Whether it is the handful of characters, or the isolated location, or the never-give-up killer, slashers have been a main stay of the horror genre since the days of Mario Bava. What keeps them fresh depends on your taste, but when a new entry to the genre gets buzz, people perk up. When the Norwegian movie Cold Prey arrived in 2006, it immediately gained attention.

Five college students head out on a skiing trip for some spring skiing. Rather than heading to the regular tourist traps, they instead hike up a non-traditional mountain and ski down its virgin slopes. When an unfortunate accident occurs, they have to find shelter until they can hike to the closest community. The abandoned lodge they find however may harbor a serial killer that wants to pick each of them off one by one.

The film was directed by the new hot director Roar Uthaug (now helming the upcoming Lara Croft movie). One of the breakout stars was Ingrid Bolsø Berdal who went on to star in the genre films Escape (2012) and the Chernobyl Diaries (2012) before becoming a regular cast member of HBO’s Westworld. The film was also written by Martin Sundland and Magne Lyngner who were behind the director’s other films Escape and The Wave. The film also had two follow ups including Cold Prey 2 which also was well received. Dark Discussions takes a look at this cult classic and gives their thoughts.