'Cadaver' Review: Netflix's crisp Norwegian horror is a fitting addition to its Halloween horror catalog
Spoilers for Netflix's 'Cadaver'
The world has gone to doom. Destruction and misery prevail for as far as the eyes can see. Nothing remains but grey and remorse, anxiety and fear, death and despair. In Netflix's first Norwegian horror movie, a world is burnt down to the ground following a nuclear disaster. The survivors live a life of starvation in this cold, horrifying aftermath of the disaster. A family of three - Leonora (Gitte Wit), Jacob (Thomas Gullestad) and Alice (Tuva Olivia Remman) - manage to survive day to day with whatever little they can gather. That is until one day, a local hotel owner Mathias (Thorbjørn Harr) invites anyone and everyone to attend a theatre play in his large, magnificent hotel. The invitation is too good to be refused because it not only offers some much-needed entertainment in this time of hopelessness but also an entire meal.
Leo wants to give Alice that little moment of joy and relaxation with a play and convinces her husband Jacob, who is skeptical of the whole charade. And so they dress up in whatever finest clothes they can gather and get going. The world outside might be dying but not inside Mathias' hotel. Here, the food is abundant, the air is light, and the atmosphere bright. The place offers a warm respite from the cold and the horrors outside. Or does it?
At the hotel, after a hearty, piping hot meal, the "director" Mathias introduces the concept of the evening to his patrons. The guests are provided with masks in order to distinguish them from the actors. Guests are free to follow any character they find interesting on their journey through the hotel. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, I want to remind you that everything that is happening tonight is staged. Everything is part of the theatre. Everything," Mathias tells his audience before the play begins.
Only the audience is unaware of what awaits them. Slowly, one after the other, the guests begin to disappear. It is not long before Alice also vanishes behind the numerous walls of this labyrinth. And so begins a mother and father's desperate search to find their daughter. As Leo and Jacob sift through the many rooms in the hotel, they are confronted with riddles equivalent to nightmares. Amidst all this, their daughter remains missing.
Gradually, the couple discovers that just like the outside world, the hotel is filled with its own horrors. It is not long before Jacob also goes missing and Leo is left alone to find out what happened to both of them.
'Cadaver' follows a desperate, determined mother looking for her daughter. Witt's performance of an anxious mother is standard in the world of survival cinema but intriguing enough to keep you glued till the very end. It is Mathias' hotel - a place where reality and nightmare fuse, where one fuels the other - that captures you throughout. Just like Leo, the audience is keen to know what is happening behind the walls. As the story progresses, the viewer might begin to guess where it is headed, but that isn't a flaw of the movie - it is the USP. 'Cadaver' brilliantly displays how the horrors of the real world dictate man to form his own nightmares.
Harr's performance as Mathias goes from a trustworthy philanthropist to a sinister "director" in no time and is equal measures impressive and spine-chilling. The true mask is worn by him – one that is only removed by Leo's determination.
Written and directed by Jarand Herdal, 'Cadaver' is a fitting addition to Netflix's Halloween horror catalog. At 86 minutes runtime, the Norwegian film is crisp and has the power to retain your attention until the very end - even if you might have guessed the premise. A praiseworthy horror feature, Herdal's film is a must-watch this season.
'Cadaver' is currently streaming on Netflix.
