Oscilloscope Laboratories, the film company started by Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch, has acquired the rights to Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, a new horror-comedy from Finland that takes childhood fantasy to a whole new realm.

The movie comes from director Jalmari Helander, who based it on his own popular short films, and tells the story of an archeological excavation that turns up none other than Santa Claus himself. Unfortunately, he’s not quite the Santa we’ve all grown up knowing from stories and songs.

Of the acquisition, Yauch said “This is really a unique film, the filmmaking exceptional, Jalmari’s sense of timing, perfect. I’m tempted to say it’s like the Coen brothers meets The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, but RARE EXPORTS is so original in its feel and approach that I’ll refrain from such comparisons and simply say: gas up your snowmobiles, load your shotguns and smoke ‘em if you got ‘em — ’cause we intend to uncage this sucker in theaters for the holidays.”

Be sure to click on over to the other side to read a synopsis of the movie with links to the original short films, and also to check out the trailer for Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale!

SYNOPSIS

A film for those who think
they don’t believe in Santa Claus anymore

In the depths of the Korvatunturi mountains, 486 meters deep, lies the closest ever guarded secret of Christmas. The time has come to dig it up!

On the eve of Christmas in northern Finland, an archeological dig unearths Santa Claus. This particular Santa, however, isn’t the one you want coming to town. When most of the town’s children go missing, Pietari and his father, a local hunter named Rauno, come into possession of the mythological being. Rauno’s clan of hunters attempt to cash in on the opportunity by selling Santa back to the misguided leader of the multinational corporation sponsoring the dig. What ensues is nothing short of a wildly humorous nightmare — a fantastically bizarre polemic on modern day morality.

This Christmas everyone will believe in Santa Claus.

Based on award winning shorts of director Jalmari Helander that have already acquired a cult reputation in the internet.

Watch the shorts on YouTube:

* Rare Exports Inc (2003)
* Rare Exports: Official Safety Instructions (2005)

Trailer

[Oscope]