Review of Krampus (2015) by Amy-Lauren B — 09 Aug 2016

Tis' the season folks. And what can bring a dysfunctional family together during the festive season better than the unrelenting, hellish fury of Krampus and his band of 'merry' helpers? On Wednesday, I took a leap of faith, putting my reservations aside, and went to see Krampus.

With his Christmas spirit crushed, Max (Emjay Anthony) tears up his letter to Santa, unwittingly awakening an ancient demonic force. This year, he and his bickering, resentful family will be visited by "the shadow of Saint Nicholas"- Krampus - who will drag each of them to hell. Tested by exceedingly evil forces, Max's family must learn to work together and fight for each others survival.

Krampus goes over some familiar territory, think Gremlins (a personal favorite of mine) but with less success when it comes to the gags. This is a shame, given that its cast are more than capable players. It's a bit of a mashed-up hybrid. The first half plays out like the typical Christmas-comedy releases we get every year; estranged family members who can barely stand the sight of one another, but will surely learn to love each other over the course of exceedingly wacky circumstances. The rest is full of bizarre and eccentric body horror, taking all the traditions of Christmas time and making them creepy-as-hell.

The film could have been greatly improved by initiating its horror elements much quicker - primarily the frantic attic sequence which starts about half way into the run time. Starting this so late leaves the audience questioning how serious to take the situations presented. The tone of comedy to horror flip-flops, and isn't fully redeemed by the finale. And as for the finale, I could have done without the final 3 minutes. At the risk of spoilers, I won't say anymore than that, but if you've seen it, I think you'll know where I think the film should have finished.