Snowman, The (15)

Crime, Drama, Horror

Detective Harry Hole investigates the disappearance of a woman whose pink scarf is found wrapped around an ominous-looking snowman.

The critical consensus

A case of a missed opportunity. It references all the right films, but The Snowman comes off as a pale imitation.

(*) (*) (*) Jonathan Pile, Empire Online, 12/10/2017

A film that feels as butchered as its serial killer’s victims. Ludicrous, but fascinatingly so.

(*) (*) (*) Manuela Lazic, Little White Lies, 12/10/2017

Surprisingly inept chiller from Tomas Alfredson, based on Jo Nesbø's bestseller.

(*) (*) (*) James Mottram, The List, 12/10/2017

The Snowman is perfectly decent entertainment but it is also generic in the extreme, with nothing beyond those coffee beans to offer that we haven’t tasted before.

(*) (*) Geoffrey Macnab, The Independent, 12/10/2017

The bestseller about a maverick cop on the trail of a serial killer reaches the big screen in a gruesome but watchable adaptation from Tomas Alfredson.

(*) (*) Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian, 12/10/2017

An efficient atmospheric potboiler but it lacks the impact of the book.

(*) (*) Allan Hunter, Daily Express, 13/10/2017

Michael Fassbender stars in a disappointing Jo Nesbø adaptation that’s short on subtlety and suspense.

(*) (*) (*) Wendy Ide, The Observer, 15/10/2017