o a classic, operatic Christmas tune, a woman is chased by a handful of shadowy figures, who catch up to her and attack. It’s eerie yet whimsical, which proves to be the primary tone of this low-budget splatterfest. The following morning, four young medical students – Martin (Vegar Hoel), the handsomest one, who is squeamish despite pursuing a profession as a doctor; Roy (Stig Frode Henriksen); Erland (Jeppe Beck Laursen); and Vegard (Lasse Valdal) – drive into the snow-covered woodlands during Easter break, joined by three girls in their own vehicle, all headed to an isolated cabin (by way of snowmobiles) in Oksfjord (in Norway), where cell phone service is of no use. And they’re to meet a fourth, Sara (Ane Dahl Corp), Vegard’s girlfriend, who owns the building.

This setup is clearly derivative of ‘80s horror flicks, particularly as the seven people exhibit carefree attitudes, discuss sex, drink beer, listen to rock music, and party away, even going so far as to have an epic snowball fight. As they make their way up to the cabin, they also reference movies like “The Evil Dead,” “Friday the 13th,” and “April Fool’s Day,” hinting at the fact that “Dead Snow” is about to nod to all of those pictures. The quantity of people is something of a giveaway too; there’s enough fodder, who split up to become weaker, for the coming horde of unexpected evildoers. “Someone’s out there!”

Sure enough, after a series of jump scares, an older man arrives to warn the adolescents about the history of the area (a concept akin to “Dracula”), which is plagued by dark spirits from World War II – fleeing Nazi soldiers who likely froze to death in the mountains. Of course, the young adults are mostly incredulous and uninterested with scary stories from some rambling stranger. Unfortunately for these kids, they’re about to come face to face with unspeakable horrors – in the form of murderous Nazi zombies.

“I’ll go look for her.” Though it’s all a bit dark, obscuring a good deal of the practical effects, and the basic premise is highly derivative of movies that are brazenly spoken about in onscreen dialogue, it’s amusing to see a modern slasher set in a snowy environment. The plot isn’t terribly original, nor does it make much sense (little of it is explained in detail), but the terrorization is moderately effective. Sadly, plenty of tropes are overused, including nightmare sequences, shaky cams, sudden loud sounds, and panicky shouting to heighten the chaos. Fortunately, some of the gore moments are impressive, even if similarly shrouded by cinematography that doesn’t want to reveal any shots or props that might be less than convincing.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Despite the extreme violence and the zombie yucks, the pacing is a little slow; with a concept this routine, it takes too long before the action starts, while the moments between kills are comparably stretched out. For a picture that could have been wildly unique, “Dead Snow” is instead rather generic. At least director Tommy Wirkola focuses on the main selling point by making the most of the undead soldiers, whose makeup and costuming look fantastic (blood and snow provide a striking color contrast; the visuals here are a morbid delight). Spurting wounds, oodles of innards, and severed limbs are likewise engaging in their over-the-top, excessive gruesomeness (predating the 2013 “Evil Dead” remake, which presented greater polish). And the finale is an absolute bloodbath, merging outright comedy with relentless carnage, though even in this regard it isn’t all that innovative – and it’s curiously repetitive.

– Mike Massie