Krampus (2015) - Film Review

Starring: Emjay Anthony, Adam Scott & Toni Collette

Screenplay: Todd Casey, Michael Dougherty & Zach Shields

Directed By: Michael Dougherty

Certificate: 15

 

How do you make a horror film work when it's set at Christmas? Christmas is seen as a colourful, cheerful and festive time by nearly everyone, and this means most films set at Christmas are comedies or feel-good films. Comedy-horror is difficult to get right anyway, and while some films have proved it can be done, one genre usually ends up overshadowing the other. But Krampus, coming from director Michael Dougherty, and featuring the titular character from German folklore, could be about to buck these trends.

 

It's December 22nd, and the Engel family are preparing to celebrate Christmas. Tom, Sarah, Beth and Max are visited by their relatives, who have come to stay for the holidays. However, a fiery relationship between the two families sees young Max tear up his letter to Santa and lose his Christmas spirit. This summons Krampus and his henchmen, to punish everyone in the house. As Krampus and his henchmen launch an attack on the house, the families have to pull together in order to survive.

 

Krampus, in a brilliant opening scene, makes it clear just how hilariously cynical it is towards the holiday season. Seeing people in slow-motion fight over supermarket products, fighting to get to a checkout, and abandoning crying children on the floor – all while It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas plays in the background, it's incredibly funny whilst also being worryingly similar to real life. Krampus exists to parody the commercialization of Christmas, but also tries to restore some of the season's magic and wonder. The film might look like just a fun time for horror fans at Christmas, but there's a surprisingly heartfelt message about how easily the festivities can be ruined without that magic and wonder.

 

As I've said, comedy-horror is a difficult genre to work with. Films such as Shaun Of The Dead have proved beyond doubt that they can be done, but as the Scary Movie franchise has shown us, this isn't always the case. But Krampus is able to balance both genres effortlessly. Krampus' henchmen show some great variety with there being a demonic Jack-in-the-box monster, a rabid Christmas fairy and teddy bear, and my personal favourites – killer Gingerbread men! These are all hilarious creations, but at the same time, they're really creepy. They might be funny, but Krampus' henchmen are capable of killing nearly all of our main characters – and as you find out, that's exactly what they do. Krampus himself is an intimidating creation, with real screen presence. It isn't until we're quite a way into the film that we get a proper look at him, but even when we see glimpses, things like the heavy breathing and rattling chains, make him feel like a genuine threat.

 

What really makes Krampus stand out for me, is its staggering production values. The film was made on a relatively small budget of $15m, and it's hard to believe that everything on screen was made for such an amount. The location work is limited, but this works in favour of the film's “home under siege” style. However, the locations we do get look wonderful, particularly the scenes that take place in the snowy outdoors, which feel nightmare-ish and really hit home a feeling of isolation. The lighting work is wonderful throughout, giving off a warm intimate glow at the start of the film, but quickly descending into something gloomier and more atmospheric. The special effects in Krampus don't rely all that much on CGI, and with the exception of the Gingerbread men, most of the effects are practical. It's a brave move, but it's one that definitely pays off, as every single effect looks amazing. If all this isn't enough, there's even an unexpected but beautiful sequence that's entirely animated, and explores Krampus' and Omi's backstories.

 

Every actor in Krampus is perfectly suited to their individual role. While characters such as Aunt Dorothy or Howie Jr. are quite minor, and don't get all that much screen-time, every character here serves their purpose, even if it's just to provide some laughs. However, special mention has to go to both Toni Collette as Sarah, and Emjay Anthony as Max. Just like she was in Little Miss Sunshine, Toni Collette is perhaps the best actor you could get to play a mother who has to smile and endure the company of relatives that she just cannot stand. But despite being such a young age, it's Emjay Anthony who really stands out as Max. Emjay Anthony manages to make Max an incredibly sympathetic and enduring character. You can't help but feel so sorry for him, as he fights a losing battle to keep both his and everyone else's Christmas spirit alive. While the relatives that come to visit the Engel family aren't the most distinctive or most interesting characters, I still really liked how they were handled. Aside from providing some of the biggest laughs of the film, it looked as though Krampus was going to go down the route of saying “these people are terrible so its okay to kill them”. But once Krampus and his henchmen arrive, we see the whole family pull together, and following this, we learn more about them and they become something more than just comedy value.

 

(MAJOR SPOILER WARNING!) If there's anything that really spoils Krampus, and I wish I didn't have to say this, it's the ending. Before the 1hr 20m mark, there's little to nothing wrong with Krampus, but after this point, it really runs out of steam. Usually, I try not to spoil the ending of anything I review, but here, there's not really any way that I can talk about it without spoiling it, so this is a final warning... Following a devastating sequence that sees everyone but Max killed by Krampus' henchmen, Krampus leaves Max with the same bauble he gave to Omi years ago. But as Krampus goes to leave, Max protests and demands his family back. Krampus' response is... to kill him too. Just as Max is about to die, he wakes up... and goes downstairs to find his family opening presents and enjoying Christmas. Now, I really struggle to try and understand what this ending is aiming towards. I just feel that it's either trying too hard, or it doesn't know what it wants to be. Seeing Krampus throw Max into a pool of lava … just feels like the film is suddenly trying too much to have a dramatic ending. When Max does wake up and opens his own present … only to see it is the same Krampus bauble... it's at this point I don't know what's happening. Did everything with Krampus really happen? Personally, I would argue that a more effective ending, would be for the final few minutes to be edited out, and just to leave Max on his own with the bauble as Krampus leaves. Yes, this would make for quite a dark ending, but for me, it would feel more in line with the rest of the film, unlike the confusing and disjointed ending that we eventually got.

 

Who knows? Maybe I'm just not looking deep enough into the ending. But even though I'd argue the ending of Krampus is a big disappointment, everything else here is pretty much flawless. With a wonderful cast and characters, a cynical but incredibly funny view of the holiday season and some stellar production values, not to mention amazing practical effects, Krampus is the film to watch at Christmas. You might argue that films such as Elf, A Christmas Carol or It's A Wonderful Life are better for the family to sit down and watch as the year comes to a close, but you might want to give something else a go this year, and if you do, I wholeheartedly recommend Krampus.

 

 

Krampus



8/10