The Horror Show
Krampus
by Michael Dougherty
Regardless of your personal celebrations, or lack thereof, Christmas is a big time for a lot of people. For many it means decorations, an abundance of food, family, and of course, Santa. Everyone knows that jolly guy with the beard who leaves stuff for those who have been good. But what if someone's opinion of Christmas has been soured? What if not everyone has been good? Should there be a more sinister counterpart to St. Nick? The Germans sure as hell think so as Krampus is a relatively major folk legend in their culture. Krampus doesn't mess around, and those who have been bad or ungrateful need beware.
Luckily for the movie world, Michael Dougherty decided to take a crack at the concept for his next feature film. Dougherty was already a successful screenwriter working on the X-Men films when he won over horror fans with his instant classic anthology Trick 'r Treat. I've been pumped for its sequel for quite a while, but in the meantime Dougherty released Krampus into the world. And in the end, I'm so glad he did.
Krampus follows the classic Christmas concept of family coming together, whether they like it or not. The opening slow motion chaos sequence set to gentle Christmas music brought me right into the movie and laid the humorous tone down instantly. We then get to know the major players. Max Engel (Emjay Anthony) is a kid with more faith in Santa than most. This faith in general is shaken, however, when the cousins and in-laws start showing up. While the respective clans seem to get along well enough with each other, it's a different story when they clash. Everyone is especially on edge with the unexpected joining of a crass critical aunt (Conchata Ferrell).
Max's best friend and ally is his German Grandmother named Omi (Krista Stadler). She still believes in all the legends and takes Max's side even when his own parents (Adam Scott and Toni Collette) won't. After reaching his limits with his cousins, Max gives up on Christmas as a whole. However, his actions summon the interest of a dark holiday being and Max may just find himself regretting his sudden turn on Christmas.
Any fan will note Krampus' nostalgic quality; it's a film the like of which has not seen the screen in a while. While the plot and story momentum is unique, the fun “dark family film” style of Gremlins instantly comes to mind. Joe Dante's work in general is touched upon as is the classic Arachnophobia. Back in the 80's and 90's films were allowed to be considered family fair and be dark. It’s scary at times, but it's also so much fun. Krampus continues this proud tradition by combining fiendish elements with pure fun all while tapping into real emotion.
Krampus isn't afraid to be sad at times. Max is a very tragic character in a lot of ways and the film doesn't shy away from how cruel children can be. When things start to get rolling it's handled like a straight up horror film. Little glimpses of Krampus in the snow lead to horror and the family is genuinely terrified. But once the situation evolves into an all-out battle it's all such a blast. The humor is sprinkled into all the right places. Doughterty has an expert handle on keeping the different emotional beats headed in the right direction.
The special effects are great, which is important because things get very crazy. Krampus doesn't work alone and his “helpers” do a lot more than make toys. This includes horrific elves and an evil ginger bread cookie. Like with Gremlins and Arachnophobia, Krampus culminates in a family battle in which things get heavy and lives are seriously at risk. These films I compare the project to are some of my favorites and Michael Dougherty does a skillful job breathing new life into the style. It's his movie and his story but it feels like a refreshing new journey in a type of film that I've always loved.
The look of the Krampus character itself is perfect combining truly horrific elements with little touches that we associate with Santa and Christmastime. Krampus is more reserved than his hectic helpers but is clearly having fun with his reign of terror on the family. No one is safe and we know this fairly early on. Danger and peril are a certainty and it's quite the ride to see it all unfold.
There are a lot more emotions at play than you may think and all the acting is right on the mark. Adam Scott and David Koechner have especially humorous exchanges and Emjay Anthony impresses with his performance as Max. The main kid goes through a lot in this film and Anthony proves himself to be a talented young actor.
All in all, I have no real complaints about Krampus. I can see why some might be polarized about the ending, but I like the ambiguity of it, choosing for myself if I want to take it in a sinister or positive way. It's not so much a history lesson about the actual Krampus legend, but that's not really what it's supposed to be. It gets across enough of the actual folklore while being its own story.
Krampus is a solid film that carries along the classic message of family sticking together and that family, overall, is so important. The movie reminded me of what has been missing in the movie world for far too long. And more than ever I am excited to see what Michael Doughtery has to show us next.
P.J. Griffin, HMS
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