Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

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2:07

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

R

2010

1h 24m

Holiday

Adventure

Horror

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

106 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 is 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)

Dec 14, 2014

3/5

[A] deliciously loopy oddball of a film.

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Eric Kohn

IndieWire

Dec 14, 2014

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

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Christine Champ

Film.com

Dec 14, 2014

A-

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

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Bryce Hanson

Horror Movie Talk

Aug 12, 2025

7/10

This movie is a lot of fun in retrospect, but to be honest you really have to be in the mood for this type of film. Like most scandinavian films it is very dry and has a real particular type of slow drip black humor.

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Sep 20, 2023

4/5

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

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Mar 7, 2023

2.5/4

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

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g j

@g.username Jan 24, 2026

Nowhere near camp or gory enough to justify or sustain such a silly premise. Damn that kid is annoying too.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Dec 29, 2025

Funny in 1 hour and 24 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated R for Some Nudity and Language!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Nicholas J

@NICK_J Dec 25, 2025

It's not your typical take on the seasons greetings but it was a interesting storyline and it had a very interesting take on the Christmas season! I thought it was pretty good!

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Melissa L

@Agent99 Dec 23, 2025

I really didn't think it was much of a "comical" horror movie but it has a well-thought out plot and I really liked the kid who was the hero. The ending was great, too.

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Orlando R.

@ManFromAnotherPlace Dec 15, 2025

An incredibly well made Christmas horror movie. Beautiful locations, great acting and effects and absolutely fantastic writing!

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Dec 10, 2025

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Jalmari Helander

Director

Onni Tommila

Pietari

Jorma Tommila

Rauno

Ilmari Järvenpää

Juuso

Peeter Jakobi

Santa

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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 is 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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