One of the few buzzed about films at Fantastic Fest that Inside Pulse missed was a twisted holiday movie from Finland, Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. Finnish director Jalmari Helender created a series of short films in 2003 that explored another origin of Santa Claus. The first film follows three hunters, explained by the narrator as being the best of the best. They hunt down a wild “Father Christmas” and tame him so that he will be susceptible to having children sit on his lap at shopping malls. Then they box him up and ship him out, because that’s the business of Rare Exports, Inc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tuvs_sDLMMY&feature=fvst
The second shows what happens after “Father Christmas” arrives at his destination, and gives the recipient safety instructions on how to handle him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc8HU-isRUw&feature=related
This is the basis of Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, one of the films at Fantastic Fest that everyone was talking about. It might appear like a horror film on the surface, but it’s really more dramatic than that. From what I’ve read, it seems to take itself more serious than other Christmas horror films like Black Christmas or Santa’s Slay. Think more Guillermo del Toro style dark fantasy set in real life.
Those of us who missed it at Fantastic Fest will be getting an early Christmas present from Father Christmas himself. Slashfilm reports that Rare Exports will receive a limited theatrical release on December 3, 2010.