The White Reindeer (1952) User Reviews

An offbeat, interesting and original Finnish horror film

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 31 October 2006]

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.

Unique, moody, compelling.

[F Gwynplaine MacIntyre · 8/10 · 29 March 2005]

The Finnish film 'White Reindeer' is marketed in the USA and Britain as a horror movie, but that's not precisely accurate. This is a stark, moody film but not a scary one. It purports to be an authentic Lapp folktale about a woman named Pirita who turns into a white reindeer in order to feed upon men.

This story has elements of both the vampire and the werewolf legend, as well as the succubus. Apart from reindeer being native to Lapland, I can't imagine why the reindeer was chosen as the species for this folktale's version of the shape-changer legend. Bats and wolves are predators, and therefore scary. The reindeer is a domesticated herbivore that serves humans ... not very spooky, is it? In one sequence, the were-reindeer woman sprouts fangs. Actual reindeer don't have fangs, so why should these be part of her transformation? Female reindeer have antlers, so why doesn't Pirita sprout antlers?

Speaking of superstitions and myths: early in this film, a black cat scurries across the path of an approaching sledge, but the director gives this so little emphasis that it appears to have no significance. In Cornwall, it's considered *good* luck to have a black cat cross one's path, and this same thing is considered *bad* luck in America. Do Lapps have any superstitions concerning black cats?

Mirjami Kuosmanen, the actress who plays the central role in this film, is quite pretty ... but her performance as a native of northern Lapland is weakened by the fact that she is clearly wearing makeup. Due to the low production budget, we never actually see Pirita changing into the reindeer ... but the director cleverly gets round this by having his leading lady lunge towards the camera, then cutting to a shot of a reindeer in the same position. Still, I was hoping we would see a shot of a woman's shadow changing shape ... or a series of human footprints in the snow abruptly becoming hoof-marks.

The Lapp landscape in this movie is starkly beautiful and awesome but never frightening. The photography is excellent. There are two impressive dissolve shots involving flames, and a splendid montage sequence. I was extremely impressed by a night sequence over a bonfire. During the Midnight Sun sequences, there are two shots featuring a weird colonnade of white pillars: these appear to be artefacts of the Lapp culture, but we never learn what they are. A sequence in which a carved vertrebra dances magically across a shaman's drum has an eerie pagan power that made me think of Nijinsky's staging of 'The Rites of Spring'.

My one complaint about this film -- a minor grievance -- is that we never learn the time period in which the main action occurs. These Laplanders possess milled coins, a rifle, and loomed curtains. One sequence takes place at a prayer service that is clearly Christian, featuring a minister in Geneva bands. Are we watching scenes in the twentieth century, or some earlier time? I'll rate this moody, compelling (but not frightening) film 8 out of 10. Oh, my deer! I Lapped this up!

Be careful what you wish for is the moral of this captivating 1952 fantasy horror, and perhaps the world's only example of Sami gothic cinema

[mwilson1976 · 7/10 · 13 May 2020]

Be careful what you wish for is the moral of this captivating 1952 fantasy horror (a rare genre movie from Finland), and perhaps the world's only example of Sami gothic cinema. A newly-married young woman, Pirita (Mirjami Kuosmanen), desperate for affection, visits a shaman who offers a potion that makes her an irresistible object of desire, but there is a terrible cost. Pirita becomes a bloodthirsty shapeshifter who lures men out into the barren wilderness where she kills them. It was the directorial debut of Finnish cinematographer Erik Blomberg, and was filmed amongst the starkly beautiful fells of Finnish Lapland. Blomberg combines an almost documentary filming style with avant-garde experimentation to produce a dreamy art-house horror film without compare, and it remains one of world cinema's criminally under-seen masterpieces. The film was entered in competition at the 1953 Cannes Film Festival and earned the Jean Cocteau-led jury special award for Best Fairy Tale Film. After its limited release five years later in the United States, it was one of five films to win the 1956 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film.

So happy to discover this

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 25 August 2020]

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.

Tragic Beauty

[jfgibson73 · 7/10 · 7 January 2017]

I appreciated the simplicity of the story in this movie. That being said, I think it might have been better remembered if it could have added one original idea to the genre. As it is, the movie resembles a remake of The Wolfman for Scandinavians.

