Movies
Cold Prey (Fritt Vilt) (V)
“Slick and stylish, COLD PREY is a genuine pleasure to watch. It cribs liberally from American horror films, but come on, it’s what all the cool countries are doing these days.”
Despite a slew of missing persons recently reported lost or abducted in the back country, a group of rebellious snowboarders take to the steep face of a secluded mountain to rip some boned out tricks on the naked slopes. The stock characters are quickly established during the canyon drive: Mikal and Ingunn, the horny couple; Eirik and Jannicke, the bickering couple; and Morten, the fifth wheel. The slope-carving has barely begun when Morten is suddenly forced to face the bane of isolated, fifth-wheel horror movie characters everywhere: the compound fracture.
Miles from their SUV, the friends set Morton’s break and lug his gimpy ass through the snow until they reach a hotel, abandoned and fortuitously parked out in the middle of the frozen landscape. After breaking in and promptly raiding the hotel’s liquor supply, the friends pump a bunch of pills and booze into Morten, stick him on a lobby sofa to snooze and talk to himself, and begin to explore in earnest. The creepy hotel harbors questions and secrets, and it isn’t long before the snowboarders realize that they’re not entirely alone.
COLD PREY takes full advantage of its snowy, secluded set-pieces, using Norway’s harsh winter landscape to build tension and heighten the sense of isolation, much like A SIMPLE PLAN, John Carpenter’s THE THING, or THE SHINING (briefly referenced with a close-up of a hotel room door numbered “237”). As horror movies go, COLD PREY is a slow-starter, committing the first third of its running time to investigating the signs of violence scattered throughout the hotel, allowing the characters to theorize about what pernicious acts may have taken place before the hotel’s abandonment. It begins at the intriguing yet deliberate pace of a psychological horror film as the sequestered friends, initially inebriated and giggly, explore the hotel and sharing secrets, but the movie’s party-hard atmosphere bursts open at the 40-minute mark to reveal a black horror center.
Slick and stylish, COLD PREY is a genuine pleasure to watch. It cribs liberally from American horror films, but come on, it’s what all the cool countries are doing these days. There’s no reason why Norway should be left out in the cold. (har.) And after the brilliant LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, Norwegian horror cinema deserves the benefit of the doubt. It’s easy to chuckle at the (many) scenes featuring Morten limping around the hotel on his compound fracture like it’s a mild ankle sprain, but when the first body finally falls, COLD PREY has a way of killing any laughter in the room.
Movies
‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ 20th Anniversary Panel Featuring Guillermo del Toro Set for Comic-Con Next Week
Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth is re-opening at San Diego Comic-Con next week, with a special panel celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fan favorite masterpiece.
Join Guillermo del Toro (Writer/Director), Ivana Baquero (Ofelia), Doug Jones (Faun/Pale Man), and Guillermo Navarro (Cinematographer) for the Pan’s Labyrinth 20th Anniversary San Diego Comic-Con panel in Hall H on Friday, July 24th at 5:15 PM!
Additionally, there will be a Pan’s Labyrinth Comic-Con Fetch Quest in San Diego next week, with gameplay beginning on Thursday, July 23 and ending on Friday, July 24.
“Be one of the first people in any realm to see the newly restored and upgraded 3D footage from Pan’s Labyrinth by attending the Pan’s Labyrinth 20th Anniversary Celebration at Parq in San Diego on July 24. Fans can join a special Pan’s Labyrinth Fetch Quest leading up to the celebration to receive a special, limited edition poster. And the first 50 explorers to complete the Quest will gain access to an exclusive autograph session with Guillermo del Toro!”
Here’s everything you need to know about the Pan’s Labyrinth Comic-Con Fetch Quest.
Bloody Disgusting’s parent company Cineverse is teaming up with Fathom Entertainment for the Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth 20th Anniversary release, which is coming to theaters nationwide on October 9, 2026. Pan’s Labyrinth will be presented theatrically for the first time by Cineverse and Fathom in 4K, and with versions available in both 3D and HDR by Barco – the dedicated HDR viewing solution offering up to 6 times higher peak luminance. Each version for this re-release has been overseen by Guillermo del Toro.
Pan’s Labyrinth takes place in 1944, in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.
Young Ofelia and her pregnant mother have been brought to live in the countryside, where her brutal stepfather Captain Vidal’s job is to wipe out the remaining rebels camped in the local forest. Nearby, in a hidden labyrinth, Ofelia meets an ageless Faun, who tells her that she is really a princess from an enchanted world. He gives her three tasks which she must complete in order to reclaim her rightful place. As her mother’s failing health threatens the life of her unborn child, Ofelia undertakes a quest to complete the Faun’s tasks.
Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, and produced by his company, Tequila Gang, the 2006 dark fantasy film stars Ivana Baquero, Maribel Verdu (Y tu mama tambien), Doug Jones (Hellboy II), and Sergi Lopez (Dirty Pretty Things).
Tickets for Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth 20th Anniversary will be available online September 9 and at participating theatre box offices (theatre locations are subject to change).
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