The Finnish fantasy horror movie Rare Exports released in 2010, yet hasn't garnered the attention it so rightfully deserves. With horrifying elves, mythology, and more, it is not only the ultimate Christmas horror movie, but it's also the most underrated. Here's why Rare Exports is the perfect holiday flick to add some fear to the season's cheer.
Holiday horror movies aren't entirely uncommon. In 2020 alone, there's over twenty available for streaming across several platforms. As slasher movies like Silent Night, Deadly Night and Krampus tend to define the sub-genre, Rare Exports is often overlooked despite succeeding where most others fail. Rare Exports follows a young boy named Pietari Kontio who fears the deadly Joulupukki - a core inspiration for Santa Claus - who's buried under ice and snow. When a British research group travels to Finland to excavate Korvatunturi, they awaken his helpers. While they look like Santa Claus, they are nothing like the jolly man in red. Instead of giving out toys and bringing joy to the holidays, they take naughty children and feed them to their leader. In Rare Exports, Santa Claus is depicted as a version of the malevolent Christmas demon known as Krampus, who kidnaps those who've abandoned the holiday spirit and are described as naughty rather than nice.
While Michael Dougherty's Krampus is the definitive depiction of the Christmas demon, Rare Exports offers an entirely different mythology that delves into the core foundation of Santa Claus. In turn, it alters the belief that he is well-intentioned based on historical references to major Finnish folklore. It is a clever and innovative way to expand on the mythology behind the holiday's most symbolic individual while also making him far more horrifying than a slasher killer could ever be — here's why.
Traditionally, holiday movies are rooted in some form of mythology or folklore, especially those that are often cited as the best Christmas and holiday horror movies. Gremlins delves into the mogwai, which are strange creatures from an unknown land created by Roald Dahl. In the movie, they originated from China. The lore behind the mogwai was a core contributor to making it so popular. Dougherty's Krampus is one of the many movies that tells the tale of the Christmas demon. Despite the popularity of folklore and mythology in the sub-genre, slashers gained major popularity with Black Christmas and Silent Night, Deadly Night. While all of these Christmas based horror movies are incredible in their own right, they pale in comparison to everything that Rare Exports features.
Rare Exports includes both folklore and killer characters. The Joulupukki mythology has yet to be expanded on in any other horror movie to date. This creature is a half-goat, half-man who dons a red robe and rides in a sleigh led by flightless reindeer. He is still largely celebrated in Scandinavian countries, especially the Finnish providence of Lapland, where Rare Exports takes place. The mythological Joulupukki resembles the modern day Santa Claus and does not feed on children. In this way, the movie redefines how his origins could be rooted in malevolence. Plus, his treatment of naughty children is far more nefarious than simply giving them a lump of coal on Christmas day. His helpers in Rare Exports represent the elves, but they carry weapons and kidnap children. They represent the merging of folklore and slasher elements, redefining the creation of the horrors of the holiday sub-genre. Some of these "helpers" carry scythes, while others have a sickle that resembles Candyman and I Know What You Did Last Summer's antagonist's weapons of choice. These sub-genres don't have to be separate at all; Rare Exports proves that by merging the most popular themes together.
Rather than having a gruesome ending or including a final girl/boy, Rare Exports concludes on a much happier note than other holiday horror movies, which also makes it arguably better that the rest. While tensions are high throughout its entirety, the ending brings a resolution and ignites the joy of the holidays. Ultimately, Rare Exports deserves more attention than its been given, as it is the ultimate Christmas horror movie and merges every popular aspect of the sub-genre into one incredible, fantastical, and horrifying story about Finland's Joulupukki.
