Cadaver
Ratings: 3.5/5
Duration: 1hr 26 mins
Language: Norwegian
Genre: Horror
Director: Jarand Herdal
Writer: Jarand Herdal
Producer: Pavel Bercík, Espen Horn, Jenny Victoria Jærn, Jan Kallista, Tim King, Veronica Natvig, Jan Rehorka, Espen Sandberg, Kristian Strand Sinkerud, Harald Zwart, Veslemøy Ruud Zwart
Music: Jonathan Sigsworth
Cinematography: Jallo Faber
Editing: Jens Peder Hertzberg
Art Direction: Sofie Othmanova, Karel Stýblo
Release Date: 22 October 2020
Streaming On: Netflix
Star Cast: Gitte Witt, Thomas Gullestad, Thorbjørn Harr, Kingsford Siayor, Maria Grazia Di Meo, Jonatan Rodriguez, Trine Wiggen, Tuva Olivia Remman
Plot: In the starving aftermath of a nuclear disaster, a family of three attends a charitable event at a hotel, which takes a dark turn when people start to disappear.
Review: Set in a post-apocalyptic Norwegian city, this film will take you through the creepy corridors of a disused hotel. The story in Cadaver is too predictable, you will guess pretty quickly what will happen.
Written and directed by Jarand Herdal, Cadaver takes place in the aftermath of a nuclear disaster. There seems to be no electricity, no work, nor any food left. The people are starving and living in dire conditions.
A young family, Leonora (Gitte Witt), Jacob (Thomas Gullestad) and their daughter Alice (Tuva Olivia Remman), are struggling to survive. Lured by the prospect of a meal, the family buys the tickets to a hotel and dress up to attend the performance at the hotel. The hotel director, Mathias (Thorbjørn Harr), informs his guests that they must thus follow the performances that pique their interest. The striking prop for this film is a golden mask. To differentiate them from the actors, all spectators are given golden masks.
Visually, the film sits very well. The cinematography and production design establish the horror within the movie. The contrast between the greys at the beginning and the red- inside the hotel brings out the creepiness out in the scenes. There’s a great use of paintings of dead animals to suggest what is happening in the hotel.
The beginning feels like a film set in post-World War Two. The line between reality and theatre quickly gets blurred, until Alice disappears in front of Leo and Jacob, and there is no longer room for doubt: Something is very wrong with Mathias’ hotel.
The film questions how far one would go to survive. Horror film lovers can give this a go!
