RED SNOW

Johanna is a rebellious teenager whose parents are divorced. Her mother doesn't really want to spend time with her, her father is too preoccupied with his upcoming wedding to his new girlfriend, and her little brother is a brat. Johanna's only wish is to become a vampire, like Edward in TWILIGHT, to escape her miserable life.

On Christmas night, the whole family drives to her grandmother's house for the holiday—an eccentric woman who lives in a huge mansion. When Santa shows up at the door and asks for permission to enter, all hell breaks loose: he's actually a vampire on a rampage. To Johanna's delight, her wish might finally come true.

But every vampire has an enemy, and when a hunter arrives at the house with his psychopathic apprentice, he unleashes havoc, turning the entire night into a nightmare. Suddenly, becoming a vampire doesn't seem as appealing as Johanna once thought.

RED SNOW is Ilja Rautsi's first feature. Mostly known for his work as a screenwriter on HATCHING and NIGHTBORN, he made a name for himself directing two outrageous short films that traveled festivals worldwide: HELSINKI MANSPLAINING MASSACRE and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DICKS. If you don't know the man, his ice-cold Finnish humor and demeanor may put you off, but under that cold Nordic exterior is a huge genre fan and talented director who twists genre conventions to deliver outrageously dark comedic stories that will make you giggle in your seat. And in these somber times we live in, we certainly need outrageous dark comedy. (ANNICK MAHNERT)