Strandvaskaren (2004)

User Rating:

4.6/10   

Director:

Mikael Håfström

Writers:

Mikael Håfström (writer)
Vasa (writer)

Release Date:

15 October 2004 (Sweden)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Plot:

Hundred years ago, three students at the Hellestads Boarding School were brutally slaughtered, the murderer...

Plot Keywords:

Boarding School | Suicide | Murder | Fetus | Escaped Mental Patient

Cast

Rebecka Hemse	...	Sara
Jesper Salén	...	Felix
Jenny Ulving	...	Therese
Peter Eggers	...	Leo
Daniel Larsson	...	Måns
Rebecca Ferguson	...	Amanda (as Rebecka Ferguson)
Anders Ekborg	...	Thomas
Kjell Bergqvist	...	Peder Weine
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Anders Ahlbom	...	Vaktmästare Bengt
Tommy Andersson	...	Pappan
Sasa Bjurling	...	Rebecka
Aalma Duran	...	Rebecca som barn
Magnus Ehrner	...	Läkare 2
Stig Engström	...	Professor Ek
Patrick Gillenhammar	...	Felix som barn
Erik Hultqvist	...	Markus
Kerstin Steinbach	...	Rektor Laila
Oskar Thunberg	...	Läkare 1
Bojan Westin	...	Anna-Lisa
Frans Wiklund	...	Yngve

Also Known As:

Drowning Ghost (International: English title)
A Maldição do Lago (Brazil) [pt]
Der Fluch von Hellestad (Germany) (TV title) [de]
Drowning Ghost - Der Fluch von Hellestad (Germany) (DVD title) [de]
Drowning ghost - Oscure presenze (Italy) [it]
El fantasma del lago (Spain) [es]
Göldeki hayalet (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Leyenda de fantasmas (Argentina) (DVD title) [es]
Leyendas de fantasmas (Venezuela) [es]

Runtime:

Brazil:100 min | Argentina:100 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Filmhusateljéerna, Filmhuset, Svenska Filminstitutet, Gärdet, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden

Company:

Greta Film AB

Trivia:

Jesper Salén was badly cut beneath his right eye after got hit by one of the propellers of an engine to a motorboat. He was rushed to the hospital but was able to re-shoot the scene the next day.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Sara and Therese are chased through the house and crash in to the drain pipe, Therese's top changes from red to blue and back again.

My brief review of the film

A very well photographed Swedish horror fiasco, it features a creative range of camera angles and some wonderful camera movement, which keeps the film interesting on a visual level. Other than the camera-work, it is not at all extraordinary stuff. It has a formulaic story, a messy plot and run-of-the-mill characters. The acting is not much either, and is a bit overdone by some of the cast members. Just because it is Swedish does not make any difference - the film is still as trite as today's horror flicks from Hollywood that are marketed at the younger generation. However, the work of the cinematographer keeps the film from drowning.