Once again EIFF invites you to attend Dark Xmas, our annual celebration of alternative, provocative and controversial Christmas cinema from around the world, this year featuring festive cult classics with an edge from Finland and Spain. Join us as we venture into a weird, wild winter wonderland where Santa Claus coming to town is an emergency and church bells ringing may signal the end of the world. Is it a wonderful life? Let’s wait and see....
First up, on Thursday 20 December at 8.45pm, is Jalmari Helander's Rare Exports. When a secret burial mound is disturbed, a countdown begins and a small isolated community is plunged into a Christmas nightmare.
With chilly echoes of Carpenter’s The Thing and a nod to Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, the Finnish director’s gloriously gruesome fantasy horror adventure delves deep into ancient folklore to dispose of the contemporary image of Father Christmas in favour of something far less cheerful. Get ready to meet the real bad Santa and find out how his magic really works.
The following night (Friday 21 December, 8.15pm), the Devil is returning to earth on Christmas Eve and only a lone priest can save the world in Alex De La Iglesia's The Day of the Beast.
Following up his provocative 1993 debut feature Accion Mutante, 1995 saw the acclaimed Spanish director cement his cult reputation by unleashing this outrageous festive rollercoaster, an intoxicating blend of horror, fantasy and jet black humour. The Day of the Beast explodes into action and quickly escalates into one of the darkest, funniest and most surreal Christmas movies of all time.
Both screenings take place at Filmhouse, 88 Lothian Road, Edinburgh, and will be introduced by EIFF Senior Programmer Niall Greig Fulton.
Ticktes can be purchased HERE.