Dead In 3 Days

Synopsis: A group of teenagers in a sleepy, icy Austrian village begin to get worried when they each receive a note stating that they will die in three days. At first they think it may be a prank by an outcast from the group but as blood begins to flow and bodies pile up they soon realise that the strange events may be linked to an event in their childhood that they would rather forget.

At first glance Andreas Prochaska’s thriller follows the tried-and-true formula of tired Hollywood fare usch as Friday the 13th. A group of teenagers find themselves fighting for their lives after they finally get their comeuppance for a moment in their childhood that they are less than proud of. Familiar this may sound but Dead In 3 Days manages to avoid the failings of many of its fellow slasher films and give it a fresh lease of life.

The film is full of ingenious set-pieces that lift it severed-head-and-shoulders above its peers. Decapitation by fish tank is a definite cinematic first and the final moments on the boat have a fabulous pay off, even if the denouement is a let-down. The whodunit aspect of the film is almost redundant, after a few glaring red herrings the outcome elicits nothing more than a shrug but execution of the action scenes helps to nullify any misgivings you may have about the storytelling. The use of gradual flashbacks, each successive glimpse clearer than the last, only help to heighten the tension. This plot device aligns Dead In 3 Days more with Italian giallo than its American counterparts but Prochaska still has a way to go to reach the gory glories of Argento or Bava at their best.

The cast are a step above your usual slasher line-up. Yes, the familiar characters are present-and-correct but the actors do well with what they are given. Sabrina Reiter, as Nina, in particular, is a striking presence and a much savvier heroine than we’ve become accustomed to in the genre.

If this is the kind of horror film that the Austrian film industry is producing then look out. As fresh as a early morning swim in a fjord, Dead In 3 Days breathes new life into the moribund slasher genre. Whilst not quite reaching the dizzying heights of the classics that Prochaska aspires to, he has marked himself as a name to watch.

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