Review of Krampus (2015) by Quincytheodore — 14 Dec 2015

What I want for Christmas is jolly scare and merry satire.

Krampus opens up with nice ironic Christmas tradition of fighting random strangers to get discounted stuffs, it's a pleasant reminder of the annual Arnold's survival movie for Turbo Man. It already gets the holiday spirit right already, then it slowly adds some creepy version of fat man and toys. This is pretty far from legitimate haunting flick, but just like a decent enough present viewers would be content with its mix of comedy and horror.

The first act is a jab towards silly tradition with overly unlikeable relatives, just like the jerks on Home Alone. Admittedly, they encapsulate this struggle very well with satire on visual and music, juvenile banter and even perverted mall Santa Claus who stares at the teenage girl's butt. I almost forgot this was meant to be partial horror and was quite absorbed in the comedy.

They sure make the relatives characters unsympathetic with nasty manner, perhaps even a tad exaggerated. The main family, in contrast, is a better on-screen characters, especially the two cynical children. Max is the quintessential disappointed kid who audience would like to cheer due sheer innocence vibe and Beth, his sister who is caught in one of the most frightening scenes in the movie, and not the pervy Santa.

Its other horror aspect is unfortunately could be better. There are a couple of chilling instances while the rest are utilized more for comedy. At some points the cinematography plays with color tone and lighting so well, even capturing the ominous sighting in grand fashion. It has ample of gore for horror fans, and its twisted designs for the creatures are quite fascinatingly appalling.

However, it loses the magical steam about mid-way, it simply can’t keep the same level of wit or revulsion from early on. The movie might not be intended as full-fledged horror, but it feels like a missed opportunity since there are some highlights that could've been legitimate scary moments. On the side note, the caricature visual used to create the flashback scene is pretty amusing and it adds depth to the mythology.

Krampus may not bring the ultimate gift for horror, but it delivers presentable delight with strangely compatible satire and a welcomed unconventional holiday atmosphere.