Krampus (2015) Review – A High-Budget and Ghoulish Festive Creature Feature

Welcome to Knockout Horror. For today’s review we are looking at the horror comedy Krampus.

Big budget Christmas horror

Focusing on the Bavarian folk legend who is said to punish naughty kids at Christmas, the story follows a large extended family meeting up to spend Christmas together and argue a lot. After members of the family cause one of the young members to lose his festive spirit, the horned beast comes to terrorise the ungrateful bastards. This film doesn’t lean too heavily into its horror themes. It is sort of a Gremlins for the modern age.

“Krampus is a big budget production with a team of renowned horror filmmakers behind it. It is sort of a Gremlins for the modern age, perfect to throw on at Christmas.”

Krampus is a big budget production and has a team of renowned horror filmmakers behind it. Michael Dougherty directs and he is supported by a fantastic cast of Hollywood stars. Aiming to collar the younger market, Krampus is the type of PG-13 horror that is perfect to throw on at Christmas. It’s not aiming to be too gory but does want to scare the viewers just a little bit.

Max is the youngest member of the family and adores Christmas. Still believing in Santa Claus, he writes him a letter. Wanting to partake in all of the usual festive fun that have become traditions in his house, the obnoxious family won’t stop arguing. His somewhat horrible cousins find his letter and they mercilessly tease him for believing in Santa. Distraught, Max rips the letter up. This prompts Krampus to come and sort the ungrateful family out.

A strong comedy focus

Naturally, given the scenario, the comedy plays a huge part here. The Engel house is absolutely packed. Patriarch of the family Tom wants to try and put on a decent Christmas celebration. Him and wife Sarah are incredibly stressed but he feels it is his duty. In scenes reminiscent of the excellent Christmas Vacation, the family crowd into the house together and, almost immediately, the issues begin. The personalities of the family members clash. There are kids running around, pet dogs, and even unexpected guests.

Squabbles between the different family members lead to many laughs. Aunt Dorothy is a particularly abrasive character with a sharp tongue. She will definitely have you chuckling in a few scenes. Her relationship with Tom and Sarah has been distant and she isn’t afraid to remind them. It feels like a familiar setup for a Christmas movie. For a horror, though, it is quite different.

It isn’t until a massive blizzard rolls in and the power goes out that the horror starts. The tension of Christmas with the family is replaced by a new threat: the one of being snowed in with no heating or electricity. Strange things begin to happen. One of the family members doesn’t return home when she is supposed to. This leads Tom and Sarah to risk the blinding snow to look for her.

“It’s actually fairly tense stuff. For much of the runtime we only see Krampus as a distant figure, moving swiftly around the rooftops. The scares come more from the suggestion of him being there.”

It’s actually fairly tense stuff. For much of the runtime we only see Krampus as a distant figure, moving swiftly around the rooftops. The scares come more from the suggestion of him being there. On top of that, you don’t know what he is planning to do. It can be quite surprisingly scary for a family film. Everything works pretty well and the pacing is fairly relentless.

A nice looking picture

Cinematography is what you would expect for a high-budget Christmas horror. Shots are really nicely done. Inside scenes feel suitably moody to reflect the chaos in the house. Outdoor shots are decent with scenes during the snowstorm being particularly effective. The camera perfectly gets across the character’s complete inability to see.

I enjoyed the glimpses of Krampus, as well. Sometimes less is more, especially early on in a horror movie. I wasn’t a big fan of the camera’s tendency to follow characters. It felt a bit jarring at times. I prefer a somewhat static shot or a smooth glide along with the subject. This felt handheld and pretty cheap to be honest. It’s a very mobile picture and can feel rather chaotic.

Lighting and set design is really good. There is heavy use of darkness to build tension. While being a bit sparse on the festive feeling, there are a few scenes that stand out. The Christmas lights aren’t present in abundance. But character’s faces lit by an open fire, in one scene, look fantastic. It offers a warmness to the picture that is somewhat lacking in earlier parts of the movie. Later parts of the movie are noteworthy for their interesting sets. There is an other-worldly feeling to it. It is impressive for how starkly different it is from what preceded it.

Fantastic practical effects and acting

Practical effects are excellent. It is great to see a Hollywood movie eschewing the tendency to go with CG. Practical always looks better and is very effective here. Krampus, in particular, looks incredibly imposing. The later scenes are an absolute treat.

“Practical effects are excellent. It is great to see a Hollywood movie eschewing the tendency to go with CG. Krampus, in particular, looks incredibly imposing.”

There are some fantastic creature designs and some genuinely great horror characters. The last 15 minutes are not what you would expect from a PG-13 horror movie. They are an absolute visual feast, though.

Acting is great throughout. This is a well-known cast. Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner and Conchata Ferrell are all tons of fun. Most of them play mean characters and seem to have a great time scowling. Seth Green drops in with a voiceover role and Luke Hawker does a fantastic job as Krampus himself. The kids here are all fine. Emjay Anthony puts on a sympathetic performance as youngest family member Max. His contribution to the last part of the movie is fantastic and feels very genuine.

A few negatives

As far as negatives go, Krampus doesn’t have any particularly glaring ones. It is pretty lacking in Christmas spirit given the theme. I am sure that is partly the point, though. There is a distinct lack of typical Christmas tropes. For much of its length it really just feels like a winter movie rather than a Christmas one. The comedy is going to be a bit hit-or-miss. It is based on family disputes.

Having said that, it is nowhere near the level of something like Christmas Vacation. It will give you a chuckle here and there but not much else. Characters are, for the most part, very unlikable. Again, this is deliberate. It can be tough to invest in a movie with such an unlikable cast, though.

It definitely bears mention. There’s a few scenes which feature murderous gingerbread men, among other Christmas staples, that may not land for all. Plenty of people really like these scenes, though.

The biggest negative here is the ending. After everything that happens during the movie, it can feel a little bit unsatisfying. It is one of those endings that is a proper culmination of the story but doesn’t feel like one. Aside from those minor quibbles, though, Krampus is a great movie.

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A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.

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