Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)

Interesting angle on the Christmas film from Finland. Limited number of main characters, shot on a budget with what for all I know are local actors and all the better for it. A familiar plot (what plot isn't?) done well. You can almost feel the snow blowing into your living room from Tromso, so curl up at night in front of the fire (preferably but not necessarily on Christmas Eve) for the best effect. Have fun. If this is what Finland can produce, let's see more.

In this directorial debut by Jalmari Helander, a group of Americans are digging in Finnish Lapland, following an old legend that the true and original Santa Claus might be buried beneath the Korvatunturi mountain. A young boy named Pietari (Onni Tommila) follows their exploits with a fearful gaze because he knows that the true and original Santa Claus, if he ever existed, was quite a different figure from the Coca-Cola Santa in red we all know today.Rare Exports is one of those dark fantasy horror films which shine because they don't take themselves too seriously yet maintain a grim and foreboding atmosphere throughout. The horror tropes are in heavy use in this film yet the idea itself is ludicrous and treated as such. The characters themselves take the threat seriously, but you can see that the film makers were having fun with the concept. And it works, at least in my opinion.As far the technical aspects go, they could be better, but given the budget and the small pool of acting talent Finland has, it's surprisingly decent. Probably the only real gripe I have with the film is the over-utilization of subpar CGI during the ending climax. The effects have not aged well. And it's not even that old of a film.Still, Rare Exports is one of those perfect popcorn fantasy horror films, which allow you to indulge yourself on the dark silliness of it. Definitely worth a watch.

This film has been on my watch list for a couple of years now and I finally sat down to watch it. What a treat! I don't quite understand everyone who comments on its "black comedy" and how "biting and refreshing" the comedy is. I don't see it as a comedy. I get that it plays a little to the camp quality of horror films and as with any good horror flick it has a few moments of truly dark humour but overall I would never classify this as a comedy cult or otherwise. It is a well done and twisted tale on the old Christmas lore. One of the only things I can say "bad" about it is that it ended too soon and could have gone into so much more depth on what was happening on that mountain. I fully expect an American remake and while that tends to lower the quality of the franchise they know that future instalments could really open up this story. There is a distinctive creepy factor about the world they live in, the dark snowy tundra around them and the mysterious mining in the mountain that looms over them. In a true display of low budget brilliance you never actually SEE Santa Claus and I mean that truly I think it was a clever direction to go in because it leaves so much to the imagination and you are never disappointed by having this monster revealed.The cast is superb. Onni Tommila is absolutely brilliant as the young boy who immediately prepares for the worst. While some would say his outfit that he wears through most of the film is "comedic", I think its actually chilling because this little boy believes in the horror that is about to befall him and his family and friends. Tommila has such great charisma on screen and you live everything through him. His father is played by Jorma Tommila (real life father perhaps?) That would explain their exception father/son chemistry. Jorma is perfect as the protective and stern father who already has a creepy butchering barn on his property. The supporting cast are all very good in fairly small roles including Tommi Korpela and Ilmari Järvenpää is particularly very good smaller roles. The actors who portray the elves particularly the very first one see are just brilliant and so incredibly creepy. Hopefully you go into this film not truly knowing a lot about it so that the minor twist to the story surprises you.Director and co-writer Jalmari Helander has crafted a true cult classic. His style and cinematography just suit the film so well and he carefully spins a story that will get under your skin and best of all its truly unique. There are plenty of "slasher" flicks out there about killer Santa's but this is part monster movie, part coming of age film (in a dark twisted sort of way), thriller, action film, horror film and yes I suppose some very dark tongue in cheek comedy though I still debate that point (iMDB also does not list "Comedy" in the genres for this film.) As mentioned before I would truly LOVE to see a sequel to this done in the same clever and careful way this one is crafted. Absolutely check this out for horror fans or if you're looking for something a little bit out of the box. This was a genuine treat!! 8.5/10

This movie was thoroughly disturbing. I can withstand the storyline to a point, right up until they show one of "Santa's Elves." They are naked old men, and I MEAN FULL DONG NAKED. Don't watch this "Santa" movie with your kids, this is not a children's movie. Maybe in Finland it's normal for kids to see full grown men naked... Everything up to that was OK, no amazing special effects, just one CG moment when you see "Santa" in a huge frozen block of ice. He doesn't even get unfrozen to interact with the plot at all. Sorry about the spoilers, I tried to reveal as little as possible, unlike the people who thought it was sensible to make a Santa movie with dozens of naked men in it. There's another classification for those kinds of movies: Gay Porn.