The Christmas movie is a genre that has a whole lot more nice than naughty to it. Sure, there are the Christmas horror classics like Silent Night, Deadly Night, but we think the more the merrier when it comes to putting the scare into our holiday season. That’s why we are delighted with the devilish joy that arrives this Christmas with Krampus.
Krampus stars Adam Scott and Toni Collette as Tom and Sarah, the parents of two children. Their eagerness for December 25 is not so high. See, this yearly holiday brings Sarah’s sister Linda (Allison Tolman) and her less-than-couth family (led by husband Howard, played pitch perfectly by David Koechner) to their home for a few days of what they have come to see as a living hell. This year, that may literally be the case.
As it becomes clear that no one in this house is looking forward to St. Nick coming down the chimney and that spirit are less than high, Sarah and Tom’s youngest son Max (Emjay Anthony) feels that maybe Santa isn’t real and that this entire holiday is more sham than sharing. So, he takes his letter to Santa Claus, rips it up, and throws it out into the snowy landscape. Shouldn’t have done that, little one! That brings Krampus to town and before too long, this holiday descends into horror.
The neighborhood grows dark. A “storm” is brewing, with winds howling and snow burying the landscape. It knocks out the power. The phones are down. The weather outside is indeed frightening. And soon, the scare factor will come onside.
But first, Tom and Sarah’s teenage daughter heads out into the snow to see if her boyfriend down the street is okay. After all, it’s just a Christmas blizzard, right? When darkness truly falls, and she’s not back yet, Howard and Tom go looking for her. That’s when the first meet Krampus’ minions. They’re a combination of renaissance fair masks on acid meets haunting puppets without the strings. And Krampus, who flies, jumps from roof to roof and has the hoofs of an enormous goat and the horns of a truly monstrous beast, looms in the distance. Scared for their lives, Howard and Tom head back to the homestead and will venture out in the morning.
Meanwhile, Tom’s mother Omi (Krista Stadler), knows what is happening. The fire in the fireplace must be kept warm and burning bright. She tells the family why. When she was a girl, the same thing happened to her in her village. The key is to return hope to the holiday, but with fear permeating this household, will it?
Krampus is directed with a pitch perfect hand by Michael Dougherty, who co-wrote the script. He has crafted a world that is utterly haunting, yet still feels like the magic of the holiday could burst through at any moment. But, let’s not kid ourselves. This is a horror movie through and through. Yet, it feels like one that could be for the whole family, as long as the kids are teenagers. There is no gore or blood, just the hinting of terror and often times, that is the best kind in a scary flick.
The performances from the cast are spot-on. Seeing Scott ditch his comedy roots for the horror hero (who even gets into some action) is pure delight. And Collette, well, when has the Australian actress ever disappointed? The key to the entire thing is the innocence of Anthony. Through him, we see what Christmas could be, instead of what we are witnessing. Will the bells ever jingle again? That’s between Anthony’s Max and Krampus… and thanks to the creature effects of Dougherty’s team and the performance of the young actor, we are more than intrigued.
The best horror movies work by getting inside your head. Krampus does just that and surprisingly sticks with you long after the credits roll. It’s more than a morality tale about who is naughty or nice. It delves deeper and shows that we as humans can be both and sometimes, simultaneously. Yet, Krampus never goes too deep and tries to be preachy and thus it abides by some of the best horror movie rules there is… scare us, don’t try to change us.
Grade: B