Krampus
Rated: PG-13
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It is a tradition as old as film itself: at certain times of year specific types of films are released. Valentine’s Day brings us romantic comedies and heartfelt dramas; Independence Day comes packed to the gills with movies that celebrate America in some way, shape or form; Halloween brings horrors galore, and December presents a variety of films that revolve around the holidays and family. It is a formula that has worked for both the studios and film-goers alike, seemingly forever.
As I’ve discussed at length recently in my reviews for Girl in the Basement, The Final Girls and Customer 152 (now known as Tall Men), horror films have begun to diverge from that formula and make appearances year round. It is a film genre as diverse as the people who make them, and one that continues to grow in popularity year after year.
Which is why it should come as no surprise, (and yet it did), to find that there have been many horror films released that revolve around Christmas. Titles such as Silent Night, Deadly Night; Silent Night, Zombie Night; Jack Frost (not the one with Martin Short), The Gremlins; The Nightmare Before Christmas; Santa Claws; and more, aim to prove that there’s far scarier things around the holidays than spending time with family. And while Holiday Horror flicks aren’t as plentiful as other sub-genres, every once in a while a new offering turns up to keep the fright alive.
The total package: Krampus as he is in the film
The premise of the film was borrowed in large part from the ancient legend of Krampus, which has its origins somewhere in the Austrian, German, Alpine, Czech, Slovanian, Croatian regions, and is thought to predate Christianity. According to Ancient-Origins.net:
“It is believed that the long-horned, shaggy, goat-like monster with a long, angry face and lolling, forked tongue would visit the home of misbehaving children to punish them. It was believed he would give beatings, and kidnap the kids, bringing them down to his underworld lair to live for a year.
According to the centuries-old legends, if a child misbehaved, Saint Nicholas, in his omniscience, would know and send his associate, Krampus. It was said this dark partner with a serpentine tail would turn up to the house during the Christmas season to punish the wicked child; He would beat him with a bundle of birch sticks, whip them with horsehair, and throw him into a sack or wicker basket to take him down to Hell for a year,” it says.
Krampus as pictured on a vintage German Holiday card
I’ll go over the bad things first, because the list is fairly short and because I’d rather end on a positive note. First, the actual Krampus creature portrayed in the film was very loosely based on the description mentioned previously. He did have cloven hooves, and chains, and a long forked tongue, and horns, and a long face, but that’s where the similarities to the legend end. The creature in the film looked more like a deranged Santa. He had no eyes and his mouth was constantly agape, giving the impression that he had no actual jaw. It was scary, sure; but it certainly wasn’t what I think of when picturing Krampus.
A close up of shear terror
Last in my list of things I didn’t like about the film would be the order in which Krampus persecutes his victims, as this too deviates from the heart of the myth. Rather than going after the bad kids first, it seems only to matter who is the easiest to pick off. I realize this is a horror film first and foremost, which means that everyone is fair game, but the film is named after the mythical figure; the least they could do is have him pick off the bad kids first!
Don’t let my nitpickings deter you from seeing Krampus though, because it’s not all bad. Mixed in with the Christmas and horror themes are heavy doses of humor, which make the whole thing far more palatable. The demonic gingerbread men are amongst my favorite aspects of the film, and even at their worst made me laugh. Max’s live-in grandmother Omi is supposed to be an Austrian immigrant and speaks German almost exclusively throughout the film, adding a realistic touch (Omi is played by Krista Stadler, who is indeed an Austrian immigrant). And although I’m not going to spoil it for you, the ending of the film is pure horror gold in all its glory!
Demonic Gingerbread Men out for revenge in Krampus
Krampus is rated PG-13, was directed by Michael Dougherty and stars Adam Scott, Toni Collette, Emjay Anthony, and Krista Stadler. It’s available now on Blu Ray, DVD and streaming.