Saint

I went to see this yesterday with high expectations. After all, the movie was hyped a lot here. Fortunately most of my expectations were fulfilled.

The story: The story is straight forward and sometimes a bit predictable. The fun part is of course that Dick Maas has turned Sinterklaas from the child loving person he normally is, into a blood-lust zombie. So every 30 to 40 years, when the 5th of December is with full moon, blood thirsty Nickolas and his party of zombies, come to spoil the party. Only, this time, there's someone waiting to stop him.

The good: This is movie is all you can ask for in a horror comedy. The mix between scary moments and laughs is just right.

The bad: Well, some of the actors (especially the non-main characters) could use some acting lessons. Fortunately most of them don't last long enough to be bothered by it too much..... Also some of the explanations for the evil behaviour of Sinterklaas are very thin. Dick Maas should have come up with something better there.

The conclusion: All in all, it's good fun to watch. Some minor bits should be taken care of in the case of a sequel (can't wait), but those can easily be overlooked. That's why my final verdict is 8 out of ten.

It seems to me that most of the reviewers have missed the point. That there was none. This movie is simply out to entertain. It is not one of those kinds that depend on a chilling story or strong characters.(Although there were some sequences that were quite thrilling). It simply is a slasher movie based on a classic myth and still grand celebration in the Netherlands of the original St. Nicolas.Sinterklaas (OG Santa if you will).It is supposed to be over the top.Bad acting,bad dialog,not very likable characters,and lots of lots of (CGI) blood and gore. To expect more will surely lead to disappointment.Everybody familiar with Dick Maas previous work could have expected this. Since it is far from a stretch even when this production is more leaning towards a comedy.And his comedies weren't exactly of the subtle and clever kind. Maybe not completely on par with Dead Snow and Rare exports (which can be debated) it sure does provide the same amount of entertainment.

Sint (Saint) is a solid little Sinterklaas based Christmas horror-comedy out of the Netherlands...directed by the aptly named, Dick Maas.

According to the myth, on December 5th, once every 23 years- when the full moon falls upon this day- Saint Niklas would sail to the Netherlands, from Spain, in order to murder people and kidnap their children...which he would bring back with him on his ship, to enslave.

One man knows this tale to be true first hand, for he witnessed Saint Niklas murder his entire family 23 years ago. Now he works as an inspector for the police...and has been trying to warn his superiors about what lies in store for them this December 5th- but they think he is just traumatized from his childhood ordeal.

Thinking this is all an old legend, the rest of the population goes about their holiday business; dressing up like Sinterklaas' and Black Piet's; holding frat parties and such.

Only when people start getting slayed by a Catholic dude on horseback and his legion of black axe-wielding demons; do people realize what's going on.

And there is only one way to send him back from whence he came...to stop the murders, and prevent any more children from being kidnapped, once and for all.

This Dutch Christmas treat is well worth a watch. It's a nice blend of horror and comedy, with lots of gore, and some creative kills. But the ending is kind of lame. It really felt rushed, and forced (unnecessarily), by the time it rolled around. But that only mildly detracts from it's overall entertainment value.

Check it out.

6 out of 10.

A horror film that depicts St. Nicholas as a murderous bishop who kidnaps and murders children when there is a full moon on December 5.

I have to say, this may possibly be the first Dutch horror film I have ever seen. Probably even one of the first Dutch films of any genre (the only other coming to mind is "Spoorloos"). I prefer to judge a film on its own merits rather than the merits of the country... but it is interesting to place a film in the context of its own film industry. And, frankly, I did not know the Netherlands really had much of an industry.

Many horror films have focused on Santa Claus, and a few have had the Easter Bunny, Jack Frost, or have focused on just about every holiday imaginable. This is the first (and only) film about the Feast of St. Nick, and for that originality they deserve some praise.

I loved the coloration, the camera angles, the "black Petes" as evil minions... I was worried about this one, but it turned out being pretty great. The obsession with the characters' infidelity in the first act (which has no bearing on the plot) is a little odd, as is the fact a teacher would allow sex toys to be given out in class. But this is easy to overlook.

In style and tone, this goes alongside "Dead Snow" and makes for a great party movie. If possible, though, get the subtitled version, as the English dubbing is horrible.

SINT is one of the most talked about movies in The Netherlands in 2010. When I went to the cinema it was exactly the movie I expected. It was a combination of the old school horror style of Dick Maas, great special effects, and a sense of humor that I haven't seen in Dutch movies for a long time. The special effects might not be as amazing as we're used to as the standard is Pirates of the Caribbean. However, considering the small budget (compared to movies from Hollywood) the effects we're pretty nice. I've heard some rumors that they might make a sequel and I definitely hope that these rumors are true. All together a fun experience. I can recommend this movie very much!