Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

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2:07

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

R

Released Dec 3, 2010

1h 24m

Holiday

Adventure

Horror

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

105 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

A young boy named Pietari (Onni Tommila) and his friend Juuso (Ilmari Järvenpää) think a secret mountain drilling project near their home in northern Finland has uncovered the tomb of Santa Claus. However, this a monstrous, evil Santa, much unlike the cheery St. Nick of legend. When Pietari's father (Jorma Tommila) captures a feral old man (Peeter Jakobi) in his wolf trap, the man may hold the key to why reindeer are being slaughtered and children are disappearing.

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Critics Consensus

Rare Exports is an unexpectedly delightful crossbreed of deadpan comedy and Christmas horror.

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Jim Schembri

The Age (Australia)

[A] deliciously loopy oddball of a film.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 14, 2014

Full Review

Eric Kohn

IndieWire

The flaws of Rare Export offer an important reminder that looking good on YouTube does not provide qualifications for a bigger screen.

Dec 14, 2014

Full Review

Christine Champ

Film.com

Rare Exports also twists the season's staples with a morbidly merry, tongue-in-cheek sense of humor.

Rated: A-

Dec 14, 2014

Full Review

Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Finds a creepy yet whimsical way to reinvent established holiday lore without sacrificing the expectations of audiences regarding its Christmas connections.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 20, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Although it has a lot of imagination, the lopsided outcome never balances its elements in a satisfying way.

Rated: 2.5/4

Mar 7, 2023

Full Review

Emily Mackay

NME (New Musical Express)

From a slow and suspenseful start held by the charming Onni Tomilla as Pietari and Jomra Tomilla as his wiry, weathered and taciturn widower father, the brutal thrills ramp up deliciously.

Rated: 4/5

May 25, 2021

Full Review

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acsdoug D

Good production values - the movie looks great - and the Finnish countryside is beautiful. Unfortunately, the story is just dumb.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/23/25

Full Review

Tom L

The most wonderfully demented, off the rails Christmas movie you’ll ever see. Uses Nordic folklore’s dark origins of Santa Claus to great and gruesome effect. Creative and intelligent storytelling with a heart, not cheap and mean-spirited the way some Christmas-themed horror movies are.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/06/25

Full Review

matthew C

Funjy, scary and very original. So.imaginative. great one to watch at Xmass time.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/07/25

Full Review

David S

Rare Exports is a strange and rather irrelevant movie, but the premise is entertaining enough with good enough acting that it entertains for what it is worth. It could have been so much more and better if they leaned into a few concepts a bit more. The most unfortunate thing about the film is when the kid goes into boss mode.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/03/25

Full Review

Dani G

A very different take on christmas movies, to say the least. A little more obscure background for the sweet Santa we all know

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/28/24

Full Review

Mark J

One I watch every year and enjoy. A dark comedy which hasn’t really been replicated and well paced, no bloat to it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/27/24

Full Review

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Jalmari Helander

Director

Onni Tommila

Pietari

Jorma Tommila

Rauno

Ilmari Järvenpää

Juuso

Peeter Jakobi

Santa

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Aimo

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Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A young boy named Pietari (Onni Tommila) and his friend Juuso (Ilmari Järvenpää) think a secret mountain drilling project near their home in northern Finland has uncovered the tomb of Santa Claus. However, this a monstrous, evil Santa, much unlike the cheery St. Nick of legend. When Pietari's father (Jorma Tommila) captures a feral old man (Peeter Jakobi) in his wolf trap, the man may hold the key to why reindeer are being slaughtered and children are disappearing.

Director: Jalmari Helander
Producer: Petri Jokiranta, Knut Skoglund
Screenwriter: Jalmari Helander
Distributor: Oscilloscope Pictures
Production Co: Yleisradio
Rating: R (Some Nudity|Language)
Genre: Holiday, Adventure, Horror, Comedy
Original Language: Finnish
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 3, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 24, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $263.2K
Runtime: 1h 24m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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