The Honeycut – This Sequel Ups the Ante and the Absurdity

Undead Warfare

“Dead Snow.” What a franchise. The first film is like the original “Evil Dead.” College students stuck in a cabin, hunted by Nazi zombies. So, how do you one-up that? How about you resurrect an army of undead Soviet soldiers and have them engage in a climactic battle with the German zombies? 

“Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead” does exactly that, much like how “Army of Darkness” took “Evil Dead” in a different direction. Does this wild movie live up to the hype? Or does it belong under a tank tread? 

The Story

It picks up right where the first one left off. Our protagonist, Martin, escapes the zombie army but is forced to hack his arm off in the process. When surgeons replace his arm with the zombie leader, Herzog’s arm, he discovers it has the ability to raise and control the dead. He sets out to resurrect a band of Soviet POWs Herzog killed back in World War II. 

Meanwhile, Herzog and his undead soldiers run amok through the Norwegian town of Talvik. It all culminates in an epic battle between our human heroes, and their revived Soviet allies, against Herzog and his Nazi zombies. 

Honey’s Cut

As somebody who is interested in World War II, zombies, and awesome battles, “Dead Snow 2” absolutely rules. The first one was a fun ride, with a healthy dose of comedy. But this sequel ramps everything up. It gets everything right. I’m currently writing a sequel to my zombie story, “New Year’s Killin’ Eve,” and seeing what all this movie did helped me realize I was on the right track. It keeps the main character who survived the first film, then introduces some new ones who are just as good. It also makes everything bigger, with higher stakes, and funnier humor. 

One highlight for me was when the Nazi zombies were absolutely wrecking the town of Talvik. People are just milling about, doing mundane things, when all of a sudden, a bunch of undead soldiers break into the scene and kill them in ridiculously violent ways. Did I mention the Nazi Zombies have a freaking tank? Because the tank is awesome. They run people over in it, and actually fire the turret to blow stuff up, adding to the all-out carnage.

Another strong point is the final battle: zombie Soviets vs. Nazi zombies, with our human heroes front and center. What a scene! This is like a battle from “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King,” only wildly absurd. Martin and Herzog also have a showdown, where Herzog gets his head blown off by the tank!

The humor also lands in this one. The jokes are good, but the kills got the most laughs from me. Each murder scene is so incredibly violent and over-the-top, I couldn’t help but laugh. At one point, Herzog and his men run over this woman with their tank, and you see her body get crushed and just explode into a mist of blood. I know it probably doesn’t sound that funny in writing. 

Honey’s Final Thought

The most compelling part about this madness is its creator, Tommy Wirkola. Neither movie could have had much of a budget. But you could never tell. All the makeup and effects look great, better than most high-budget films. Despite this not being a major motion picture, Wirkola made two movies that he wanted to make, and made them as bonkers as he wanted to. 

When people ask me for advice about writing a book (for some reason) I tell them something along these lines. If you want to write something, write it and put it out there. 

That’s exactly what Wirkola did, and it paid off. Not only did he give us two awesome “Dead Snow” films, he also made “Violent Night.” I saw that one in theaters and loved it. And get this, it was a box-office hit! On a $20 million budget, “Violent Night” made $76.6 million. Now we demand “Dead Snow 3!”

Be like Tommy Wirkola. Tell your story, no matter how crazy it sounds, and send it out into the world. You’ll find people who will dig it, and it may open up some opportunities. Trust me on this. 

Check out my appearance on The Reviewed to Death Podcast where we discuss “Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead.”