Norwegian landscapes are well known for their beauty, providing sites to aspiring film makers. Last year, Norway witnessed 23 percent increase in travel bookings from India which according to the State Secretary Dilek Ayhan, Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries could have been a result of the Bollywood blockbuster 'Shivam', which included scenes from the Atlantic Road and the Geiranger Fjord.
But from the view of a different binary, Norway seems perfect for horror genre movies as the Norwegian landscapes are equipped with the tools of nature, required to create a horrifying impact on viewers via films.
The 1958 classic Norwegian film 'Lake of the Dead' was one of a kind horror flick which caused a whole generation to tremble if ever they found themselves near a woodland pond during twilight. After the success of 'Lake of the Dead', nearly even after 50 years Norwegian movie makers attempted to take up horror movies as a genre.
The Norwegian horror films in a way explored the landscapes of Norway with a different spectrum, consisting dark elements which provides a crucial background for the genre.
'Dark Woods', the 2003 production, created a new wave in the Norwegian film industry, making the natural environment a significant element for inculcating the emotion of fear and dread in the audience. Since then, the dark nature performed an important role in movies.
Christer Bakke Andresen at NTNU wrote his doctoral thesis on Norwegian horror movies produced from 2003 to 2015 and claimed that, "In the recent Norwegian wave of horror films, almost all of the fear and dread happens in the forests and up in the mountains. Norwegian nature as source of terror is a distinct feature of the horror phenomenon in Norway."
Dark Woods (2003), Next Door (2005), Cold Prey (2006), Manhunt (2008), Cold Prey 2 (2008), Dead Snow (2009), Hidden (2009), Detour (2009), Cold Prey 3 (2010), Trollhunter (2010), Dark Souls (2011), The Monitor (2011), Thale (2012), Ragnarok (2013), Dead Snow 2 (2014), Utburd (2014), Dark Woods 2 (2015) are all a part of the Norwegian horror movies wave.