Creatures of the night without curfew.
Director: Anders Banke
Writer: Daniel Ojanlatava & Pidde Andersson
Cast: Grete Havnesköld, Petra Nielsen, Carl-Åke Eriksson, Emma T. Åberg & Jonas Karlström
Studio: Wellspring Media
Special Features: Frostbitten: Behind the Scenes, Deleted Scenes, Bloopers & Trailer
I’m not a fan of the “horror comedy” because they typically have a muddled tone and are neither scary nor funny. Frostbitten, which is billed as Sweden’s first vampire film, is a descent “horror comedy.” It still suffers from some of the above issues, but it also has charm as a self-aware vampire pic. It identifies several vampire conventions and uses them as punchlines. It’s funny and endears itself enough to horror fans to make it a worthwhile watch despite its fluctuating tone and lack of traditional scares.
In Ukraine, 1944, a group of soldiers separated from their platoon try to find refuge from the cold. When they come across an abandoned shelter deep in the forest, they decide to hole up for the night. But something isn’t quite right inside. The stove’s still hot and no snow is cleared away from the doors or windows. So how did the former occupants get out? They didn’t.
Decades later, Saga (Havnesköld) and her mother Annika (Nielsen) move to a small Lapland town so Annika can work alongside the famous geneticist Gerhard Beckert (Eriksson). They’ve arrived just as the town is about to experience a month of perpetual darkne around 12 ss, and both must adjust to their new residence. Saga meets a quirky new friend at school, Vega (Åberg), while Annika becomes intrigued by Beckert and his only patient, a young coma victim whom he treats with mysterious red pills. But Prof. Beckert is no professor and his red pills are no medicine.
Frostbittendoes a lot right. It’s biggest success is the fact it’s actually a funny film. Now, “funny” is a completely subjective term, so some may not find it consistently funny, but I suspect many will find it funny enough. And it’s not goofy slapstick humor or one-liners from some cliché stoner or something – it’s subtle and smart. Sebastian’s subplot, which follows his transforms into a vampire while at dinner with his girlfriend’s parents, is underscored by the problematic nature of her dad’s profession and that night’s entrée, among other things. But it’s a gruesome garden gnome kill that not only delivers arguably the biggest laugh but is also a good example of the film’s black humor.I don’t care for all its laughs, however. Sebastian’s ability to hear his girlfriend’s dog speak comes across as “silly” in a mostly genuine film and other jokes were dated, at least here in the US. One guy says, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” while two others discuss the drummers of Iron Maiden and Def Leppard. Now, as a fellow metal fan, I’ve probably had way too many discussions on drummers of 80s metal bands myself, and it’s not like it takes anything away from the film, but it’s one of several things that make the film feel old. I don’t believe we’re ever actually told when the events after the prologue take place, so the film could easily be set in the 80s, I suppose.
The film also uses three separate narratives to keep its energy up. Once all of the characters and the evening’s party are in place, the narrative fractures into three and weaves in and out of each other for the rest of the film. It’s a bit too jumpy to start as it bounces around establishing each narrative, and Banke’s use of several wipes and fades also add to the dated feel of the film (Star Wars much?), but the cutting in and out carries it to its suddenly abrupt conclusion. The tone of each narrative is different, however. Annika’s dealings with Prof. Beckert is mostly serious, though underdeveloped, while Sebastian’s dinner and Saga’s party are more lighthearted and funny. It almost feels like they initially wrote a vampire anthology, but decided to cut it up in the end. And as I said to start, Frostbitten is actually funny, so the uneven tone is easier to overlook than when a film’s uneven and not funny.
I also must comment on the effects, which are about the right mix of practical prosthetics and CGI. There are a few scenes, especially towards the end, where the CGI stands out more, but it’s a mostly fluid use of the technology. I like how the filmmakers portrayed the ancient, bloodthirsty evil lurking in the dark of night (i.e., the head vampire) as a fuckin’ monster once again, too. But I don’t understand why they went with the 30 Days of Nightscenario, as most of the events either take place, or could’ve taken place, all in one night (I’ll assume the party in the film isn’t a noon kegger while everybody’s parents were at work). Other issues like the rate of infection shouldn’t be looked at with two critical an eye either.Ultimately, Frostbitten does more right than wrong with smart and funny tweaks to the well-worn vampire conventions. I’d recommend it with the caveat that humor is entirely subjective.