Frostbite (2006 Film) - Analysis

Analysis

In an analysis of Swedish genre films such as Storm and Kenny Begins by Dan Sjöström, Frosbite is discussed in detail. He describes the vampires of Frostbite as representing several different types appearing in the genre; Beckert is in one way the stereotypical mad scientist but is also a loner vampire in the style of nosferatu residing in his castle(in this case the rundown town hospital). He describes the teen vampires as a more sadistic and brutal breed of the undead, an anarchist and aggressive pack straight out of The Lost Boys.

He notes that rather than joking away the horror, horror and comedy is wrapped tightly together like in the scen where Saga walk into the aftermath of the bloodbath and encounters John who laughs grimly at her with a helium voice or the film's infamous "gnome-scene".

He lays weight on the fact that while following traditional vampire mythology closely, the film puts it into context with modern Sweden. In the spirit of Swedish secularism the priest role in the film is reduced. He argues that if the film had been made in a more religious country the priest would have been a main character who would have provided information about the vampires and lead the fight against them. Instead the teens know everything about vampires and are just surprised that they are real rather than confused what to do. The filmmakers trust that the audience, much like the teens, know about vampires so information on how to fight vampires is obsolete.

Sarah Clyne Sundberg of Sweden.se suggested that the film possibly reflected unprocessed Swedish war guilt. She also mentioned that the film had some great visual and verbal puns and described it as good old-fashioned gore fest. Film4 read the film in a similar way, stating: (B)uried somewhere amidst the monstrous transformations and belly laughs is an uncomfortable critique of Sweden's much-vaunted wartime neutrality, and her current anxieties about immigration. For this is the tale of a Nazi soldier finding refuge in Sweden with surprising ease, and continuing unchecked in a eugenics programme of his own (with bloodsuckers as the new master race) - and the locals either fail to notice what's happening in their midst or else fall in line with alarming gusto.

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