Winter of the Dead (2005)

Director: Markus Heiskanen

Writer: Markus Heiskanen, Jere Vainikka

Tagline: [None]

Actors: Pasi Martikainen, Antti Riuttanen, Kirsti Savola, Teemu Salonen, Markus Heiskanen

Runtime: 36m

Category: Zombie

Synopsis: After a nuclear holocaust, the world as we know it is stuck in an endless winter. We follow Toni, a lone survivor in these harsh times, in his day to day lifestyle. We eventually meet Risto; a neighbor of Toni’s who seems to be less uptight about the whole end of the world scenario. Those who have not died from the radiation or starvation have turned into flesh-hungry zombies who attack Toni and Risto mercilessly. One day Toni finds a woman in the snow and brings her home. Her name is Juontaja and has come from a nearby town after having been overrun by the undead…she is the only survivor. Eventually the zombie attacks become too much for the three of them and they are forced to mobilize. Can they escape these relentless zombies or will they feel the icy grip of frozen death?

Review: First off, I’m very tired. I’ve just written like six reviews in a two hour period and frankly, I’m wiped out. This is what happens when you procrastinate! Anyway, this is another one of those damn subtitle films that make you read your way through the movie. Thank God this film kicked ass because the subs were starting to mock me personally.

The story is a refreshing variation of The Last Man on Earth (1964) with Vincent Price. Actually, all of The Last Man on Earth (1964) playoffs were played off of the original story by Richard Matheson. Only in Matheson’s story, the creatures were vampires. But all of this is no never mind to you. This story is not slow, it is not boring, and in no way is it knockable. I loved the story to death…no pun intended. I thought it was a clever spin from the others of its kind, leaving it in a category all its own.

The acting was superb. It was very 28 Days Later… (2002) feeling. Not many people can hold a movie all or even most of the way though. But all three characters were very well executed and were done in a manor not know to the U.S. It’s been a while since I’ve seen character commitment like that. The last film I saw with that kind of stability was I Am Legend (2007). Even though a lot of Americans won’t understand what they are saying, myself included, they are compelling actors all the same.

The gore was not as present as I had hoped. I was hoping for some close-up head-shots or a zombie munchin’ away on some poor soul. But even though I did not get what I wanted, I was treated to some very wonderful subtle gore. The amount of control over the gore and blood spatter was very, very well done. The make-up and effects were also of the same caliber. Like I said before…a lot about this film surprised me.

Rating: 23. This was an absolute treat for me to watch. Very I Am Legend (2007), very The Last Man on Earth (1964) feeling. If you cared at all for either of those films, find this one. If you can’t find it, try my friends over at HorrorFlix…they have everything. In summation, with some steady gore control and terrific direction and acting, you are sure to love this film by our comrades to the East (between Sweden and Russia…I know…I had to look too!). (23of25).