I think horror and comedy are often one of the most potent mixes. You don’t skim on the gore, you still devote time to world-building your movie’s universe and the humour comes from situation, coincidence and banality without being forced. The right mix works wonders, and so you end up with a film that has its own brand of fantastic rules and abides by them. Within this context, the absurd and the comedic mix well despite the blood but the tone is a bit messy.

Kratt (2021) is written and directed by Rasmus Merivoo. Two city kids, Mia and Kevin (Nora and Harri Merivoo) are left with Grandma (Mari Lill) without their phones and with no internet. Their Grandma tries to entice them to life in the country, caring for the farm and the chickens but the kids want nothing of it. One night, after she tells them about this tale of making this creature that will do chores permanently for you, the “Kratt”, Mia decides to search for the book that explains how to make one, and chaos is let loose.

Although the kids are the driving force for the plot, the scene-stealer here is Mari Lill is her double role as the wise old Grandma and the terrible Kratt. There’s another story concerning the Governor (Ivo Uukkivi) and a sacred forest that will eventually intertwine with the Kratt, but the star of the show is really Grandma/Kratt unleashed. The visuals are on point, the characters have a good comedic timing and the kids know how to walk the line between been annoying and endearing. That being said, with the adults being the butt of most jokes this feels like a children’s movie but with the gore the tone gets mixed, blurring the focus on which one the target audience may be.

Recommended for fans of horror comedy with reservations. This one manages to be both humorous and terrifying while keeping a dark edge at bay but some audiences might prefer one tone or the other. Wisely the movie does opt to keep the gory parts separated from the children, but still this remains very far from a family-friendly film. Keep an eye out for Mari Lill as the Grandma as she steals the film. It’s worth a watch.

That will do for now.