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| Cold Prey 2 my screen cap doesn't do subtitles |
I don't really remember all that much about Cold Prey. If I recall, it was a decent, pretty straightforward winter-set slasher flick - it didn't blow me away, but it served it's purpose. Plus, the foreign-ness of it all (it's Norwegian) adds to the novelty and unpredictablilty - you never know if other countries are going to abide by the same "rules" that you are used to. But I think part one stuck pretty close to the established rules. And Final Girl Jannicke's (Indgrid Bolso Berdal) return in part 2 (as well as the generic sequel story) seems to confirm that.
Cold Prey 2 takes place in a small, rural-ish hospital just a day or two after the events of part one. (Quick refresher - five folks on a snowboarding trip are forced to take shelter in an abandoned hotel after one of them breaks their leg. There is a crazy killer there, and he does what crazy killers do.) The hospital is down to a skeleton crew - they are getting ready to shut down permanently the following day. Unfortunately, the hospital is near the abandoned hotel from part one - close enough that Jannicke has found her way to it. Or at least close enough that the man that almost runs over her (nearly frozen and exhausted) in the middle of the road has no choice but to bring her there. Once she wakes up, she tells the police what happened, and directs them to a crevice near the old hotel, where they haul up five (presumably) dead bodies - Jannicke's four dead friends and the killer. Since there's no where else to take them, they end up at the same hospital as Jannicke, where they begin to prep the bodies for... whatever they're going to do.
But if you've ever seen a hospital-based slasher sequel before, you know how this is going to turn out. The killer is not actually dead, easily escapes from his hospital bed, and starts killing people. Because that's all he knows, I guess. Or maybe he's just mad because he's a slasher villain without a proper name or gimmick. Jannicke must use her Final Girl experience to not only evade the killer, but also help the remaining hospital staff and other patients (an old lady with dementia and a little kid) escape from this walking nightmare.
So it's a pretty standard set-up, and ends up playing out pretty much like you'd expect. There aren't a ton of fireworks here, but the isolated setting, nice set-design, and solid direction make for an enjoyable enough slasher flick. Not any one thing sticks out - there are just enough little character moments to get your sympathy, but it's not a super character-heavy film. The violence is brutal enough to make you perk up (there are no "fun" kills or really humor of any kind), but not enough to feel hardcore or please any gorehounds. There is just enough backstory on the killer to make things a little interesting, but it by no means detracts from the story (as it often does when we go to the "origin well"). So while nothing in Cold Prey 2 is all that memorable, it doesn't really do anything wrong either, which is admirable.
Indgrid Bolso Berdal does a nice job reprising her role as Jannicke. She looks adequately vulnerable and shaken after the events of part one, but she steps up as a believable enough badass when she has to be. And Robert Folling is a good presence as the killer, despite not really getting any lines or even much of a character to speak of. I guess he *does* get his winter hat with earflaps back - that's his big moment, I guess? Regardless, he has a good look and is shot to be a massive, imposing character. (In some ways, it's almost a detriment - it's hard to believe anyone could take him out... but suspension of disbelief and all.)
The setting is what really sealed the deal for me. The soon-to-be-closed hospital is a good spot for a little killing spree - not decrepit by any means, but still dreary and empty enough to work. There are lots of places for would be victims to run and hid, and the fact that there is still some equipment (and drugs) floating around doesn't hurt. Although when the killer finds an old pickaxe laying around it does test the film's credibility a bit. You also get a fair amount of outdoor action. Even though it can be pretty desolate looking at times, there's no denying that the snow-covered landscape is beautiful. And there's not all that many horror films that take place in the deep, deep snow. Even though it's not the *main* setting, the bright quietness if the outdoors here gives you a good break form the drab interior of the hospital and gives the film its own visual identity.
It's all pretty well put together by director Mats Stenburg (oddly his only feature film). There's a lot of empty space in this film, but it never feels boring. There's never a ton of tension here, and you don't get a lot of the stalk-and-slash - the killer (he seriously needs a name) is pretty content to take people out quickly. But still, he's a creepy enough looking dude that the whole thing ends up being scary enough.
It's hard not to compare it to See No Evil 2, as the two have essentially the same story. Two main things made Prey more palatable to me. (1) The killer is mostly masked/unseen, and doesn't speak. I appreciated the quiet menace here a little more than a tortured Jacob Goodnight, who has a story - but not a very good one. In the slasher genre, I'll take "no identity" over "bad identity" any day. (2) They at least *try* to explain how the killer came back from the dead. It's not all that impressive - they say he was stillborn for several hours - which not only explains his penchant for playing dead and coming back to life, but maybe even for being crazy too! I just like how they at least acknowledged the whole "coming back to life" thing, even just in passing. It feels a little more realistic for someone to at least say "yeah, that's kind of weird."
I guess there were a couple of nitpicky things I didn't like - there was way too many times where someone was in imminent danger, and someone just comes out of nowhere with a gun shot. Once is okay, but any more than that is a bit much. Also, (and this makes me love (SPOILER FOR) Hatchet 2 even more) if anyone is ever trying to kill me, and they seem dead, and I have a gun, I am going to shoot the shit out of them. It's just a little frustrating here, especially when the dude has already come back from the dead once. But still, Cold Prey 2 works. It's an above average slasher flick that takes itself seriously - and it delivers enough of the goods to keep you satisfied.
I would recommend this film.
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