RATING: A

Raven Banner Entertainment presents a Frozen Flame Pictures production in association with Kajawood Studios. Written and directed by Marko Mäkilaakso. Produced by Miika J. Norvanto and Timo Puustinen. Cinematography by Esa Jussila. Edited by Harri Korkiakoski, Miika J. Norvanto, and Timo Puustinen.

Stars Chris Cavalier, Veronica Jarvis, Kheba Touray, Matti Paalanen, Iiro Panula, Katariina Juselius, Erika Helin, with Joe Dante, the voice of William Daniels, and Christopher Lambert.

It’s Gremlins meets Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with a dash of Highlander and tons of movie references that will please the avid cinephile in this film from the producers of the Rendel franchise.

Zach is in Finland celebrating his 17th birthday. He and his best friend, Joe, are planning to attend MonsterFest, a massive party/convention at a local ski resort. Joe brings Jaakko, an outcast, along for the ride. What starts out as a wild night of partying is about to turn into a terrifying nightmare when The Creeps, diminutive snow-creatures arrive and begin to wreak havoc on the festival.

Narrowly making their escape, Zach, Joe, and Jaakko find an ally in Natalia, the lead singer of a band performing at the event. Jaakko’s bullying brother Biff attempts to strut his power until he leaves the group, his own buddies, and two sexy nuns to protect his own hide. After all efforts prove to be futile, the group finds another unlikely ally in Christopher Lambert, the star of Zach’s all-time favorite film. Together, they must find a way to stop the Creeps before it’s too late. 

From the producers of Finland’s first superhero film Rendel and its 2024 sequel comes this fun and wild homage to 80’s films courtesy of writer/director Marko Mäkilaasko. He wanted to make a “Nordic take on Gremlins”, but his love of cinema also shows in terms of the many references that appear in the film. Lines from certain films will have you both repeat it and name the movie it is from or a reference, in the case of Chris Cavalier’s Zach, who breaks the fourth wall ala Ferris Bueller at times. 

Cavalier, who was discovered by the director after seeing him on YouTube, is quite funny as Zach. He has this combination of timidness mixed with Bueller’s confidence when the script calls for it. His partner-in-crime, Joe, is hilariously played by Khaby Touray, who seems to have the qualities of a Tommy Turner and Pee Wee Morris from the Porky’s franchise as he tends to come off as the nerdy guy but yet has the confidence especially when it comes to trying to score with one of the two “sexy nuns”. 

The wild card here is Jaakko, played by Matti Paalanen. He has this Clark Duke-energy that starts off as timid and is the butt of jokes and seems to have this Wyatt Mitchell from Weird Science personality with his brother Biff (an obvious reference to some time-travel film from the 80s) reminiscent of Chet. As for Veronica Jarvis’ singer Natalia, she is the badass female hero who helps Zach get his confidence and it’s clear we know where this will be going eventually.

While we’re on the subject of Gremlins, Joe Dante himself makes a cameo appearance as Zach’s uncle, who calls him while he is in a portapotty at the festival. It’s a fun cameo that proves Dante loves the idea of the film and goes all in. We also have William Daniels as the voice of K.I….oh wait, we can’t say the name here, and is given the description of the car he voiced iconically in…shall I say the series name? 

Following the likes of Jean-Claude Van Damme, Nicolas Cage, and even Jackie Chan, Christopher Lambert plays a comedic version of himself and as Zach is a fan of Highlander, you’re gonna see quite a bit of that film being spoofed and referenced. This gets to where we have a “wannabe Kurgan”, who is responsible for the titular creatures wreaking havoc. The creatures themselves are nicely designed by Bruce Atkinson, whose work includes The Lion King and The Land Before Time. The Creeps come off as little versions of a meshing of 1996’s Jack Frost and the Heartless from the Kingdom Hearts video game series and they even go as referencing films including John Carpenter’s The Fog?! 

The Creeps is definitely an 80’s film fan’s dream popcorn film. The creatures are great in this. The heroes are fun and inspired by characters of that decade. Seeing Joe Dante in a cameo and Christopher Lambert plus William Daniels’ voicing some iconic car that can’t be named here. If you are able to see this film and you’re an 80s film fan, this is your must-see of 2026!

The film will be coming soon. Special Thanks to Miika J. Norvanto for allowing me to check out the film!