Indie
[BD Review] ‘Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead’ Gratuitous and Extremely Violent!
Nazi zombies versus Russian zombies. I mean, with Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead, either you’re on board or you aren’t, you know? Director Tommy Wirkola returns to Sundance with a sequel that’s even bigger and badder than the original, an undead smackdown that generated enough audience jeers and cheers to rival early Peter Jackson.
Beginning with a slick recap of the first film, Dead Snow 2 dives right back into the action with Martin (Vegar Hoel)––now missing an arm and on the run from Nazi undead––fleeing the zombies in a totally rad pre-credits car chase. Waking up in a hospital post-chase, Martin is stunned to discover that the doctors have reattached his arm. Well, not his arm. Rather, the arm of Colonel Herzog, the Nazi zombie commander.
As Colonel Herzog and the Nazi zombies rally new forces for a frontal assault, Martin works out the powers and limitations of his new zombie arm. The thing can hotwire cars; it can involuntarily kill the hell out of annoying kids. But despite his new found gifts, Martin is compelled to call on the Zombie Squad, a trio of nerdy Americans led by Martin Starr, for assistance in eradicating the Nazi zombie threat.
Once Martin realizes he can use his magical zombie arm to raise his own army of the undead, the fight is on, and Wirkola does not go easy on the weapons-shopping montages. Nor does he go easy on the politically incorrect violence. Nothing is sacred in Wirkola’s world, not even babies. One scene, in which two zombies use human intestines to siphon gas from a car to a tank, is gleefully gratuitous, and this tone essentially sums up the entire film. Dead Snow 2 is Dead Alive redux, a textbook example of a talented director using extreme violence as a cathartic safety valve. Grab the popcorn and a barf bag and prepare to giggle your ass off.
Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.
The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:
“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.
“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.
“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.
“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”
Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.
WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.
To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.
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