I loved the look of the movie--I think it would look incredible in HD. If you were changing channels and saw the snowy settings and heard the cheery music this movie starts out with, you'd think you were watching a Christmas film. It stays there for probably a quarter of the film, too. Then, the female lead becomes the vampire/werewolf creature and starts killing people at night. At first it seems she doesn't remember what she's done, but starts to suspect eventually. She is eventually killed by her own husband, and the movie ends as a tragedy. I loved the setting and the style of the film, and I think I could watch it back just to enjoy the soundtrack. I'm glad I saw it.

Visually stunning horror

[limshun · 9/10 · 30 March 2005]

I recently got a chance to see this on the big screen and it is definitely a special film. Filmed in Lapland, nearly everyone moves about in this film on skis or reindeer-drawn toboggan. The lonely snow-covered landscapes lightly dotted with trees, humans, and curving herds of reindeer look beautiful in black and white. The film capitalizes on the mythic and mystic nature of the landscape and the land--The Land of the Midnight Sun. What a perfect setting for a film about love, loneliness, fears of abandonment, and, of course, vampires. The horror is a subtle one and even now barely verges on the campy (thanks to the uniqueness of its setting). The strange shots of the sun hovering on the horizon and of reindeer stampeding across the snow only enhance this bizarre tale. The main actress is quite stunning and plays the balance of her role well. A definite treat for fans of foreign or horror films.

Beautiful and interesting

[tjuva · 9/10 · 6 May 2006]

I really like this one, i think it's one of the best old Finnish movies. The landscapes and photography are beautiful, which is not very surprising for film shooted in Lapland, and the movie itself is interesting in terms of plot and style. The story is based into old folk-story, so it is quite different and unique plot for horror movie. The cast, especially Mirjami Kuosmanen and Åke Lindman, made good job in this one.

As people have many times said, this movie is not very scary, but how many old horror flicks are? I don't recall being very scared in any movie made 1950's or earlier. This movie is still very interesting and unique. It's a great part of the history of Finnish cinema. I recommend this for all fans of old black and white movies.

Check it out

[Finne · 9/10 · 12 May 2003]

This film is quite unique in Finnish movie history. And it also has been filmed during a period when old Lapland and some real Lapp culture could be found from Northern Finland. Not that everything is authentic, but anyway this film combines nostalgia with fantasy and even horror and treats the Lapp culture with at least some respect. And landscapes are definitely worth seeing! Hmmm... the only film I know where a human being gets transferred into reindeer! One should be careful where to look at!

Excellent Laplandish Folk Horror...With A Were-Reindeer...And The Best Hats!!!

[meddlecore · 9/10 · 29 October 2020]

The White Reindeer opens with a folk song from Lapland, about a child who is born a witch, that is fated to offer a white reindeer to a stone God.

Fast forward a number of years later, and we find ourselves watching a beautiful and talented young woman fall in love with a popular reindeer herder.

He pursues her hand in marriage and the two are wed.

But he's not really the promiscuous type, and leaves for long spats on reindeer herding expeditions...while she lies in wait at home alone.

With another expedition coming up, he plans to give her with a gift, to show he loves her.

This gift is an albino reindeer, to keep as a pet.

But she gets lonely on these long nights alone...

So, one day, she sets off on an excursion of her own...to the hermit shack of a local shaman that practices witchcraft.

Bearing offerings of bread, cheese, meat and booze...she seeks to acquire a love potion, that will make her beloved as infatuated with her, as he was when he was when first wooing her.

But for this to take effect, she must sacrifice the first "living thing" she encounters on her way home.

Before he even finishes the ritual, the shaman realizes that she is actually the powerful witch that has been foretold of in their great myths.

Whether she realizes this herself or not is unclear, but, upon her return home, she is immediately struck with worry...as the first living things she sees are her husband- who has unexpectedly returned home- and her pet reindeer, who she has cared for since it was weened.

But which did she notice first?

To ensure the curse will be effective, she travels to the monument of the stone God, as she was told to, with her beloved pet- a token of his love for her- to sacrifice it.

But is killing a spirit animal like this a bad omen of it's own?

Impatient to find out if it has worked or not, she travels to the fells in search of her husband.

But he is off tracking a wolverine...when she realizes that the pact she has entered into might have been a ruse by the devil.

