Sint is a 2010

2010 in film

The year 2010 saw many new films released worldwide. 2010 saw a dramatic increase and prominence in the use of 3D-technology in filmmaking and film releases after the success of Avatar in the format, with releases such as Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans, Jackass 3D, all animated films and...

 Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 dark comedy horror film

Horror film

Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...

 about Sinterklaas

Sinterklaas

Sinterklaas is a traditional Winter holiday figure still celebrated today in the Low Countries, including the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as French Flanders and Artois...

, a character comparable to Santa Claus

Santa Claus

Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...

 in English-speaking countries. The film was directed by Dick Maas

Dick Maas

Dick Maas is Dutch film director, screenwriter, film producer and movie music composer.He achieved national fame after the success of the movies De Lift, Amsterdamned and Flodder.-Shorts:* Adelbert* De overval...

; in a return to the horror genre of his earlier movies De Lift

De Lift

De Lift is a 1983 film by the Dutch director Dick Maas about a killer elevator. In 2001, an English language remake, Down, was made and was also directed by Dick Maas....

(1983) and Amsterdamned

Amsterdamned

Amsterdamned is a 1988 Dutch horror movie about a serial killer who hides in the canal system of Amsterdam. The film was directed and written by Dick Maas, and stars Huub Stapel, Monique van de Ven, and Serge-Henri Valcke....

(1988). The story distorts the popular traditions of Sinterklaas and portrays him as a ghost who murders large numbers of people when his annual celebration night coincides with a full moon.

Plot

On 5 December 1492, a gang led by former bishop Niklas is killed by villagers who refuse to put up with the gang's looting and killing any longer. In years in which the gang's death date coincides with a full moon, they return as murderous ghosts.

The public is unaware of this and annually celebrates the Sinterklaas

Sinterklaas

Sinterklaas is a traditional Winter holiday figure still celebrated today in the Low Countries, including the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as French Flanders and Artois...

 tradition on 5 December, with adults not believing that Sinterklaas does exist, but making little children believe that he is benevolent. The Zwarte Pieten

Zwarte Piet

In the folklore and legends of the Netherlands and Belgium, Zwarte Piet is a companion of Saint Nicholas whose yearly feast in the Netherlands is usually celebrated on the evening of 5 December In the folklore and legends of the Netherlands and Belgium, Zwarte Piet (meaning Black Pete) is a...

 are not black by race but as a result of the fire in which they were killed. Niklas' crosier

Crosier

A crosier is the stylized staff of office carried by high-ranking Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and some Lutheran and Pentecostal prelates...

has sharp edges and is a weapon. On 5 December Sinterklaas and the Zwarte Pieten do not stand out, as many people are dressed like them for the celebration.

The last time the ghostly gang returned was in 1968. Hundreds of people were killed, including the whole family of a little boy, Goert, who is now a police officer. The authorities downplay the incidents, and they, as well as the Roman Catholic Church, keep the possible involvement of Niklas a secret.

Since there is a full moon on 5 December 2010, Goert is very concerned, and recommends forbidding all Sinterklaas activities and increasing surveillance, but he is not taken seriously and sent on leave.

As Goert predicted, the gang returns, and kills hundreds of people, including Goert. While the gang is immune to bullets, they are finally chased away by fire. In addition to Goert, the student Frank also plays a heroic role in the film.

Cast

• St. Niklas (Huub Stapel) is an evil bishop who was killed 475 years ago and murders every year at 5 december.
• Frank (Egbert Jan Weeber) is a young teenage boy who is accused of being the 5 december killer.
• Natasha (Madelief Blanken) is Frank's best friend.
• Lisa (Caro Lenssen) is Frank's new girlfriend who believes the myth of the evil bishop*
• Sophie (Escha Tanihatu) is Lisa's best friend.
• Goert (Bert Luppes) - Young Goert (Niels van den Berg) is a suspended police officier who survived Sint's slasherparty 40 years ago and doesn't believe in the Sint-holiday anymore.
• Lisa's mother (Cynthia Abma)
• Police officer (Kees Boot)
• Hanco (Joey van der Velden) is Frank's best friend
• Sander (Jim Deddes) is Frank's other friend.

Controversy

While children are not permitted to see the film, parental concern arose over the film's poster, seen in the streets and in the lobbies of movie theaters. It shows Sinterklaas with a mutilated face and a malevolent look. Some people were concerned that this could be confusing and frightening for little children that still believe in Sinterklaas. A legal complaint was filed in October 2010, requesting the removal of all posters. In the subsequent court case, director Dick Maas argued that if parents could make their children believe that Sinterklaas existed they could also inform their children that the man on the poster was not the real Sinterklaas. The court ruled in favor of Maas, noting that the mutilated face was not visible enough on the poster, and rejected the complaint.