POST MORTEM: NO ONE DIES IN SKARNES on Netflix is a series from Norway. It covers genres such as thriller, comedy, and drama. Oh yeah, and it’s also a new take on the classic vampire story. This Norwegian series is truly a gem. Read our Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes review here!
POST MORTEM: NO ONE DIES IN SKARNES is a new Netflix series from Norway. Season 1 has just six episodes with a runtime of around 45 minutes, so it’s fairly quick to binge-watch. And yes, you will probably want to watch this one rather quickly. It’s catchy from the opening scene and episodes tend to end on cliffhangers.
Also, there’s subtle humor that really drives it all home. The main story is essentially an alternative vampire story. You’ll see no fangs, but the craving for blood is very much there. Also, those sharpened senses, which can be a real problem, when you seem to suddenly be surrounded by people chewing very loudly.
Continue reading our Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes review below. We’ve watched all six episodes in season 1 for this review.
A Scandinavian vampire story!
When this series opens, it’s with the dead body of a young woman. She is found in the middle of a field near a small Norwegian town. Could this be a death from natural causes? And is she even dead? Well, no, not really, as it turns out. She wakes up on the autopsy table with a scalpel very literally lodged in her ribcage.
To get right to the point, this is the kind of series that you’ll love if you’ve enjoyed other Norwegian Netflix productions. From the wonderfully quirky Home for Christmas which also takes place in a small town where everyone knows each other. And the supernatural elements of Ragnarok also takes place in a small town in Norway.
MORE NORWEGIAN NETFLIX PRODUCTIONS
Hopefully, Post Mortem will get more seasons. Just as it was the case for the two abovementioned Netflix series from Norway. The story certainly has plenty to explore in further seasons. However, if that doesn’t happen, then season 1 can also stand alone and has an ending that works well to wrap up the story.
Sweet and quirky characters
Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes (the latter part of the title is a recurring line uttered) has a great cast of characters and wonderful actors on board. The main character of Live is portrayed by Kathrine Thorborg Johansen who immediately seemed familiar to me. Probably because she’s been in both the disaster movie The Quake (2018) and the Netflix series Ragnarok.
The same goes for Elias Holmen Sørensen (especially for fans of Lilyhammer) who plays her brother Odd. Yes, that’s his name, but no, he isn’t really. He does run the funeral parlor that has been in the family for generations but might not make it due to financial challenges. Why? Because – say it with me – No One Dies in Skarnes (Odd is the one regularly making this complaint).
Elias Holmen Sørensen is absolutely amazing in Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes.
And yet, I have to mention Kim Fairchild, who is simply brilliant as the police officer Judith. Seriously, this woman is absolutely fabulous. Her facial expressions alone crack me up, but the lines she gets to say are equally brilliant. I would certainly love to see Kim Fairchild in more Netflix productions from Norway, so I’m just putting that wish out into the universe now!
Watch season 1 of Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes on Netflix!
Peter Holmsen is the head writer on Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes, while Sofia Lersol Lund and Øyvind Rune Stålen have worked on individual episodes. Both writers have worked on various productions (including TV series) in the past. The head writer, Peter Holmsen, also directed two of the episodes (the two final episodes of season 1).
Harald Zwart directed the first four episodes and the Dutch director has quite an impressive resume. He directed the war-thriller The 12th Man (2017), which also plays out in Norway, along with The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013) and The Karate Kid (2010).
Peter Holmsen has worked mostly on short films in the past but does very well with this series. Possibly due to experience with short films. They also need to tell entire stories in short spans of time, so all the proverbial fat is trimmed. The same goes for this series, while also focusing on the characters.
Hopefully, Post Mortem will be a huge success and we can look forward to more Netflix series from him in the near future.
Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes Season 1 is out on Netflix from August 25, 2021.
Details
DIRECTORS: Harald Zwart, Petter Holmsen
WRITERS: Petter Holmsen
CAST: Kathrine Thorborg Johansen (Live), Elias Holmsen Sørensen (Odd), Andrée Sørum (Reinert), Kim Fairchild (Judith), Sarah Khorami (Rose), Terje Strømdahl (Arvid)
Plot
Live Hallangen is declared dead. Hours later she suddenly wakes up on the forensic table. A dark, insatiable hunger has awoken in her. Meanwhile, her brother Odd tries to keep the family driven funeral home afloat, but the stagnant death rate in the small Norwegian town of Skarnes makes it impossible. Live has to learn to control her new dangerous nature and decide if she is willing to sacrifice people’s lives for her own survival, which ironically goes hand in hand with the survival of the family business.
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