Year: 2006
Runtime: 97 mins
Language: German
Director: Andreas Prochaska
Nina and her high‑school friends receive ominous texts warning they will die in three days. Brushing it off as a joke, they are horrified as classmates begin turning up dead in the remote alpine countryside. With police baffled, Nina and the survivors dig into their shared past, hunting clues to unmask the killer before he claims them all.
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During their high school graduation celebration, the group—Nina [Sabrina Reiter], her boyfriend Martin [Laurence Rupp], Mona [Julia Rosa Peer], Clemens [Michael Steinocher], and Alex [Nadja Vogel]—receives anonymous texts warning that they will be dead in three days. At first, they dismiss the threat as a prank, hoping it’s nothing more than a cruel joke among friends, but the sense of danger begins to seep in as the clock ticks toward the ominous deadline. The tension in their small circle grows not with open confession but with creeping paranoia, as every shadow and whispered rumor feels like a sign that something terrible is coming their way.
Tragedy strikes when Martin is found at the bottom of a lake, abducted from a dance and tied to a weight, a chilling reminder that this is no ordinary prank. The group is rattled by the sudden turn of events, and the investigation shifts its focus as the community tries to make sense of a death that feels almost preordained by the messages they had received. In the wake of Martin’s disappearance, Patrick [Julian Sharp], an outsider and rival, is questioned by authorities. He is released when investigators find no concrete evidence tying him to the crime, but his presence lingers in the minds of the remaining friends as a potential thread in the tangle of clues.
The danger escalates when Nina is targeted by the killer, who attempts to drown her in a chilling echo of the lake tragedy. She is rescued in a narrow moment, only to witness a brutal fate befall Alex—decapitation by a sickening strike against the frayed edge of a fish tank—which leaves the group reeling and determined to uncover the truth behind the escalating violence. In a confession carried by fear and memory, Nina identifies Manfred Haas [Michael Rastl] as the killer’s target, linking the current terror to a painful past involving Fabian Haas—a childhood friend who died after falling through ice while they were skating together. Fabian’s death still lingers as an unspoken wound in the town’s memory, a trauma that now seems to echo in the present danger.
The police reveal a troubling backstory: Manfred Haas hanged himself two years after his son’s death, and his wife moved away, though she still owns a house nearby. Driven by a need for retribution, Nina, Mona, and Clemens decide to press closer to the Haas property, hoping to uncover the truth hidden behind the family’s quiet facade. They are followed by Kerstin [Amelie Jarolim], Nina’s sister, who becomes entangled in the perilful unraveling of these secrets. The killer traps Kerstin, and the terrifying reveal emerges: Mrs. Haas [Susi Stach], a woman consuming grief and rage, is wearing a mask fashioned from her dead husband’s preserved face as she pursues her own form of deadly justice.
Caught in a deadly confrontation, Mrs. Haas fatally stabs Clemens, and she knocks Nina unconscious before chasing Mona, who plunges from a balcony onto a spiked fence in a desperate bid for help. Believing Mona to be dead or beyond reach, Mrs. Haas departs with Nina and rows toward the middle of a lake, intending to drown both of them and herself in one final act of desperation. In a tense reversal, Nina fights back, stabbing Mrs. Haas and throwing her overboard. The struggle ends tragically as both women slip into the water, but divers manage to resuscitate Nina and rush her to the same hospital where Mona is recovering.
Back in the sterile corridors of the hospital, Nina’s mind drifts to the moment that shaped it all—the icy trial of Fabian, teased into skating onto thin ice, then abandoned as danger loomed. The memory returns as a haunting reminder of how a single moment of peer pressure can echo through years, linking past losses to the present peril. Through the fog of fear and grief, Nina clings to life, aided by the steady hands of the medical team and the memory of friends who faced the cold, unforgiving truth together. The chilling thread of fate that began with a graduation night text has now threaded its way through the lives of those left standing, leaving them to reckon with guilt, vengeance, and the fragile line between survival and tragedy.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:32
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Stories where characters are trapped in a high-stakes race against a ticking clock.If you liked the high-stakes countdown in Dead in 3 days, explore more movies where characters face a relentless deadline. These films share a similar FAST pace and HIGH intensity, focusing on survival against an escalating threat with little room to breathe.
Narratives in this thread are defined by a temporal constraint that drives the plot forward. The structure is often linear and propulsive, moving from the initial threat through a series of escalating events towards a final confrontation or resolution dictated by time. The focus is on action, survival, and the psychological strain of a countdown.
These movies are grouped together because they share a fundamental pacing mechanism—the ticking clock—that creates a specific, breathless viewing experience. The shared elements of relentless pacing, high tension, and protagonists reacting under extreme time pressure create a cohesive and intense vibe.
Slasher stories where the killer's motive is rooted in a shared, traumatic past.Fans of Dead in 3 days who enjoyed the mystery of a killer motivated by a dark past will find similar stories here. These movies combine the survival horror of a slasher with DARK themes of revenge, guilt, and coming to terms with traumatic history, resulting in a HEAVY emotional weight.
The narrative pattern follows a whodunit structure intertwined with a revelation of past trauma. The killings serve as both punishment and a means to uncover a hidden truth. The protagonist's journey is dual: surviving the immediate physical threat and emotionally surviving the confrontation with a guilt-ridden shared history, often leading to a bittersweet or bleak resolution.
These films are grouped by their shared thematic core. Beyond the slasher formula, they are united by a DARK tone, a focus on psychological trauma as the engine of the plot, and a HEAVY emotional weight stemming from themes of grief, guilt, and the inescapable consequences of past actions.
Don't stop at just watching — explore Dead in 3 days in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Dead in 3 days is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Track the full timeline of Dead in 3 days with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Dead in 3 days. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Dead in 3 days that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.
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