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Christmas horror movies have long been one of the best parts of the festive season, and over the past decade interest in the festive beastie known as the Krampus has been on the rise.

But who is the devilish creature? And which of the eleven feature films (of vastly varying quality) that have taken their name from the Krampus mythology are most similar to the actual ancient folklore that inspired them?

2020 has been a year of horrors so it seems only fitting to do a deep dive investigation into this most important of Christmas horror queries so you can celebrate this year’s Krampusnacht in style and accuracy!

The Origins of the Krampus

So the creepy European tale of the Krampus goes a little something like this: Krampus accompanies St. Nick on his gift giving rounds, but instead of offering rewards for good kids he punishes bad ones. It adds...

With Halloween Horror Nights 2016 off to a such a busy start at Universal Studios Hollywood, a new early entry has been added for guests, and we have details on the new addition to the schedule. Today's Horror Highlights also features a teaser trailer for Dead Draw and DVD release details and cover art for She Who Must Burn.

Halloween Horror Nights 2016 at Universal Studios Hollywood: Press Release: "Universal City, CA, September 26, 2016 – Universal Studios Hollywood touts a greatest hit lineup for “Halloween Horror Nights” 2016, headlining with gruesome mazes based on “The Exorcist,” “American Horror Story,” “The Walking Dead,” “Friday the 13th,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Halloween,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “The Purge” that translated to two consecutive sold out weekends.

“We’re grateful to the many guests who came to ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ and contributed to the event’s incredible success,” said John Murdy, Creative Director at Universal Studios Hollywood...

Reviewed by Jesse Miller

MoreHorror.com

Krampus:The Devil Devil Returns

Synopsis: Five years after the murder of his wife and disappearance of his daughter, former police officer Jeremy Duffin is brought back to help in the hunt for a yuletide monster that punishes children that have been "naughty." As the monster becomes more erratic and unpredictable, Jeremy learns the truth about the disappearance of his daughter and the fate that has been bestowed upon him by an unlikely source. Can Jeremy finally end the nightmare Christmas monster that has terrorized this town for years?

Returning as Writer/Director to the world he created, Jason Hull has brought us all an early gift for Christmas in the form of this beast of a sequel to his 2013 feature Krampus: The Christmas Devil.

Also returning is A.J Leslie, now looking a little grizzled, as he’s brought back into the mix after...

Another terror-fying attraction is coming to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights and this one is from Eli Roth and Crypt TV. Aptly named “Eli Roth Presents Terror Tram”, guests can experience the life and the carnage of killer clown “Hollywood Harry”. Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights kicks off on September 16th.

Press Release: Universal City, CA, August 25, 2016 – Horror auteur Eli Roth (“Hostel”) and his digital network Crypt TV take the helm of the infamous “Terror Tram,” marking the first time ever that the signature attraction comes to life through the twisted mind of the filmmaker, as part of this year’s “Halloween Horror Nights” at Universal Studios Hollywood, which kicks off Friday, September 16th, 2016.

“Eli Roth Presents Terror Tram” will expose guests to the fabled legacy of serial killer clown “Hollywood Harry,” the story of a former jovial celebrity clown turn depraved murderer, and the minefield of carnage he left behind.

MoreHorror.com

Krampus is back with another naughty list and the debut trailer for the upcoming indie horror film Krampus: The Devil Returns has released.

Krampus Returns is the follow up effort of Krampus: The Christmas Devil which released in 2014.

Krampus: The Devil Returns is written by A.J. Leslie and Jason Hull, and is directed by Hull. Featuring Rich Goteri, R.A. Mihailoff, A.J. Leslie, Mike Mili, Tiffani Fest, Paul Ferm, Darin Foltz, and a special appearance by Melantha Blackthorne, and Ben Berlin as Krampus.

The film will be released worldwide 9/2016 via ITN Distribution. Check out the trailer below the synopsis.

Synopsis

Krampus is based on actual mythology dating back to 17th century Alpine/Eastern European lore. Krampus is Saint Nick’s evil brother. However, unlike St. Nick, Krampus brings wrath on children who misbehave. This story takes place shortly after the demise of Jeremy’s (A.J. Leslie) family. Krampus has...

Another Sunday and another installment of VOD Vault, taking a look at some of this weeks on-demand releases that have hit various VOD platforms here in the UK. This week we have a very seasonal edition, featuring two films that take a horrific look at the holidays…

Krampus

Stars: Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell, Emjay Anthony, Stefania Lavie Owen, