Having already given horror fans Trick 'r Treat for Halloween, director Michael Dougherty turns his attention to Christmas, delivering festive escapement and frights with Krampus, in which an evil creature - an 'anti-Santa' - pays a visit to a family who have lost their seasonal spirit.
I'm not one for saccharine, family-friendly Xmas movies with a cheery ending (my initials aren't BAH for nothing), and I relish the thought of some demented Christmas comedy/horror. Krampus takes a while to get into the swing of things, but once it does, it's non-stop fun, getting darker and darker as it goes on.
Things start out light-hearted enough, with an amusing opening credits sequence that mocks the commercialism of Christmas, and the film continues in this manner up to the moment when disillusioned Santa fan Max (Emjay Anthony) tears up his letter to the jolly old man, an act that is as good as an invitation to Krampus and his helpers.
From hereon-in, it's twisted entertainment, as the family (including their National Lampoon's Vacation-style relatives) are captured one-by-one by the horned, cloven-hoofed Krampus, a gang of wicked ginger-bread men, a massive jack-in-a-box, a terrible teddy, a creepy doll, and some nasty elves. Dougherty handles the action with skill, providing moderate scares and silliness in the vein of that other holiday comedy/horror classic, Gremlins.
After a lot of enjoyable Chrimbo chaos, with Max's family all captured by Krampus, it looks as though Dougherty has run out of ideas with an 'it was all a dream' conclusion, but a final shot ensures us that all is not as it seems.
While not quite in the same league as Gremlins (largely thanks to the slow start and a lack of Phoebe Cates), Krampus should provide those who struggle with seasonal cheer with a few ho-ho-hos and some memorable monster fun.
