Horror Movie Review: Sint (2010)

Sint (Saint in Europe and Saint Nick in the US) is a 2010 Dutch comedy horror directed by Dick Maas. It tells a dark and twisted story surrounding Sinterklaas, the character on which the Anglo-Saxon Santa Claus is based.

Such a promising idea and the movie has moments but by the end, the disappointment is impossible to ignore.

It begins in 1492, on the 5th of December where we witness the former bishop Niklas and his gang ransacking a peasant village. They steal, murder and cause complete carnage resulting in the villagers finally having enough.

They attack and kill the gang before setting fire to the ship Niklas resides on. He and the rest of the gang burn to death but they don’t rest. Every full moon on the December 5th following, they return from the grave to extract their revenge.

We then jump to 1968 and it is December 5th and there is a full moon. An unlucky night for a young boy Goert and his family as the latter are slaughtered by Niklas and the Zwarte Pieten. The boy survives and grows up to enter the police force waiting for the next full moon to land on December 5th.

You’d think he was the star of the movie but he’s not. Instead that role goes to Egbert Jan Weeber as Frank. A young man who inadvertently gets caught up in the Sinterklaas assault on Amsterdam when his friends are killed by the killer bishop.

The bodies begin to mount up and the police are incapable of understanding what is going on, let alone dealing with the merciless ghosts. To save Christmas and stop the murder, Frank has to team up with Goert (Bert Luppes).

The issues with Sint are many but to say it isn’t entertaining would be false. The acting is solid and the occasional comedic moments work well. Even the characters, while bland, aren’t unwatchable. It’s just a shame a couple are pushed to the wayside very quickly meaning finale reunions and relationship growth falls very flat.

When the chaos does begin, it’s fun and exciting but again…it has its problems as it is short-lived. The film could have really done with more Sinterklaas destruction as what we do see is on point. The effects aren’t amazing but they hold up well enough and there is plenty of gleeful goriness to enjoy too.

Unfortunately, the biggest problem with the film is how it plays out in the end. A finale that is extremely boring and very disappointing. So much so that you might be waiting for something more to happen and it just doesn’t. The villains are vanquished (sort of), the hero is given money to care for his sick mother (who we saw in one scene) and he gets laid in his hospital bed.

Are we sure this isn’t a fever dream of a sickly Frank who is currently hooked up to an IV drip?

If you’re looking for a unique and memorable Christmas horror then Sint half delivers but if you want one that fully delivers, you’re better of watching Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale instead.