The Overlooked Folklore Horror Classic Offers a Groundbreaking, Original Take on Vampire Lore

The 1952, Finland's film White Reindeer is considered one of the remarkable overlooked treasures in the rural horror style. Despite the fact that it earned accolades at the Cannes Film Festival and the Golden Globe Awards during its time, it remained forgotten until a stunning 4K remaster started doing the rounds in 2017.

Located on the remote, snow-covered fells of the Arctic region, the movie presents an uncanny, completely otherworldly macabre story. This region is referred to as the Lapland region, though the local Sámi population consider that designation as derogatory.

The Haunting Opening and Change

Via a memorable prologue, it is prophesied that a newborn Sámi girl will turn into a sorceress. She develops into Piriti (portrayed by the actress Mirjami Kuosmanen), a spirited lady who chafes against her isolated existence as the spouse of a traveling reindeer herder.

She looks for comfort from a nearby medicine person, but possibly because of her natural sorcery, his love ritual goes wrong and turns her into a blood-drinking metamorph, fated to pursue and feed on males in the appearance of a snow-white reindeer.

Artistic Style and Roots

Kuosmanen co-wrote the film with her husband, filmmaker and director of photography Erik Blomberg. He combines impressive documentary footage of Sámi life on this moon-like terrain with intense artistic style that recalls silent-movie expressionist filmmakers like F.W. Murnau and Fritz Lang.

Filmed in black and white and predominantly on location in the wilderness, The White Reindeer contrasts the dazzling snowy whiteness with dark Gothic tableaux, and transitions between them via the liminal twilight of the low Arctic sun.

Mysterious and Surreal Story

While the narrative is uncomplicated and the plot developments are clearly presented, White Reindeer remains unclear and ethereal. It’s not clear exactly which historical period it’s occurring.

The motivation of the characters’ behavior can be hard to decipher, and the characters appear cut adrift, alone in the vast open landscape of their environment. It’s also that uncommon type of monster movie that keeps its emphasis directly and empathetically on the monster as its point-of-view character.

The lead actress embodies the silent greats in a performance consumed by sexual frustration and a fierce hunger she doesn’t fully understand.

Memorable Influence

Regardless of its brief hour-plus running time, The White Reindeer can seem leisurely, thanks to its sparse narrative approach. But the lead actress's powerful acting, Blomberg’s incredible visuals, and the film's haunting allegory for the way a oppressive society can stigmatize female desire will stay in your memory for a considerable time.