Rare Exports

For whatever reason, I've always been a sucker for holiday flicks that operate outside of the norm. I'm willing to be that if you read my blog on a regular basis, you are as well. Whether it be the horror route, or just something that adds a little twist to the usual holiday proceedings, this time of year I can't get enough. I had Rare Exports recommended to me a while ago, and I finally sat down and watched it this morning.

After an archaeological dig at the top of Finland's Korvatunturi Mountain on Xmas Eve unearth's the burial place of the real Santa Claus, the workers disappear, and shortly thereafter other strange occurrences around the small town surrounding the mountain begin. Potato sacks, the radiator from every home, hair dryers, ovens, and even all the children begin to disappear. As the last child left in town, Pietari must convince his father that the real Santa has been found, and his Elves are the ones behind the strange happenings. They must be stopped before they can free Santa from his icy tomb.

I tell ya, this one took a while to get going. I was interested enough to keep watching, but it almost lost me a couple times. It's a slow burn for sure. Things do pick up though during the last 20 minutes, which are excellent. Shame that the movie only has a 75 minute or so run time, and it's over once it starts to get really good. It's not a "horror" movie, per se, more of a suspense/dark comedy with some horror elements I guess. The Elves are the only ones who do any damage, with a couple of axes to the head and the like, but there's not really much in the way of  blood or gore. There's a creepiness to the whole thing, right up until the end, but it never crosses the line into scary. Santa himself we only get to see a little bit through the giant block of ice he'e encased in. I had high hopes that he would be freed, if only for a second, and if you watch it you'll see why I really, really wanted him to get some screen time.

At first I was skeptical, but the ending made me a believer, and Rare Exports has earned itself a spot in my holiday movie rotation. It won't replace Santa's Slay as my go-to Xmas Eve movie though. That's a tradition that I may never let go of. Still, Rare Exports is an easy recommendation for people looking for something a little different this time of year.