The White Reindeer (Valkoinen Peura) is a 1952 Finnish Folk Horror film directed by Erik Blomberg and written by Blomberg and his wife Mirjami Kuosmanen, who also plays the main character.

Pirita is married to reindeer herder Aslak, but his commitment to work leads to her life falling into a rut. Hoping to bring some spice to her life, she consults a shaman who instructs her to perform a ritual at a mysterious site. The result is her transforming into a mystical white reindeer that brings panic and fear into the village.

Tropes

• Animorphism: Through the shaman’s magic, Pirita is able to transform into a white reindeer that she uses to lure unwitting herders and kill them.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: All Pirita wanted was to make a love potion that would liven up her time with Aslak. She ended up becoming a white reindeer that would lure unsuspecting herders and kill them, taking a toll on her life in the process.
• Cold Iron: The villagers make iron spears to find the white reindeer and kill it. Said reindeer/Pirita is killed at the end by one.
• Disturbing Deer: The white reindeer transformation used by Pirita results in some herders getting killed, the main character going down a darker path, and is seen as witchcraft by others.
• Elephant Graveyard: Pirita goes to the Great Seita, a reindeer graveyard littered with antlers, in order to do the ritual and make the potion work. She revisits the site near the end in an ill-fated attempt to try and undo the spell.
• Kill the Ones You Love: Aslak ends up delivering the killing blow to the white reindeer at the end. It’s only when he approaches the corpse does he realize that the reindeer and Pirita are the same and that he essentially killed his wife.
• Scenery Porn: The film is set at the Finnish Laplands and features plenty of shots that highlight the snowy landscape.