The Official Rare Exports Inc. Safety Instructions 2005

Official Rare Exports Inc. Safety Instructions 2005, The (2005)

*** (out of 4)

Fun sequel to RARE EXPORTS, INC. has seven Father Christmas' being shipped across the world only to eventually kill humans. This safety video was put out by the company so that people will learn what they can do when Father Christmas is present. The things to avoid doing include smoking, drinking and being rude. If you want to survive an encounter with Father Christmas then it's important to have some gingerbread cookies on hand. Director Helander's sequel to his now cult film is certainly a worthy followup and an all-around smart film in terms of the way it goes for the comedy. Whereas the first movie played out like an instructional video or some documentary you'd see about hunting, this one plays out like those incredibly silly safety videos everyone has been forced to watch at some point in their lives. I really loved the way the film showed silly stuff being done including a very funny sequence where you must try and play dead to avoid an attack. The silly nature of the film is perfectly brought to life with the dead-serious narration that once again really packs a wonderful punch and makes the film come to life. The entire ten-minutes are full of wonderful gags and the technical quality is extremely high.

In this sequel to 'Rare Exports Inc' we are shown the horrendous results of abusing Father Christmas.

As a sequel to the first short film we get a second short film, again presented in the informational "nature video" style. This time we see the life of Father Christmas after he is shipped out, and when those delivering him do not follow the simple instructions. This is rather hilarious, and far more horror-themed than the first installment.

It does raise some questions, though. As the film seems to suggest this is a "trained" Father Christmas, how can they be sent out if these infractions make them go berserk? Certainly in malls they may avoid smoking and drinking, possibly even cursing... but loud noise? These guys would not last one day.

A few years before "The Official Rare Exports Inc. Safety Instructions" debuted, Jalmari Helander made a film called "Rare Exports Inc.". This original film wasn't really intended as anything more than a cute film to be shown to a small group of folks, but fortunately it got out and was a huge hit on the internet. Now, in this second film we have a sequel. And, if you like the sequel, then I have good news for you--in 2010 the two films led to a full-length horror movie which is sick, twisted and a lot of fun.

Before watching this film, I do recommend you see the first short before this sequel. It would make the viewing experience much more enjoyable.

This films is like an industrial training film. It gives lots of warnings about how to deal with a wild Father Christmas. It's all very sick....but also incredibly well made. It has a wonderful cinematic quality that makes you marvel. Great music, great special effects and a strange, sick sense of humor make this well worth your time. BUT, I also should point out these are NOT films for kids or those easily offended. In fact, it helps if you are the sort who likes to be offended!! Not as good as the first film and MUCH darker--but also worth seeing.