befriend the fresh meat. There's a familiar-looking geneticist with a strange interest in a comatose girl (never a good thing) and a lot of mysterious pills at the hospital where Saga'a mother works, and all of the teens in town are attending a party. The perfect prescription for a vampire infection. And just in time for the region's own 30 Days of Night too.
Emma Aberg is beyond charming as Vega in this film. I just have to say that right away. Great character. The rest of the film is fairly standard, but very effective. Moments involving vampires clinging to ceilings or even telephone poles are extremely well-done, as is the story of a boy who slowly becomes a vampire over the course of the film. Let's just say he devours a fluffy bunny and a lapdog and leave it at that. No. Let's not. In a bizarre but surprisingly awesome comedic twist, the kid finds he can understand the speech of dogs. It sounds stupid, but the dogs actually made me laugh pretty hard without ruining the tone of the film. It's just crazy enough to work, as they say. I've seen a lot of films about people slowly transforming into vamps, but this one did it best in my opinion. Watching him try to quench his thirst with every beverage in the fridge and finding each undrinkable and then meeting his girlfriend's parents for the first time and being served a garlicy meal were other high points of this side story. In another effective bit of humor, Saga crosses two sticks to ward off an advancing vamp who hisses and shrinks away and then laughs and tells her she's making an X. Comedy aside, the violence is pretty visceral and shocking at times. No sex or nudity that I can recall. Sorry, exploitation fans.
So basically what we wind up with is an army of undead spawned from the goddamn Third Reich ready to run loose in Sweden and a vampire boss that turns out to be really cliche when he changes forms. Hate it when they go over-the-top in the final stretch. But for the most part, this is a great vampire film on par with Fright Night at least. A little better even. There are some really, really impressive shots and the special effects are subtle and effective. I particularly enjoyed shot where Saga takes a kid into a room and shuts off the lights to leave the entire screen black save for a pair of glowing red eyes. When the lights come back on, there's no one to be seen. Creepy as hell.
This should be considered a must-see for fans of modern vampire tales. Only "Let the Right One In" is as good when comparing vampire films from the last 5 years. Maybe even 10. Most solid vampire films struggle to get rounded up from 3 1/2 with me so don't be the least bit turned off by me deducting a star from the rating. Because if it's standard premise an somewhat muddled final act it's not getting a 5, but neither would a lot of my favorite vampire flicks. This is still one of the better ones I've ever seen. I hope Sweden keeps it's interest in the genre strong because if they keep this up, American vamp films will get snowed under by films like "Frostbitten". It's creepy, it's funny, and it's damn entertaining.
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