Set in Lapland during colonial times, this eerie, haunting horror film centers on a tribe of close-knit, deeply religious and superstitious people who live in a bleak, barren, snow-covered mountainous region where life is often tough, exacting and thankless. A lonely, neglected woman (played with tremendous poignancy and conviction by the stunningly comely Mirjami Kuosmanen, who also co-wrote the terse, but rich script) visits a shaman so he can cast a spell that will bring her errant wandering shepherd husband back home to her. The spell works, but comes with an unfortunate attachment: The lady becomes possessed by an ancient evil spirit which causes her to transform into a murderous giant white reindeer that preys upon various tribe members.

Blending the vampire and werewolf mythology into a fascinatingly unique and inspired synthesis which also adds elements from pre-Christian folklore, filmmaker Erik Blomberg's simple, lyrical parable about how all actions have consequences has the immediacy, intimacy and potency of an eloquently spun scary campfire yarn. Skillfully directed, produced, edited, co-written and shot in gorgeous monochromatic black and white by Blomberg, who began photographing movies back in the 30's and made only four other films before spending the rest of his career doing documentaries for television, this plainly done and elegantly understated debut feature benefits greatly from not only its powerfully direct and unpretentious story, but also from its highly unusual and intriguing period setting. Further enhanced by an evocative chanted score, outstanding use of the wintry, desolate, godforsaken Finnish countryside, and frequently striking visuals (the burial ground ridden with scattered animal bones is memorably creepy), "The White Reindeer" deservedly won awards at both the Cannes and Karlovy Vary Film Festivals. A singularly spooky and spellbinding picture that's strongly recommended to fright film fans who want to see something different and original.

I don't think we've ever covered a Finnish movie before, much less one with a werereindeer, which I didn't even think was something. You learn something new every day and movies help you do it.

At the 1953 Cannes Film Festival, this movie won Best Fairy Tale film from a Jean Cocteau-led jury. I also didn't ever know there was a Best Fair Tale award.

This is probably the only movie out there based on pre-Christian Finnish mythology and Sami shamanism, so enjoy it. Mirjami Kuosmanen - director Erik Blomberg's wife who sadly died young from a brain hemorrhage - plays Pirita, a bride who misses her husband Aslak while he away herding reindeer.

She wants to ignite passion in her life and keep her husband home, so she visits a shaman. In turn, he turns Pirita - who was born of a witch - into a shapeshifting vampiric white reindeer. All she had to do was sacrifice the first thing she saw when she returned home, which ends up being the baby deer that her husband has brought her as a gift.

Now, she is irresistible to all men, men who she lures as the reindeer into the woods and then drains them of their blood.

The White Reindeer is the kind of magical movie that slowly finds its way into your mind and then takes a place inside it.

This odd tale coming from Scandinavian's folklore is amazing, all those white Northern landscape provides an unique freeze atmosphere, those white snow blinks the eyes on many scenes, the plot is about a native mid-age woman recently married, after a little time she realizes that his husband is too cold in the bed, then decides to has an appointment with an old Shaman asking for a love potion, which stays baffled on session, saying that she must kill the first living creature that will appears on her way, actually she drives the all session moving the stone on the thunder, the scarried Shaman calling her as Witch, after a vague vacillation she kills the white Reindeer that she saw leaving the Shaman's cottage, always at midnight sun she becomes a white reindeer to lure the hunter and kills him afterwards, impressive tale of a sort of Werewolf or something, the most impressive is the game of shadows and lights on nights scenes, the astonishing white endless horizons mixing with clear nights, a rarest mild horror picture indeed!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8.5