Weird Film Night Xmas Special - Rare Exports

An occasionally-funny, low budget proper weird film, 'Rare Exports' is a Christmas spoof set in the mountainous wilds of Finland. The premise is this: Santa is in fact a legendary monster a la Grendel who was trapped under ice and rock by the ancients of Finland. When meddlesome English-speakers arrive with tools and dynamite looking for the true Santa - they unwittingly unleash an unspeakable ancient evil. Or do they?

Sounds like a bit of a horror film so far, and it could have been if the main characters were not an inept trio of local hunters and their two intrepid sons, all of whom bumble around in the snow and accidentally kidnap this apparent Santa risen-from-the-earth. It's also pretty low budget film. There are characters that we never see, ropey blood and gore special effects and an ending that in a higher budget film would have warranted at least a small amount of CGI. This is hardly a complaint though, the low budget seems to have kept it trim and to the point. Refreshing in the modern age of 'anything goes' on screen.

The film's probably not well-acted enough to be genuinely a comedy. But at 80 minutes it's a great length for a silly spoof that no-one for a second should take seriously. 'Rare Exports' is an eccentric and subversive film that's an ideal antidote to the now-standard commercialisation of the Christmas period - something it ends up nicely lampooning at its conclusion.