CADAVER is a new Netflix horror movie. It’s a Norwegian movie and the story is set in Norway, but it could take place anywhere in the world. Especially since it’s set in a post-apocalyptic world, which has nothing to do with Norway really.

For me, this story had so much potential and also works for a while. Unfortunately, a lot of silly developments make the story seem less and less realistic, which is a shame. If there’s one thing you need for a post-apocalyptic story to take hold, it’s the sense of “This could actually happen!” and I’m not buying it with this movie.

Horror fans know that anything “good” in a post-apocalyptic world is possibly dangerous. It could always potentially be a trap. Also, most realistic people who have had to fend for themselves in any way know that if something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Not always, but more so than not.

In Cadaver, we meet a small family trying to survive in the aftermath of a nuclear disaster. They are starving and trying to stay safe in an apartment, but it all feels very hopeless. When a man comes through the neighborhood offering tickets to a night of food and theatre at a local hotel, they can’t resist the offer.

Nor can many others, which leads to a group of people happily going to the hotel.

As promised, they are given food and hungrily tear into it. Honestly, who wouldn’t if they’d been starving and felt safe. However, then the “theater” part of the evening begins and it’s a quite immersive experience. For a while, this part of the plot works really well, but ultimately, too many plot points mean the heart of the story is lost.

The ending of Cadaver on Netflix

While I wasn’t a great fan of this Netflix horror movie storyline, I did enjoy certain aspects of the Cadaver ending. It’s not a huge surprise and you need to go through some weird moments before we get there. However, it does offer up a very satisfying conclusion.

I did not care for the way in which the main protagonist, Leonora (Gitte Witt), seemed to suffer from a mental illness at some point. She sees hallucinations that are never really dealt with during the movie. This is something we become aware of early on, but it just lives a life of its own and then fades away.

What I liked more was the social realism commentary – even if it does become quite heavy-handed. Still, the actual Cadaver ending is one that leaves its viewers with a more positive sense that I expected earlier on.

In terms of actors, you might not recognize many faces. However, Gitte Witt was in J.A. Bayona’s The Impossible (2012), Thomas Gullestad played the title role in The 12th man (2017), and Thorbjørn Harr was in the Vikings TV series.
 
Watch Cadaver on Netflix

Jarand Herdal wrote and directed Cadaver and this is only the second feature film from him. He’s still very young, so hopefully, we’ll get to see better stories from him. Don’t get me wrong, Cadaver is not a bad movie. In fact, it has some excellent shots and gorgeous production overall. It’s just that the story doesn’t really “gel” for me.

Also, I do tend to really like many Norwegian horror movies. From the survival story, we see in the Cold Prey franchise to the brilliant psychological horror in Thelma (read our top-rated review of Thelma here). Also, the horror-fantasy movie Troll Hunter or the Norwegian Netflix horror anthology Bloodride.

I really wanted to like it. Both for the concept and because it’s Norwegian and my Scandinavian heart always wants us to succeed. However, both during the movie and after the end credits, I just wasn’t really feeling this story.

Cadaver is out on Netflix worldwide from October 22, 2020.