Norway, Japan
3 OUT OF 4 STARS
If anyone is going to make you jump, it is the Norse and Japanese.
Filmmakers from both countries heighten the eeriness of an empty forest by mixing in every bit of bad luck for a traveler. While creating a freaky did-you-see-that mood, director Frode Klevstul throws off the audience by convincing them of a technical error, when in fact the film is playing the tricks.
Taking a spin on the "phone call is coming from inside the house" horror story paranoia, an open forest adds a new, unpredictable dimension. No words are spoken, and the only sounds heard are the plucking of violins that have found a home in so many thriller scores.
Klevstul's film provides a good, mindless jolt and proof that shadows can lurk behind pillowy, white snow banks.