Review of Krampus (2015) by Brian C — 15 May 2016

Krampus was one of those rare movies that I went into the theater to see without knowing anything about it. I don't think I'd even seen the trailer yet. My girlfriend suggested it and I decided to go without any research.

I must say, I was very pleasantly surprised. Like the best Joe Dante films of the 1980's, Krampus is very much like a less famous or successful Gremlins. It has the same tone, takes place on Christmas, and is more gruesome and violent than you expect it will be.

The atmosphere is good, the characters given just enough development that we care, if only a little, what happens to them. But this movie is all about the fun, creepy monsters that come out to play, or rather punish, when a family forgets or ignores the spirit of Christmas.

Even with a 64% critic score, I felt critics were too harsh on this fun movie. How many movies like this, with a blend of comedy and horror, can you name in the past several years? It may be me, but I really enjoy and miss movies like Gremlins.

Holiday movies are easy to find endearing, and while this movie could have been a little more fun and a little more frightening, this is a nice little throwback to 80's campy horror. Horror movies are simply difficult to do perfectly right.

There are so many ways to make a poor horror movie - too gory, not enough gore, wooden characters, too formulaic, etc. It feels like big studios are leery of backing horror movies, perhaps because the ceiling is usually limited with respect to box office receipts.

On the other hand, they aren't usually very expensive to make, and you don't need A list actors for a successful spook show. (Just look at Blair Witch, Insidious, House of Wax, etc.). A decent script, good pacing, having fun and building suspense rather than pouring on the gore are usually good starts to a hit horror movie.

This is a good horror comedy film. Gremlins is better, but it's also a classic which spawned sequels and spinoff cartoons and Gizmo dolls and even its own cereal. This movie won't be remembered in that same class, but this nice addition to the holiday horror genre is a worthy entry, and one which I plan to add to my holiday rotation come next December.