🔗 Share this article

The 1952, Finnish movie White Reindeer is considered one of the remarkable lost classics in the folk horror genre. Even though it won prizes at Cannes and the Golden Globe Awards during its time, it remained overlooked until a breathtaking 4K restoration began circulating in 2017.

Placed on the desolate, frozen hills of the Arctic region, the movie presents an uncanny, utterly otherworldly macabre story. This region is sometimes known as Lapland, though the native Sámi population consider that name as offensive.

The Chilling Introduction and Change

Via a memorable prologue, it is foretold that a newborn young Sámi female will become a enchantress. She grows into Piriti (portrayed by the actress Mirjami Kuosmanen), a spirited lady who chafes against her solitary life as the spouse of a traveling reindeer keeper.

She looks for comfort from a local shaman, but possibly because of her natural sorcery, his love ritual fails and turns her into a vampiric shapeshifter, cursed to hunt and consume human males in the form of a snow-white reindeer.

Creative Approach and Roots

The actress wrote the film with her partner, filmmaker and cinematographer Erik Blomberg. He combines impressive documentary footage of Sámi culture on this moon-like environment with intense stylization that evokes silent-era expressionists like F.W. Murnau and Fritz Lang.

Filmed in monochrome and almost entirely on site in the natural environment, The White Reindeer juxtaposes the dazzling bright snow with pitch-black Gothic scenes, and shifts between them via the transitional half-light of the northern sun.

Mysterious and Surreal Narrative

Even though the plot is straightforward and the events are plainly laid out, White Reindeer stays ambiguous and ethereal. It’s not clear exactly which historical period it’s taking place.

The motivation of the characters’ behavior can be obscure, and the figures appear cut adrift, isolated in the immense negative space of their setting. Moreover that unique category of monster movie that keeps its emphasis firmly and sympathetically on the creature as its point-of-view character.

The lead actress embodies the silent greats in a portrayal filled with sexual frustration and a intense hunger she doesn’t fully understand.

Enduring Influence

Regardless of its compact 68-minute runtime, The White Reindeer can feel deliberate, thanks to its restrained storytelling style. But Kuosmanen’s powerful performance, Blomberg’s incredible cinematography, and the film's unforgettable allegory for the way a repressive community can vilify women's longing will linger in your thoughts for a long time.