Red Snow (2026) // Fantastic Fest 2026 Review

Fantastic Fest has been sneaking a little holiday cheer into the lineup. Last year, one of the secret screenings was Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025). I still have the bloody Santa hat! This year, a holiday horror flick was on the official schedule. I caught Red Snow on a hot Texas afternoon, and I have mixed feelings. On one hand, it’s festive, bloody, and has great special effects, which I truly enjoyed experiencing on the big screen with a crowd. Conversely, the humor fell flat more often than not. The crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves during scenes that made me sneer, like someone coughed without covering their mouth. Nevertheless, I’d watch it at least one more time during the Holiday season. The movie follows a teen, Johanna (Anni Likkanen), whose vampire fantasies are ruined when Martti (Hannu-Pekka Björkman), a real vampire, pulls up on her family in a Santa suit. Red Snow is sure to entertain while you’re snuggled near your Christmas tree, or enjoying some nog. Unfortunately, it’s also sure to make you cringe. 

We’ve Got Jokes

Red Snow has a LOT of comedy. If the jokes don’t hit, it will absolutely affect your experience, especially if you’re alone. In that case, it’s just you and the screen. Seeing it with a crowd made me feel like I was standing outside of the gates like DW. I’ll admit, the movie starts strong with the Twilight poster; I laughed out loud. As the scene went on, my laughs tapered into quiet discomfort. Many of the jokes felt like that to me; they chugged on past the laughing point until I reached groaning territory. To be fair, I often struggle with comedy films. I like my humor sharp and dark, preferably woven into dialogue or sight gags. The humor felt dark because of the subject matter, but it lacked the sharpness I needed to join the crowd in laughter. Further, there was too much of the humor that relied on the audience finding the age difference and the creepiness of the vampire funny. I was annoyed every time.

Vampire With a Twist

Although the comedy didn’t tickle my funny bone, the vampiric aspects were good! Red Snow gives us a unique vampire in every way. The juxtaposition of what Johanna expects a vampire to be versus what Martti represents is interesting. A conventionally attractive, tall, slender, dark-haired vampire did not show up at her door. It was someone who could be mistaken for Santa. Martti did not represent everlasting youth or eternal love. He was more of a representation of the corruption of youth. He mentions other young girls that ended up with a fate similar to Johanna’s. I love that Martti’s visit serves as a wake-up call for Johanna, as she begins to realize the vampire life may not be for her. 

I also enjoyed the vampire design. A lot of movies simply throw vampire fangs, of varying quality, on the cast and call it a day. If we’re lucky, we’ll see some additional makeup. I prefer vampires to look monstrous. Red Snow gives us a vampire that feels like a cross between The Strain and Blade II. I want more vampires to open their faces to feed! I was thoroughly entertained by the blood and vampire attacks. However, I wish there was more violence than humor. Overall, Red Snow can be an entertaining time, especially for comedy-horror fans. The festive nature of the film makes it more fun to watch. If this wasn’t a holiday horror movie, I would not be as amused. (Christmas lights and decorations have me in a chokehold). Red Snow is worth viewing during the season, but I wouldn’t reach for it any other time.