Title: Red Snow
First Non-Festival Release: November 20, 2026 (Theatrical Release)
Director: Ilja Rautsi
Writer: Ilja Rautsi
Runtime: 92 Minutes
Starring: Anni Ikkanen, Hannu-Pekka Bjorkman, Tommi Korpela
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2026.
Johanna (Anni Ikkanen) is unmoved by the Christmas holiday, desperate to spend it with her estranged mother instead of her blustering father Jukka (Kari Hietalahti) and his new fianceé Nhung (Marja-Liisa Nguyen). Her younger brother Joni (Ottawa Rossi) is oblivious to the family’s greater issues, leaving Johanna without any natural allies at the impending family dinner at her eccentric grandmother’s (Eeva Litmanen) estate. The evening quickly devolves into chaos when a vampire (Hannu-Pekka Bjorkman), who incapacitated the rent-a-Santa ordered from the aptly named mobile phone application, SantApp, donning the iconic suit asks to be invited inside. His plans for devouring the family are interrupted by his estranged brother and vampire hunter Kaarlo (Tommi Korpela) and his unpredictable care nurse, Hoitsu (Krista Kosonen), whom Kaarlo convinced under duress for assistance. This powder keg of clashing personalities and supernatural violence forces everyone to make hard decisions to make it to sunrise.
Red Snow is an inspired but woefully mediocre horror comedy that is propped up by its zany premise.
Opening to its teenage protagonist masturbating to a poster of Edward Cullen before being interrupted by her father, it’s clear from the beginning that Red Snow is operating from a certain comedic vantage point. This sense of humor will quickly help audiences determine if Red Snow works for them or not. Most of it originates from the ridiculousness of each of its characters. While it does give some dimension to the cast, it doesn’t quite work. Nurse Hoitsu, easily the film’s strongest and strangest addition, demonstrates this. Her cynical and selfish outlook on life is fun to watch but is inconsistently developed the longer she spends time with the bickering families. Her off-the-wall remarks and opaque intentions seem exciting on the outside but doesn’t do much for the film in the end. By focusing on the idiosyncrasies of its cast, Red Snow gets lost with its attempts at humor at the expense of meaningful character development.
Two family stories intertwine in Red Snow: the dysfunction of the family trying to celebrate Christmas and the drive to settle the score between the two brothers. Each person occupies a needed niche for this type of film but doesn’t get developed beyond the role they are assigned. For instance, Jukka serves as the chauvinistic catalyst for Johanna’s fascination and embrace of the vampire. His refusal to build a bridge with her mother and actually parent her cause the rift between them that she attributes to his desire to quickly re-marry. Throughout Red Snow, Jukka rarely learns anything despite the opportunity to reflect on his idiotic tough guy act and be there for his daughter when he needs her most. This static approach to character development extends to the rest of the cast with only Johanna and the feeding brothers experiencing any meaningful change.
The most interesting element of Red Snow isn’t its Yuletide setting or exaggerated sense of character but in its depiction of grooming. It’s easy to see why Johanna is drawn to the supernatural invader. Despite his doughy, late middle-age appearance and initial desire to bleed her dry, Johanna’s thirst for freedom overrides her sense of safety. The vampire takes advantage of Johanna’s need for independence and willingness to surrender to him for the chance at freedom. It’s a typical depiction for the sub-genre but Red Snow does something interesting with the vampire’s nemesis.
Kaarlo the vampire hunter uses similar tactics on her little brother. Due to his need for an obedient lackey, Kaarlo preys on Joni’s desire for usefulness and draw to firepower to get him to inflict violence while putting himself in harm’s way. It’s an interesting juxtaposition to show the ways in which old men use their pull to exploit the sexuality of girls and the societally conditioned predilection for violence in boys. There’s more gender commentary in the film but Red Snow seems more interested in lampooning everyone rather than providing anything of substance to say leading to uneven results.
If only Red Snow worked to develop more of its themes like this, as the closer it gets to morning, the less interesting the chaos becomes. The bombastic vampire violence, initially lethal, wanes in impact as the vampire’s blows get less effective and the rest of the characters work to kill the vampire or exploit its powers. Relying on vampire lore until it no longer needs to, Red Snow has a good foundation for some solid scares. Its isolated mansion setting offers plenty of opportunity for grand set pieces and tense chase scenes but Red Snow often opts for more static resolutions to the violence. So-so visual effects give the vampires a terrifying edge to them that never really materializes in terms of thrills thanks to over saturation. For example, it’s cool that the vampire’s mouths unhinge like a Lovecraftian monstrosity but its integration into the narrative defangs the very vampire that uses it.
Its problems extend beyond its story. Red Snow feels like it is playing catch up through its entirety. Never quite landing the right pace or tone, the film lacks direction thanks to its focus on the flailing comedy leaving its horror elements wanting. Muddy lighting and passable performances add further blows, lessening the impact of the violence and humor. Red Snow falls victim to cut after cut from all areas of production. It’s a serviceable film, but the film’s holiday setting and small updates to the vampire legend can only do so much heavy lifting.
Horror comedies are among the most divisive in the genre, and Red Snow is no different. Relying on memorable characters and the comedy of its premise, the Norwegian vampire horror comedy lacks the bite necessary for either genre. Thoroughly watchable, it’s the inability to expand on its ideas that does Red Snow in shortly after darkness falls. Shudder clearly sees potential, and horror fans who find themselves more amicable to lighter approaches to the genre may place Red Snow firmly on the nice list. Others can find stocking stuffers elsewhere.
Overall Score? 5/10
