"Krampus" Review

Looking for a break from sappy Hallmark movies and the classics you’ve watched a thousand times before? Looking for a film that blends horror and Christmas films together? Look no further than Michael Doughtery’s “Krampus”.

For those unfamiliar with the concept of Krampus, it is a piece of German folklore dating back to the sixth or seventh century. In short, it is the antithesis of Santa Claus. The film pays homage to Krampus’ German origins as well as his goat-like appearance throughout the film.

Overall, “Krampus” is the definition of campy horror. There is a great blend of creepy horror imagery, over-the-top fantastical elements and dark comedy present here. The film feels similar to another Christmas horror film, “Gremlins.” In fact, a particular scene with killer gingerbread men (yes, you read that right), takes strong inspiration from the iconic kitchen scene in the 1984 classic.

Scenes such as the aforementioned gingerbread men scene are excellent examples of dumb horror fun. “Krampus” isn’t here to terrify you in the way a film like “The Exorcist” or “The Thing” is. It’s clear that Doughtery knew exactly what kind of film he was making. It’s admittedly quite dumb, but it’s a perfectly quick, simple horror film that plays with a lot of established horror tropes and clichés while using Christmas time as a fun centerpiece.

I absolutely love the isolated setting. Nearly the entire film takes place in a single house. This leads to some great tension throughout, as well as an interesting spin on the home-invasion horror subgenre.

Toni Collette (Sara Engel) is an absolute delight as the matriarch of the family. Being undoubtedly one of the best actresses working today, Collette is fantastic here. She shines in the horror genre especially, whether it is here in “Krampus,” “Hereditary” or the underrated, horror-adjacent “I’m Thinking of Ending Things.” She’s endlessly funny here with her line deliveries, pretentious mannerisms and overall sass.

Adam Scott (Tom Engel) and David Koechner (Howard Engel) are also really good with the material given to them. Though they fall into caricature territory, Tom being the liberal brother and Howard being the conservative one, they are very funny here. Koechner, like usual, is great with his mannerisms and deliveries. I also enjoy the subtext present in the eventually rebuilt relationship they develop throughout the film. I think it’s a simple message that everyone needs right now.

The practical effects and creation of Krampus himself, his evil toys and creatures, are all fantastic. There’s some extremely impressive animatronic work being done on some of the creatures. The attic scene that kicks off the third act of the film, in particular, is simply an animatronic and practical effect showcase.

This is far from a perfect film, however. Most of the characters are essentially caricatures as I alluded to earlier. You have the conservative side of the family led by Howard and the liberal side of the family led by Tom. They very much play into every stereotype present within both groups, and it does feel a bit stale after a while. I do like how neutral the film stays while pointing out flaws on either side of the political aisle. These characters begin making some extremely dumb decisions in the latter half of the film as well. Given that the film clearly is not taking itself too seriously, I can forgive these decisions, for the most part.

The audience for this film, however, is a fairly niche one. I can see non-horror fans disliking this simply because it’s not a cheerful Christmas film. I can also see horror fans not enjoying this because of its overtly cheesy nature. You definitely have to know your particular taste in movies with this one. For fans of horror comedies and cheesy/campy horror films such as myself, “Krampus” is an absolute blast. It feels like a throwback to 1980s slashers while still feeling modern.

“Krampus” is a must-watch during the Christmas season, especially for most horror fans. Despite its minor character flaws and annoyances, the film walks the fine line between camp and horror. It’s a super breezy, well-paced 98-minute film that knows exactly what a Christmas horror film should be. Give “Krampus” a chance this holiday season, especially if you’re looking for a break from the go-to Christmas classics.

7.5/10