The Best of Scandinavian Horror



I might be biased, as I am Norwegian/Swedish Lapp, but the first Scandinavian horror movie I saw, "Let the Right One In" hit a chord with me and I felt like I understood this horror! I went on to see a slew more of them and found that overwhelmingly they satisfied something I missed in American horror. There is a degree of nerd/odd characters in their movies I relate to, as well as amazing scenic locations that make horror even more acute as it takes strong to survive there, and there is a faint vintage 80s feel that makes me feel nostalgic.

MST 3000 "The Day the Earth Froze" was just plain old fun and creepy because it was, well, disturbing.

If you haven't seen many Scandinavian horror films, then you're not a real true fan of the genre. They are brilliant and the settings are so bleak, so stark. They are a dream setting for some true horror. These are ones I suggest highly on a cold winter night with a log on the fire, a cup of hot cocoa, and a safety blanket wrapped around you ---


"Trollhunter"



My personal favorite. A Norwegian team of college kids dogs a strange hunter who supposedly kills bears, only to find he is really hunting trolls for the government. 



"Cold Prey"





A group of skiers in Norway help their friend who broke his leg, finding shelter in an abandoned hotel. What they don't know is that someone is still living there.



"Frostbitten"





A town in Norbotten, Sweden is attacked by vampires. This has an interesting kind of 1980s feel. This has a horror comedy feel. 



"Sauna"



The 25-year war between Sweden and Russia has two brothers trekking out with the task to draw the maps of the new borders and encountering some seriously disturbing things. This is a lush, gorgeous, and character-driven thriller. I really loved this one. 




"Dead Snow"





It doesn't get better than some Norwegian skiers in a cabin up on an icy mountain encountering Nazi zombies in one of the single most over the top zombie fight scenes ever in a movie! This is a blast!




"Let the Right One In"






A beautiful and melancholy movie about the icy dark reaches of Norway and a boy and girl in the same condo complex, both outsiders. She's an outsider because she's a vampire, and he believes he's found his soulmate. Beautiful movie. 


Drowning Ghost 





Hundred years ago, three students at the Hellestads Boarding School were brutally slaughtered, the murderer drowned himself in a lake nearby and his body was never found. The story has become a legend for generations of students as well as a yearly festivity. Sara, a student, is writing an essay based on the legend and uncovers new facts from the event that will cast dark shadows on the family name of one of the school's main beneficiaries. On the night of the hundredth anniversary, the festivities go awry, students disappear and something dark and unknown is moving through the schools corridors.

- UPCOMING-

DRAUG







IN 11TH CENTURY SWEDEN, A MISSIONARY WENT MISSING IN THE DARK FORESTS THAT SEPARATED THE NORTH FROM THE SOUTH.

THE KING SENT OUT A GROUP OF SOLDIERS TO FIND THE RESPONSIBLE BANDITS.

WHAT THEY FOUND WAS SOMETHING WORSE. MUCH WORSE.





Comments

  1. Are they in english or sub titled?

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    1. Trollhunter has subtitles and honestly these films are so easy reads and watches that I completely forgot it was in Norwegian. "Let the Right One In" comes in English dubbing.Dead Snow now comes in English Dub. They are getting better about dubbing the films as Scandinavian horror is really coming into its own. It's a style that just sings to me with an almost 80s feel sometimes.

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