If you set aside the plotting inanities set out here (*well, see below), this is worth seeking out if only for the big screen debut and thereafter - sadly - most rarely seen appearance of the thoroughly gorgeous dark eyed and maned beauty, Tiina Bjökman - and despite that she hardly acts, but merely smoulders, apparently bewildered throughout all that befalls her, left out in the Finnish wintry backwoods by her agent (lover?**) - as they do, no doubt to Nordic beauties.
Since this is a sort of Nordic (Finnish) redneck threatens lone woman in peril á la 'Texas Chainsaw' style: albeit here, the implement of horror threat is a dilapidated tractor with indeterminate front contraption to terrorise the left lonely lass: this is despite in being the dead of winter, said tractor can hardly be maneuvered beyond narrow constrained snow drift cleared roads - *so that if you were menaced by such, all you would have to do is leap aside from the road - admittedly into deep snowdrift - but then the pursuing maniac on tractor cannot maneuver it any further off, and you are safe! - as it actually seen in one scene where tractor is rendered neutered having been so slid / driven off piste as it were. (Redneck juntti leering maniac Arvo (Kari Sorvalli) then amusingly thumping and cursing said machine á la John Cleese and his car in Fawlty Towers t.v. Series.)
There's also the locked away in out/store house dangerous weirdo threat of deformed ogre-like 'Sulo' (Mikko Kivinen) - although all he seemed to want to do with his freedom is be playful with the abandoned heroine, ahead of howl at the moon ('Moonlight Sonata' - geddit?); In this respect, I'd say you get 'Epa', the menaced heroine's corgi dog, turn in some of the best (if equally oft appeared terrified = how did they get it to react that way if not 'no animals were psychologically harmed in the making of ..' ) - er, 'acting' in this.
In meantime, Arvo / Sorvalli, playing the threatening 'juntti' redneck, leers - and curses - superbly; *although why Tiina didn't just clock him one with either the axe she learns to use***, or in any case, any lying about blunt - solid plank - implement is beyond me of Finnish women normally portrayed as otherwise totally in charge, stand no-nonsense from misbehaving Finn blokes like. (Well, this is from the eighties - of which, Tiina's contemporary frizz hairstyle alone is worth savouring!)
But why a young lad (Johannes - Tiina's son? (Kim Gunnell) had to be introduced just to be able to wire up the cottage to drive us towards the shock ending, is pointless / lazy scriptwriting, as though inferring, well, a woman couldn't come up with that, huh (there's' quite some focus on the wire stripping technique, presumably for those lads whose 'male gaze' attention might otherwise not be riveted by tantalising Tiina)
Oh, and BTW: you'll also get to see Tiina totally gratuitously, fully naked - full 'bushy' frontal, too, after nasally checking on her underwear condition - (is that something women routinely do? Or scripted by XX so to thrill?) - and latterly pert bum après sauna, which surprised me was not otherwise used as the usual obligatory female naked flesh flash scene for Finn films standing in for the otherwise naked in shower scene more routine of your stateside slasher type genre.
So you are left with, admittedly, quite a few points (stars) for effort here, but virtually nothing in the execution: for a Finn stalk and slash genre entry, a fine curiosity to enjoy; as filmic contribution: purely - as the driven snow here - drivel!
** So much so, is that is this some sort of diva actress punishment? Seems as though she's somehow a returning recalcitrant / traumatised Finn airport paprarazzi pestered actress: or is it that as her agent (lover?), he would simply be unaware there were dubious threatening neighbours in the vicinity HE drove her to?
(No English subtitles provided on 'reissue' I saw: thus, all is discerned by guessing!)
*** Tiina is shown timidly trying to chop a log: she can hardly hit it, let alone then extricate the axe from it: yet, next scene were shown her confidently striding back to the cottage with an armful of perfectly chopped logs ...
BTW: SPOILER! Even though he's burnt to a frazzle .. there's a sequel, apparently!
Since this is a sort of Nordic (Finnish) redneck threatens lone woman in peril á la 'Texas Chainsaw' style: albeit here, the implement of horror threat is a dilapidated tractor with indeterminate front contraption to terrorise the left lonely lass: this is despite in being the dead of winter, said tractor can hardly be maneuvered beyond narrow constrained snow drift cleared roads - *so that if you were menaced by such, all you would have to do is leap aside from the road - admittedly into deep snowdrift - but then the pursuing maniac on tractor cannot maneuver it any further off, and you are safe! - as it actually seen in one scene where tractor is rendered neutered having been so slid / driven off piste as it were. (Redneck juntti leering maniac Arvo (Kari Sorvalli) then amusingly thumping and cursing said machine á la John Cleese and his car in Fawlty Towers t.v. Series.)
There's also the locked away in out/store house dangerous weirdo threat of deformed ogre-like 'Sulo' (Mikko Kivinen) - although all he seemed to want to do with his freedom is be playful with the abandoned heroine, ahead of howl at the moon ('Moonlight Sonata' - geddit?); In this respect, I'd say you get 'Epa', the menaced heroine's corgi dog, turn in some of the best (if equally oft appeared terrified = how did they get it to react that way if not 'no animals were psychologically harmed in the making of ..' ) - er, 'acting' in this.
In meantime, Arvo / Sorvalli, playing the threatening 'juntti' redneck, leers - and curses - superbly; *although why Tiina didn't just clock him one with either the axe she learns to use***, or in any case, any lying about blunt - solid plank - implement is beyond me of Finnish women normally portrayed as otherwise totally in charge, stand no-nonsense from misbehaving Finn blokes like. (Well, this is from the eighties - of which, Tiina's contemporary frizz hairstyle alone is worth savouring!)
But why a young lad (Johannes - Tiina's son? (Kim Gunnell) had to be introduced just to be able to wire up the cottage to drive us towards the shock ending, is pointless / lazy scriptwriting, as though inferring, well, a woman couldn't come up with that, huh (there's' quite some focus on the wire stripping technique, presumably for those lads whose 'male gaze' attention might otherwise not be riveted by tantalising Tiina)
Oh, and BTW: you'll also get to see Tiina totally gratuitously, fully naked - full 'bushy' frontal, too, after nasally checking on her underwear condition - (is that something women routinely do? Or scripted by XX so to thrill?) - and latterly pert bum après sauna, which surprised me was not otherwise used as the usual obligatory female naked flesh flash scene for Finn films standing in for the otherwise naked in shower scene more routine of your stateside slasher type genre.
So you are left with, admittedly, quite a few points (stars) for effort here, but virtually nothing in the execution: for a Finn stalk and slash genre entry, a fine curiosity to enjoy; as filmic contribution: purely - as the driven snow here - drivel!
** So much so, is that is this some sort of diva actress punishment? Seems as though she's somehow a returning recalcitrant / traumatised Finn airport paprarazzi pestered actress: or is it that as her agent (lover?), he would simply be unaware there were dubious threatening neighbours in the vicinity HE drove her to?
(No English subtitles provided on 'reissue' I saw: thus, all is discerned by guessing!)
*** Tiina is shown timidly trying to chop a log: she can hardly hit it, let alone then extricate the axe from it: yet, next scene were shown her confidently striding back to the cottage with an armful of perfectly chopped logs ...
BTW: SPOILER! Even though he's burnt to a frazzle .. there's a sequel, apparently!
