Click here to read the full article.
He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. In Ilja Rautsi’s horror-comedy “Red Snow” Santa Claus is coming to town, but this time, cookies won’t suffice. He’s thirsty for blood.
In the story, teenage
Johanna dreams of a glittering Twilight vampire prince. Instead, she gets Martti: a balding, beer-bellied 49-year-old bloodsucker who slips into a Santa suit to gain entry to homes and devour entire families. Soon, she finds herself trapped in a bloody and horrific nightmare of ageing masculine toxicity, family trauma, and festive slaughter.
Sold by Charades and produced by Bufo, Allfilm and Hobab, “Red Snow” debuts exclusive clip here:
Mixing vampire mythology with Santa Claus – “and the sexual undertones that come with it” – has surprised some viewers, admitted Rautsi.
“It can be disturbing to people, but it’s not a disturbing film. It’s set in this absurd, outrageous world that hopefully allows me to get away with it. That’s the part of its charm: the grotesque and all the twists and turns in the story.”
“It’s a gruesome Christmas present.”
After Fantastic Fest and Sitges, “Red Snow” is now heading to Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and has been at the AFM. Hannu-Pekka Björkman, Anni Iikkanen, Tommi Korpela, Kari Hietalahti and Marja-Liisa Nguyen star.
It was important to still ground the film in some “recognizable emotion,” stated Rautsi.
“These are heightened characters, but there are also some glimmers of what they are actually going through. We don’t necessarily have to root for them all the time, but we’re along for the ride – despite all the madness.”
Christmas can be a stressful time, with or without vampires.
“For me, this juicy Christmas setting acts as a boiling kettle. We’ve all been there. We know the feeling of spending Christmas with family when you’re supposed to be jolly but it’s actually miserable,” he laughed.
“You can see this in all of Shane Black’s films that are set at Christmas but not about Christmas. I think they have affected me, too.”
Rautsi doesn’t hide his affection for horror. Known for shorts “Helsinki Mansplaining Massacre” and “The Night of the Living Dicks,” he has also written “Nightborn” and “Hatching.”
“I’m a nervous person. A good horror film is my comfort zone, though, because it validates the internal life of someone who’s afraid. Fear is such a taboo subject – people don’t talk about it. But then we go and see a horror film, and we celebrate the fact that it’s O.K. to be afraid. It can be fun to experience it in a safe setting,” he said.
Despite its wild premise, “Red Snow” captures how he perceives life. It can be scary, but it can also make you laugh.
“I’m constantly laughing about all the things I’m afraid of. The goal of the film was to express how I experience things. You can be going through something ridiculous and then notice something beautiful about the whole situation. Life can be so many things, all at once, within the space of five seconds.”
You better watch out.
