I usually don’t do Christmas horror movies, but Krampus is not Christmas. Not exactly. I don’t remember exactly when Krampus became so popular in America, but it’s been within the past maybe 15 years.  (Ghoul’s note: I originally wrote this as five years because time has lost all meaning. When did I get so old?) The demon has become a much more prominent holiday figure, and it was only a matter of time before he got his own movie. Does this heartwarming tale of holiday lessons do him justice?

• Directed by: Michael Dougherty
• Written by: Todd Casey. Michael Dougherty Zach Shields
• Starring: Adam Scott. Toni Collette. David Koechner

The Reason

So many holiday horror movies feature the same scene: the Black Friday shopping melee. I do like how Krampus highlights not violence, but despair and dread.  It sets the tone perfectly. Krampus is about the intersection of reality and the magic of Christmas.  

When young Max’s current Christmas fails to live up to the magic of the past, he tries to wish for a return to the joys of Christmases past. A fight with his aggressive and unruly cousins has him instead wish for his fighting family to disappear instead. 

Thematically Perfect

Krampus is in essence a standard Christmas movie, only through a very dark lens.  The dynamics here work because the “bad” family is SO bad, but only until you find out a bit more about the pain that drives their dysfunction. Hey, the good family isn’t so good either.  Both families are picture-perfect examples of the struggle to maintain their ideals in an imperfect world. 

Solid Characters

It doesn’t take much set-up to establish the characters. These are archetypes we are familiar with, both in other movies and in real life.  Watching them in this specific circumstance is entertaining and rewarding, especially since the actors are perfectly cast. Adam Scott is the perfect over-worked, type A, upper class dad, with David Koetchner as his blue-collar, gun-packing, Hummer-driving, brother-in-law counterpart Howard.  Toni Collette and Linda Tolman play sisters who only reunite their families for the holiday. 

What I truly like about this movie is that the characters behave according to who they are. Howard loves his son the most, so he would abandon his family to rescue him. there is a logically consistency to the characterization even in the most extreme circumstances. That can be hard to pull off with a large cast. I think its balanced well here. Even if it is more apparent in the bigger personalities.

Back to Christmas

There are two kinds of movies about hope. There are those that reward characters for keeping hope, faith, and other good qualities alive. There are also movies that punish those who lose faith. Krampus is definitely in the second category.  For every Christmas Carol, there should be something more sinister. The story that shows us the consequences of our own behavior and that sometimes, there’s no last-minute redemption.  

See, the typical Christmas movie operates on the concept that there is always a chance to turn things around. That one magic day of good behavior can undo all the bad from the rest of the year. Krampus puts forward that this is bullshit. It doesn’t matter what you do, it’s what you believe, and who you are deep down that matters.  

And that’s what Krampus is, more than a horror movie or horror-comedy. It’s a dark Christmas movie.  For me, that works.

The Man Himself.

The creature design in Krampus is amazing.  I love every toy, elf, and monster here. The bird-baby doll is a favorite. But man, when Krampus emerges? That whole scene is worth the price of admission alone. He’s big, twisted, and honestly perfect.  I’ve seen a lot of versions of Krampus in the past fifteen years.  This is definitely a top three. 

It’s also a movie that wears its references on its sleeve.  There are definitely homages to Home Alone, Christmas Vacation, and I’m feeling some “Calvin and Hobbes” as well. 

The End

So, let’s talk about the ending a bit. I said earlier that this movie does not have the traditional happy Christmas movie ending, and I’m sticking to it. Even though in the end, Max does learn an important lesson about faith, hope, and family, the final outcome is still the same. Some things can’t be taken back, and some consequences are permanent. Krampus is a demon after all, and as nice as it is to say, “I’m sorry”, it doesn’t fix everything.  In fact, in this specific case, it doesn’t fix anything. 

I think that’s why I love this movie. Yeah, it’s a little mean for the holidays, but too much is made of easy forgiveness. Too easily we forget that we are to keep the spirit in our hearts year-round, not just for 25 days. 

Final Thoughts

Krampus is light on scares, heavy on amazing creature effects, and has an important holiday message.  What else could you need in a heartwarming holiday movie?

Krampus is available on streaming.