For, what is the one thing (other than a beautiful woman) that reindeer herders simply cannot resist, but a wild, white reindeer?

Upon this realization, she immediately transforms into a white reindeer, herself, under the light of a full moon.

And finds herself being pursued by another hunter, entirely.

When he manages to catch her, she instantly turns back into a woman...and he can't resist his urges.

So she mutilates him.

Before turning back into the reindeer again.

Now, each time there is a full moon, she turns into the white reindeer, and is pursued until she kills a man.

When the hunters realize that it must be the white witch reindeer from their tales, each time they find a dead man in Evil Valley- as the only tracks leading to the body are those of a reindeer (while the wounds are not compatible with anything a reindeer could possibly inflict)- they plan to kill it, in order to prevent any future murders from occurring.

And speak of the devil...

Upon her appearance, in front of the group of hunters currently discussing her demise, a cocky young hunter tries, unsuccessfully, to shoot her (though, you cannot kill her with bullets, rather, only an iron stake).

This causes her to reveal her true form, which he lives to tell the tale about...though, just barely.

Eventually, he recognizes her back at the camp, and she starts to become increasingly paranoid...believing that she's now turning into a wolf.

Luckily for her, they think he has gone mad, after his ordeal in the fells.

Now, all she can do is watch, as the whole town forges iron spears for the witch hunt...including her own husband.

So, she returns to the shack of the shaman to see if there is any hope for the curse to be lifted.

But it's too late.

The death of a white reindeer got her into this mess, now only the death of a white reindeer can get her out.

The film goes in a perfect circle, as it is her husband who ends up chasing her in the form of the white reindeer, as he did in the opening sleigh chase sequence, when the two fell in love.

The irony here is, that the curse was entirely unnecessary (and didn't even seem to work on who it was meant to affect), because he had always loved her from the beginning.

Making for a tragic love story, and a hauntingly beautiful film.

From the majestic herds, to the canoes pulled by lone reindeer, and the snow laden scenery...everything about Lapland culture is alluring.

And let's be honest...they have the best effing hats.

9 out of 10.

Romantic natural beauty and magic of the Lapps in the winter world

[clanciai · 9/10 · 15 April 2022]

This is a legend of magic made into a film by sustained cínematographic magic. The photo is stunning all through the film, and the actors, although saving their dialogue as much as possible, are all convincing and genuinely Lapponic. This must be the best film ever made about the Lapps for its outstanding genuineness - there is no other film like it. Einar Englund has composed a sustained score that keeps underscoring the film perpetually all the way, which only adds to the magic and spiritual impression of the sinister winter nature of Lapland, where the film was made. The legend tells the story of a beautiful young woman who apparently was born a witch, which she only becomes aware of herself when her husband goes away on business and she feels lonely and consults a drinking warlock in search of a relief from her loneliness. He discovers with terror that she is a born witch and unintentionally releases her powers, which consists of her being transformed into a white reindeer occasionally, in which capacity she can tempt any Lapp to hunt her, whom she devours when he captures the reindeer, in which moment she triumphs as herself and the witch he is. Things get complicated when her own husband finally hunts her down.

It's a unique film of irresistible beauty, charm and magic, and no other film can actually be compared with it. It's a timeless film to return to with relish occasionally when you need something out of the ordinary.

This is the first film about the Sami People that I ever watched

[ongoam · 9/10 · 2 November 2022]

This movie tells the story of a Young Sami Woman who became a White Reindeer for No Reason, which makes many people in Villagers fear her; I think that the Director of this movie, Erik Blomberg brought his Wife to Play the Main Protagonist of this Movies her role was a Fearless and Femme Fatale, I love the Movies because the Movies was a story of the Sami Culture. I love their Culture, I think this movie was entirely to be a Folk Horror, and I know it, I love this movie, and I want to watch it again. Lapland was entirely to be the Place Many People wanted to go there, and I wanted to go to this Region.

The White Reindeer Witch from Scandinavian's Folklore!!!!!

[elo-equipamentos · 8/10 · 4 February 2020]

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

Review for The White Reindeer

[Reviews_of_the_Dead · 8/10 · 27 January 2023]

This is a movie that I heard about through podcasts originally. The idea sounded interesting so it went on a list to check out. For December on Journey with a Cinephile: A Horror Movie Podcast, I like to do winter-based movies. This one also doubled as a Trek through the Twos as well as being from 1952.

Synopsis: a newlywed woman goes to the local shaman to get help with her love life, but instead she gets turned into a white reindeer vampire.

We start this off with a song while seeing a barren, snowy landscape. The song is telling the story that we are going to see. Part of it that I wanted to point out is that it says about a girl born a witch. We then see a woman traversing the land, Pirita (Mirjami Kuosmanen). It then shifts over to a community of people. There looks to be a race where reindeer are pulling people in sleds. We see that she is vibing one of the men, Aslak (Kalvero Nissilä). The two soon marry.

Things don't go as she planned. Aslak is a reindeer herder and he's gone for long stretches. She is lonely. She decides to seek the aid of a shaman. He goes by Tsalkku-Nilla (Arvo Lehesmaa). Something goes awry during their meeting and in the end, he tells her to seek out the stone god and pray to him for help. She does, but it doesn't necessarily give her the results that she wants. It makes her irresistible to men. It also makes her into a shapeshifter. She then starts to take on the form of a white reindeer. The curse that comes with this is to feed on the men who come after her.

There are mysterious deaths that put the community into fear. The men know that the victims were going after this rare, white reindeer and that it is cursed. They also believe that a witch is behind it. To save their people, they decide it needs to be killed. What they don't realize is that it is one in their community.

That is where I'm going to leave my recap as this doesn't have the deepest story. It is interesting that I saw this played at Cannes Film Festival during its release. It also won best Fairy Tale feature as well. That is the best way to describe this. The song in the beginning sets that tone and with how things play out, there is a cautionary tale this is trying to relay.

I think that is also where I'll start then with delving into this movie. We see this couple meet and then fall in love. They get married and things should be perfect from there. Aslak is gone for long stretches. There were scenes that I saw where I thought due to this, Pirita cheats on him. Looking at a recap of the movie, I think that scene shows Pirita's mother of Maarita. They're played by the same person. It makes me wonder the purpose of that scene now. Regardless, I like this idea of being thankful for what you have and not meddling. By doing so, Pirita makes things much worse for herself.

Going along with this, I want to go over to the fairy tale aspects. This is supernatural, of course. Pirita goes to see the shaman. He knows there is something different with her. I thought that was a good scene. It is interesting as well that the 'stone god' gives her the power that she wants. It comes at a price that she now must live off the blood men that come after her. It also forces her to change into a white reindeer. What is interesting here is that I've never seen a 'were-reindeer' film before so that was different. This is like vampire lore in that at first, she loves it. That goes away though which I thought adds a layer here as she fears being killed. There is also a bit of 'Jekyll and Hyde', that she can no longer control it either.

Where I'll go then would be acting. I thought that Kuosmanen was good as our lead. First, I think she is attractive. I think that is needed for this role. What I like is that she seems like a good person until she is 'tainted' with this curse. That is where I think the best part of the performance comes out. She is embracing the evil until it becomes too much. That worked for me. I'd then say that Nissilä was solid as her husband. I liked Lehesmaa as the shaman. The rest of the cast also rounded this out for what was needed as well.

Then the last things to go into would be with the filmmaking. I love the cinematography here. The landscape just feels cold and barren. You can see that life is hard here. The shots look good. They don't anything that is too different, but I think they capture good things. There aren't a lot in the way of effects. It doesn't necessarily need them. Everything they do are in camera. Other than that, I'd say the soundtrack worked for what was needed. Something creepy this does is with the design. Hearing Pirita's laughter when it is disembodied is great. I was a fan there. I did want to say that this is a slow burn. I think part of that is the time it was made. I did find the pacing to help make this feel eerie in an effective way.

In conclusion, this is an interesting movie. I knew just a bit coming in and wasn't disappointed. This has a fairy tale feel to it that I enjoyed. There is a bit of a cautionary story as well that I'm a fan of. I thought that acting was good. This looks great and they do good things for the atmosphere with the sound design. I could have done with a bit more, but we are still early in cinema. I can see how this influenced things that came after it for sure. Worth a viewing if you are into foreign cinema and want to see a bit more of the history.

My Rating: 7.5 out of 10.