Retro Review | “Krampus”: Holiday Spirit Gone Wrong
Spoilers beware.
Krampus, directed by Michael Dougherty in 2015, was a film I had a lot of fun with. A Christmas horror comedy that blends traditional holiday tropes with Austro-Bavarian folklore, Krampus has no shortage of haunting holiday charm. Fun performances, a subversive script, and fantastic creature works thanks to Weta Workshop makes Michael Dougherty’s 2015 film a worthy Christmas watch for every holiday season.
It’s 3 days before Christmas, and Max Engel wants things to go back to the way they were. His parents’ marriage is falling apart, his relatives seem to bring nothing but family drama with them, and the spirit of Christmas seems to be fading. After a dinner altercation that saw Max mocked for believing in Santa — going as far as to write a letter to him asking for things be better — Max tears up his letter and throws it to the winter wind, abandoning the spirit of Christmas. This act of disillusionment calls upon a dark Christmas spirit, one that has personal ties to Max’s German-speaking grandma, Omi: an evil spirit named Krampus.
Krampus and his army of minions are easily the best part of the film, brought to life by impressive practical puppetry and VFX by Weta. Whether we’re talking about the snake-like Jack-in-the-Box that swallows people whole, gingerbread men with murderous…
