'Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale' Movie Review

For years, horror movies have speculated about what might happen if an evil person dressed up as Santa Claus and wreaked havoc, but what if Santa himself was evil? After all, a precursor to the modern Santa Claus in portions of Europe was the "Yule Goat," a horned creature that frightened children and even demanded gifts at Christmas. And some early tales of St. Nicholas included his helper Krampus, a red demon who would punish naughty children -- and even carry them back to Hell with him. The Finnish movie Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale explores these dark origins for a quirky, unusual holiday treat.

In early December, a supposed archeological dig in a snowy, barren area of Finland discovers something buried deep beneath the ice. Riley (Per Christian Ellefsen), the head of the multinational corporation sponsoring the dig, is thrilled to have found that the mountain they're drilling is in fact a giant burial mound holding none other than Santa Claus. Unbeknownst to Riley and the company, a pair of local boys have spied on their dig, and while they don't see Santa himself emerge from the ice, they speculate that that's what lies beneath. Young, timid Pietari (Onni Tommila) is in awe of the prospect, but his friend Juuso (Ilmari Jarvenpaa) dismisses the idea that Santa is real.

When Pietari returns home, however, and researches the origins of Santa Claus, he becomes terrified of the demonic images he finds in books depicting a cruel horned figure kidnapping and torturing naughty children.

As Christmas approaches, Pietari becomes increasingly paranoid about Santa -- particularly since he committed a naughty act that cost his father his seasonal supply of reindeer meat. On Christmas day, his fears come true, as a creepy old man ventures onto their property and ends up caught in a wolf trap set by Pietari's father.

When Pietari explains who he is and where he came from, his father and a couple of his father's friends hatch a plan to sell Santa to the corporation from which he escaped. But few plans go off without a hitch, especially when there's a malevolent supernatural creature involved.

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is a twisted blend of fantasy, comedy and horror that taps into the sort of dark morality that lies at the heart of so many classic fables and fairy tales -- before they, like our Christmas traditions, were softened by modern times. Still, strangely, it manages to maintain the feel of a family film (thanks to a colorful, cinematic style, some comedic elements and a bubbly pint-sized lead from Tommila), despite profanity, menacing figures, threats to children and some fairly explicit (though not quite R-rated) violence.

There's an old-fashioned charm that shines through the dark edge of this tale. For every scene of people discussing dismemberment, there's a humorous scene of rough-and-tumble miner-types avoiding cursing for fear of being deemed "naughty." Likewise, the story takes a path of traditional morality -- promoting good behavior, forgiveness and redemption -- amidst a backdrop of frightful events.

There's almost a Spielbergian imagination at work behind the scenes of the wildly creative Rare Exports, although at times it's more intriguing in concept than in execution -- as the plot takes some time to reach a payoff, which could itself be a bit grander in scale. Still, there's a wide-eyed appeal to the fantastic elements of this modern fable that can draw non-horror fans into its web. It's a bit too intense for younger viewers, but teens and older should find a definite cult appeal to this unpredictable film that could one day find itself becoming something of an alternative holiday tradition.

• Acting: B- (Likeable cast respects the fantastic material.)
• Direction: B (Attractive scenery, soaring cinematic feel.)
• Script: C+ (Charming but too brief; waits too long to get to the meat of the action.)
• Gore/Effects: B- (PG-13-level gore with strong CGI and makeup effects.)
• Overall: B- (Edgy but ultimately lighthearted and good-natured Christmas tale.)

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is directed by Jalmari Helander and is not rated by the MPAA. Release date: December 3, 2010.

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