Krampus

A future Christmas classic, but one that is so audience-friendly that it will play at 7pm after Home Alone. Krampus is lively and has a likeable and entertaining cast, especially the boorish David Koechner who steals up all the jokes for himself and gets away with it. The atmosphere is properly Christmassy, and quite dense by the end, and the varied selection of villains is surprising, the great imagination of the people behind this movie cannot be denied, even if they are largely Christmas candy and toys, and Krampus himself, who is more like a wrinkly grandfather, is a nevertheless a successful and original creation. The film is more of a comedy and fairytale than horror, the characters do die quite often, but due to the rating we don't get to see gore and the scares are actually absent as well, they scares don't really work out too well, but it's a nice oldschool fun film to watch with honest practical effects. Home Alone crossed with Gremlins! Story 5/10, Atmosphere 7/10, Gore 0/10, Visuals 7/10, Action 5/10, Suspense 7/10, Humor 7/10. Entertainment 7/10. 75%. (2015-12-19)

I’d been looking forward to Krampus. The users here turned it into a legendary movie, which in the future will be an inseparable part of Christmas; they kept putting it into the same rank as Home Alone. By the way, the only thing this movie has in common with Home Alone is a couple of melodies in the score. Other than that, it’s worlds apart. You see Krampus alternates between a fairy-tale atmosphere and a regular horror movie in the vein of Nightmare on Elm Street. Nevertheless, I do admit that the film had a couple of really interesting moments. For instance, the opening scene in the mall, which is totally awesome or the cartoon part, which tells the story of the grandma, who had met Krampus when she was little. By the way, it looked almost as if it was made by Tim Burton himself. The rest is a classical slasher movie, where you’re actually not sure whether it’s a comedy (the constantly drunk grandma and her catchphrases, or the three gingerbread guys who are alive) or a horror movie (Krampus, who isn’t actually seen much in this one, and his elven minions). (2015-12-15)

Right after watching the trailer, Krampus raised great expectations in me, but we all know that trailers are very much for effect, so you have to go to the cinema to see the film's qualities for yourself. I have to say that I got a very good Christmas movie with a memorable atmosphere, which in the end didn't really live up to the expectations raised by the trailer, but that didn't hurt at all. Krampus is definitely not your typical horror movie with lots of scares, ghosts and blood. It's more of a black comedy of sorts, leaving you feeling that Christmas can be anything but a "holiday of peace and quiet", as all the characters in the film find out the hard way. I was intrigued by the make-up effects and the portrayal of the monsters, including the terrifying creature from hell, and I liked the imaginative insertion of an animated insert that illuminated Krampus' story. As a Germanist, I also cheered with joy at the German (or Austrian, who knows) doll, who, next to the spirited auntie, was my favourite of all the characters. All in all, a solidly made Christmas horror comedy that will stay in my mind for a long time thanks to its strengths and not least thanks to the totally unexpected ending, which left me with a rather unpleasant feeling – what losing faith and hope (here on a fantastical and cruel scale) can actually do. (2015-12-11)

I’ve never seen a film centered around Christmas that predominantly functions as a horror, but here we have the first one that fits into that category. It starts off quite comedic, and you might wonder what you've gotten yourself into, but it gradually intensifies until it becomes a full-fledged horror. The cast is quite good, and the overall German mythology revolving around Krampus left a deep impression on me; you definitely don’t want him to visit your home, as it doesn’t bode well for you. The story was predictable, but the atmosphere was sometimes almost palpable. I was slightly annoyed by the sense of the studio presence in some scenes, but mostly it was an authentic experience enhanced by practical effects, which I appreciate from time to time (of course, the scenes with animated gingerbread cookies are computer-generated, but at least they were entertaining). Krampus struck the fear in me that he was supposed to. The intense ending, where characters started dying off like on a conveyor belt, was surprising, as was the final twist, which each viewer can interpret differently. It will never be a blockbuster, but as a Christmas-themed horror film, it will always have a place with me. I give it 75%. (2017-12-14)

Christmas home invasion creature feature black comedy with an excellent snowy backdrop. Dougherty fuses German folklore and American genre traditions into a sufficiently entertaining mix in which children are devoured and the titular devil doesn't grow tiresome thanks to a late entry. Formal finesse, good actors and unobtrusive film references are sometimes enough to satisfy, especially at Christmas. 70 % (2022-12-16)