Krampus: Natale non è sempre Natale

It is Christmas and Engels, parents Tom and Sarah, children Max and Beth and grandmother 'Omi', have invited Sarah's siblings and their families to stay in their large home. From the moment they open the door it is clear that they are, to put it mildly, less refined... Max's dream of a lovely Christmas is doomed. Upset he tears up his letter to Santa and throws it out of the window... little knowing that he will summon Krampus; a demonic spirit who punishes those who haven't been as good as they might have been. A blizzard hits the town and the power goes out... soon people start being taken and attacked by demented versions of Christmas favourites.

I quite enjoyed this film. Although I don't think it is in the same league it should appeal to those who enjoyed the mean-spirited Christmas mayhem of 'Gremlins'. It opens really well with a familiar Christmas song playing over scenes of near riot in a pre-Christmas sale before introducing us the 'normal' Engels and their somewhat dysfunctional relatives. Once the scares start they build nicely; at first we only get glimpses of the potential danger but later we see them in all their demented glory... I loved the gingerbread men armed with a nail-gun! Grampus himself is suitable scary; like a horned anti-Father Christmas. There are some decent scary moments and quite a few laughs but nothing really disturbing. The cast does a fine job and the special effects are impressive. Overall I wouldn't say this is a must see but I can see it being a festive favourite among horror fans.

Sags a bit in the middle but Michael Dougherty's Christmas scare, 'Krampus,' still offers tons of fun for the audience. It's both lighthearted and funny but also surprisingly horrifying. The movie features strong acting all around with leads Adam Scott, Toni Collette, and David Koechner providing wonderful performances. 'Krampus' also features a wealth of fantastic effects, from the evil toys, to the elves, and especially Krampus himself. There is no lack of great creature effects.

"this movie is stupid!" They say. Yeah I know it is. That's the point. Do you think they didn't know that when they were making it? They knew it was stupid. That's what makes it really kind of great.

Come into this movie with no expectations, and you'll be really quite surprised. It's a lot of fun, it's very funny and it's got a nice Christmas warmth to it that you wouldn't expect. Yeah it's goofy, but that's the bloody point.

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.

Watched it with the family and we all enjoyed it. Not too explicit for the kids but scary and interesting enough for all.