Beware the Nalujuit! A rare glimpse into a chilling Labrador Inuit tradition

In her short documentary Nalujuk Night, the Inuk filmmaker Jennie Williams takes viewers inside a tradition celebrated by the Labrador Inuit communities of Canada each year on 6 January, or Old Christmas Day. Sharing some similarities with modern Halloween and Christmas celebrations, Nalujuk Night involves older locals dressing in seriously scary skeletal costumes as Nalujuit – otherworldly beings said to emerge from the sea ice each year to reward good behaviour with prizes and treats, and punish bad behaviour with chasing and (playful) hits with the business end of a staff. Shot in eerie black and white, Williams’s documentary offers outsiders a rare look at the thrills and chills of this unique ritual as it plays out in the community of Nain.