An amusing and atmospheric Christmas creature feature turning on a dysfunctional, irascible extended family (played by, among others, Adam Scott, Toni Collette, and Allison Tolman) whose holiday season is upended when they are plunged into a subzero nightmare conjured by Krampus, an anti-Santa Claus who, per German legend, punishes mischievous children. The red-state-blue-state humor and true-spirit-of-Christmas sentimentality are rather pedestrian (not awful, just unspectacular), but the film moves at a rapid clip and includes several powerful images, such as the horned Krampus leaping from rooftop to rooftop or an attic full of his porcelain, predatory henchmen. A fine cast, practical-F/X showmanship, and (Gremlins and a few other titles notwithstanding) the relative novelty of a seasonal horror film elevate Krampus, even if the whole is slightly less than the sum of its parts.

B

David, did you see Michael Dougherty's Trick 'R' Treat and if so, what did you think of that?

I enjoyed it a lot ( B+ ), particularly the school-bus subplot.

It's a fun time. The best thing I can say about this movie is that it has an incredible sense of atmosphere. The cinematography is gorgeous and Michael Dougherty does a great job keeping things creative and suspenseful. I absolutely loved the stop-motion segment revealing Krampus's interaction with the grandmother - it was awesome and haunting, and easily the best part of the movie. It also benefits from the talented ensemble giving very committed performances despite the camp value of the material. Toni Collette, Alison Tolman, Adam Scott and David Koechner are all great and feel like real people. The movie takes a while to get going with its setup, but the payoffs near the end are certainly there - best being a crazy free-for-all sequence in the attic. It also ends up being rather sweet even though the ending itself is very ominous. I prefer Trick 'R Treat but this is still more than worth seeing. B+

Not quite as great as Trick 'R' Treat, but still lots of fun.

I had a good time with this, but I don't think it will ever become a holiday classic like Gremlins or Trick 'R' Treat. The cast is solid and the atmosphere, creature designs/effects are fantastic, but I was surprised by how weak the humor was especially in the first half. It should have been funnier and I also found it a bit disappointing that Krampus himself is only in like three scenes not including the animated segment which is a shame because I loved his look. I understand less is more, but after all that build-up I was hoping for a more satisfying reveal.

Enjoyable romp, but not funny enough to be a memorable comedy, nor scary enough to be a memorable horror flick.

B

I remember liking the build-up for this movie. The ending while decent was too childish.

6/10

After the opening scene I was worried this would turn into a God Bless America "everyone sucks but me" type of film. Very happy to have been wrong and it turned into quite an enjoyable Christmas movie. The very beginning and the finale are soft, but everything from the kid fighting santa denyers to Cookies v Koechner was terrific. A true genre bender, it seamlessly flips between Christmas drama, fantasy, horror and dark comedy. Think Gremlins or Small Soldiers if you're still on the fence.

Krampus

What a mess this film is. The only thing that is half-decent with Krampus is his silhouette, which isn't utilized effectively at all. This is a world where parents don't seem to give a shit when their child and babies are taken (sometimes in plain sight). Not scary, not funny, just kind of stupid.

D+