Krampus is a 2015 horror comedy. Directed by
Michael Dougherty (Trick r’ Treat) and starring Adam Scott (Parks and
Recreation), Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense) and David Koechner
(Anchorman). The film was an unprecedented commercial success for a
Christmas horror film, reaching number 2 in the American box office.
Krampus centres around a dysfunctional family
(and their extended family) at Christmas time when a neighbourhood
powercut plunges them into darkness. After youngest son Max becomes
upset and tears up his letter to Santa, a horde of mischievous creatures
descend on the family led by the evil Krampus. Tom (Scott) and Howard
(Koechner) are forced to face the elements (and minions) in order to
bring back Tom’s teenage daughter while Sarah and her sister protect the
remaining children. Eventually the festive beasts invade the house and
the family are forced to put their squabbles aside to escape the dreaded
Krampus.
It’s not very often that I fall in love with a
film 10 seconds in, but that’s exactly what happened with Krampus. The
perfectly framed shot of aggressive shoppers spilling into a mall in
slow mo to the strains of “it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas”
sets a horror comedy tone that Joe Dante would be proud of. And speaking
of Dante, it’s clear that Gremlins has had a huge influence on the film
and the leanings towards mischievous monsters rather than terrifying
(although there are some of those too!) puts it right up there with
Gremlins and other Christmas horrors that have their tongue planted
firmly in their cheek.
The creature design itself is fantastic and it’s
no surprise when you learn that Weta digital are responsible for this
(Rise/Dawn of the Planet of the Apes). The minions range from almost
cute to downright disturbing and the decision to hold back on Krampus
himself made the reveal all the more special (more of a gnarled Santa
than a goat-like beast) and the horned silhouette gave me goosebumps
like not many monsters can. If I were to nitpick I would say that the
family angle is not all that original and bore a close resemblance to
the plot of Home Alone (1990), however, when you have monsters that are
this original it really doesn’t matter and the Max character was
sympathetic enough to invest.
Trick r’ Treat came out of nowhere as Dougherty’s
directorial debut and became an instant horror classic and, as only his
second film, Krampus is no different. Few directors can nail horror
comedy in a way that satisfies hardcore genre fans and appeals to a
mainstream audience (Dante, Landis, Edgar Wright) but Krampus makes it
look easy. A new horror icon is born and Krampus is a festive genre
powerhouse that will be enjoyed annually for many years to come!
***** 5 Stars
What did you think of Krampus? What's your favourite Xmas horror?
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