Finnish Fantasies & Sadistic Santas
Octoberween is over and we are moving on into the winter months, so let's talk seasonal holiday horror movies. Some people get annoyed with diving into Christmas too early, but honestly I do not care. Whatever makes you happy, especially during a pandemic election year.
So I chose to talk about RARE EXPORTS: A CHRISTMAS TALE, a Finnish fantasy-horror-comedy directed by Jalmari Helander. This feature-length film is inspired by his 8 minute short RARE EXPORTS INC. from 2003. One of the main things I just love is the juxtaposition of the colors being bright while the aesthetic and humor is dark.
Here is a quick synopsis of the film courtesy of Wikpedia:
A young boy named Pietari (Onni Tommila) and his friend Juuso (Ilmari Järvenpää) think a secret mountain drilling project near their home in northern Finland has uncovered the tomb of Santa Claus. However, this a monstrous, evil Santa, much unlike the cheery St. Nick of legend.
And they do explore the darker side of the Santa lore in this 2010 film, complete with rules for what makes you naughty and the dire consequences for breaking said rules. In recent years the Krampus has gained popularity, and this dark fae monster version of Santa definitely has some Krampus-like features.
Rare Exports currently has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 90%, and that is a great score for a horror movie in general, not to mention one that's holiday themed which generally don't rate so great on a whole. On the opposite side of the spectrum, if you want a terrible Santa movie, scope out SANTA’S SLAY from 2005 with a score of 43% on Rotten Tomatoes.
I am, however, not a huge fan of RARE EXPORTS’ ending and how they decided to make up their financial debt from losses they accrued. This weird turn is also what gives the title meaning. But even with that, if you are a fan of horror, foreign, or Christmas films, I would definitely refer you to RARE EXPORTS: A CHRISTMAS TALE.
Note: I would not advise this film for kids as there is nudity, swears, and gore.
