Take a close look at the logo on the RARE EXPORTS movie poster. It ought to put any bah humbug horror fan in the Christmas mood. Direct from Lapland we get a horror holiday picture like few others.
In the vein of GREMLINS, RARE EXPORTS opens with a group of mysterious miners drilling into the depths of one of the Korvatunturi mountains. It appears to be some kind of archeological dig. At one point, the head of the drilling crew tells his pint-sized boss that they found something odd—sawdust. The elf like leader of this expedition becomes very excited; something very valuable is encased in that mountain.
Meanwhile down at the base of the mount a small village prepares for reindeer hunting season. A young boy named Pietari and his father Rauno spend their days trudging through the snow-covered land setting traps and planning skillfully for the hunt. But they are troubled by the explosions and activity taking place atop the mountain, and Pietari thinks he knows what they’re up to.
Part horror, part holiday film, RARE EXPORTS is an unusual mix handled deftly. The feature version of a series of award-winning short films by director Jalmari Helandar, it aims to create a new Santa Claus mythology that will charm horror fans and enchant casual movie goers. Focusing much of the time on Pietari, the use of children in a largely mature film (it is rated “R”) always seems creepier when the children are speaking a foreign language. Think about how downright scary LET THE RIGHT ONE IN was compared to its good but less effective US remake. Thankfully, writer/director Helandar does not make arguably exploitive use of children in RARE EXPORTS—this is not anything as controversial as LET THE RIGHT ONE IN. But given the setting and the skillful cinematography in RARE EXPORTS, the look of the film makes it seem a little heavier that it really is. This is a movie that is infused with playful fantasy and has a dare I say “rare” sense of magic. Given its foreign origin (the film is Finnish), US viewers might not connect with the emotional side of things, but the clever nature of the story that actually gets better as it concludes will draw you in. I wanted to know where the film was going and I cared about the outcome.
Mixing horror with Christmas legend can be a tricky thing to pull off. I remember interviewing the late Robert Culp years ago and he told me about a movie called SANTA’S SLAY. Although I’ve not seen that film, the description reminds me a little of this movie, which basically is about one very bad Santa. I suppose that at some point things can go too far and mucking with the Santa story might cross the line into bad taste. RARE EXPORTS never does cross the line and but for some language and comic gore could play fairly broadly and especially well for 13 year old boys and their fathers still trying to channel their former 13-year-old selves. There’s nothing like watching a horror film to get you into the Christmas spirit.
RARE EXPORTS is in limited release now and hopefully coming soon to a theater near you this Christmas. Watch the 2003 RARE EXPORTS short film that inspired this one:
