This is a fantastic film debut for Erik Blomberg the director. The cinematography is stunning, turning the barren snow covered landscape into a mystical, beautiful land of mystery. It is the story of a young woman who feels her new marriage needs a little extra and goes to a shaman to get it but ends up with more than bargained for when the prescribed sacrifice goes wrong and she becomes an irresistible temptresses who also transforms into a white reindeer… and a supernatural killer.
This killing spree leads to her being accused of witchcraft and she is chased by the village men leading to a sad end at the hands of her husband.
This film is considered folk horror and I suppose that is as good a des as any. It also shows many of us a way of life alien and fascinating as the Finnish actors get around in skies and sleds and live in a world of perpetual snow and cold while living life to the fullest. Prita the doomed woman is a force of nature, skilled and strong and full of life. There is a real sense of companionship and love between her and her husband, making the events of the film more tragic. The folklore presented is a welcome breath if cold fresh air that doesn’t have any of the tropes of what we might traditionally think of as Gothic or folkloric horror.
