Krampus (2015) is a horror movie that centers around a family that gets a visit from an evil creature. On top of this, they get a visit from their obnoxious and unlikable family members. This creates a chaos that results in all kinds of disagreements. Thrown in there are a bunch of cliches too. Some of these include rebellious daughter, parents not paying as much attention to kids, relatives being annoying, lots of family undermining, etc). Krampus is coming to town.
The movie starts off as any Christmas movie does but it takes a wild turn once Krampus enters the scene. He is not too present but you always feel him lurking in the cold. In this story, he is a tall and imposing figure who has a misshapen face and and overall haunting look.
There is no definite version of Krampus. In mythology he is depicted as scrawny demon faced creature with horns. He has a Burch tree whip that he uses to punish the naughty. He gives not so nice children lumps of coal as presents and later kidnaps them to take to his lair.
Krampus is a shadow of Saint Nicholas. He represents the dark in the absence of light, the evil instead of good. He appears as a consequence of being bad. . Many cultures to this day celebrate his existence (Mainly in Germany and Austria. Other countries have similar version of it). They all have different representation of him. However, they share similar concepts on what he represents. He is not evil for the sake of being evil, but rather comical in a sense with a dark sense of humor.
Overall, 95% of it was filmed on sound stages, while the beginning mall scene is filmed in New Zealand. Since there was a lot of snow on the ground to represent this dark dreadful Christmas time, most of it was created by using shredded material that is typically used for diapers.
The special effects are all practical . The effects are done by WETA studio with CGI used to enhance movements of the creatures. The creatures in the movie are all practical with some being silly in appearance while others menacing. Total budget was about $15 million. The movements of the creatures were fluid. Even the jumps by Krampus looked menacing.
In terms of acting, most of it is serviceable. It is not bad, just not Oscar worthy. As for action, a big portion of it happens in a freezing cold. This works well to cover any mistakes since the dark look helps the action blend more smoothly. Dialogue is a hit and a miss. Some is juvenile humor and other is just cringey. Few funny moments but these are not common. Overall, it is an enjoyable flick with not so happy ending.
Speaking of not so traditional Christmas tales, here’s my review of Rare Export about a group of people who trap an evil Santa Claus.
P.S there is a cool little animation for Grandma’s backstory. It is neat and well done.
Krampus is coming to town!