Krampus

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
Krampus
 Released 12/4/15

I'm not big on tradition.  I tend to gravitate toward things that skewer it.  That's probably why I've continued to be a fan of South Park all these years.  It's likely why I get far more excited by Halloween than I do the more family oriented holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas.  "Happy Happy" has just never had a lot of appeal to me.  There's nothing wrong with happy mind you, I just tend to like my entertainment with a sharper edge.  Guess that's the subversive nature in me. 

So, all of that said, is there any surprise that I love the concept of a Christmas horror movie?  When I first began seeing trailers for the Christmas gorefest, Krampus, my thoughts were "Oh, yeah, this is right up my alley!"  But, of course, like everything else, you have to take the good with the bad.  For every Gremlins, there's a Jack Frost.  And many a horror movie has looked great in a five minute trailer only to completely disappoint. I'm looking at you, Paranormal Activity.

So, what exactly is the Krampus?  In folklore, he's the polar opposite of Santa, a demonic entity who punishes children who have misbehaved during the Christmas season.  In this film, it's a child who has lost his faith in the holiday that summons this master of mayhem.

Max is a preteen who wants to still believe in the magic of  Christmas.  He still even writes letters to Santa.  But, it becomes increasingly hard to keep the Christmas spirit when you have the type of family Max has.  His immediate family isn't horrible, but, his parents (Adam Scott and Toni Collette) have begun drifting apart due to their busy schedules.  His sister is the typical cynical teenager. His grandmother is the only one who seems to get him these days.  She's the classic older-person-who-knows-more than-she-lets-on archetype.

While his immediate family isn't wretched (just very stressed), their holiday is about to change for the worst when the his aunt's (Allison Tolman) brood arrives December 22 planning to spend the holiday with them.  His aunt is well-meaning, if a bit frazzled.  Unfortunately, she's brought the rest of the family including her obnoxious "man's man" of a husband (David Koechner), his female cousins who would put fear into NFL linebackers, his male cousin who pretty much stares at everything and everyone as if he's catatonic, his newborn cousin, his aunt's and mom's caustic Aunt Dorothy (Conchata Ferrell), and their family bulldog. 

Everything comes to a head at dinner time when Max's cousins find his letter to Santa and read it aloud mocking him.  For Max, it's the final straw.  Destroying the letter and casting it to the wind outside, he unwittingly sets into motion events no one in the house will forget.  The Krampus has heard his anguish.  And, he's coming.

What struck me about Krampus is that it's a lot of fun.  The characters in the beginning are gloriously over the top.  You got a true sense of why Max's family is dreading the holiday.  It really is a comedy to start.  Max's mother making an elaborate, but, ultimately unappreciated meal for people who would prefer macaroni and hot dogs is priceless. David Koechner pulls everything from his "macho" bag as a father who so wishes his two girls were boys deep down. 

When the Krampus arrives, the movie does take a decided turn to the dark side.  But it still maintains a sense of humor and whimsy as the demon's will is carried out by a wide array of familiar Christmas minions including dark elves, murderous gingerbread men, possessed toys, and burrowing snow monsters.  Even Krampus himself appears as a grossly deformed Santa (almost as if he came directly out of The Ring with the distorted facial features). 

The film was written and directed by Michael Dougherty.  Horror fans may remember one of his previous outings, the cult favorite, Trick 'r Treat, from 2007.  This man does have a vivid imagination and an eye for whimsical massacre.  Through the chaos, he does try to deliver a message of tolerance and not letting others beat down your spirit.  The question is has Max, and the rest of his family for that matter, learned it too late?  You decide because just when you think Krampus has descended into sappiness, you're given a rather ambiguous WTH?  ending. 

Krampus is a wild ride through a Hellish funland of sorts with some nice, creepy special effects sequences.  I did call it a gorefest originally, but, that's not quite right.  Oh, it's macabre to be sure, but with its PG-13 rating, there aren't gushing gallons of blood spilled to alienate those who might be turned off by that sort of thing.  There's enough comedy to offset the film's dark nature for the non-horror set.  Give it shot.  You won't be sorry. 

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

***1/2 stars

Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Worth a look.  Better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. I'm doing my happy dance!
5 *= Pure eye candy. I have seen the top of the mountain, and it is good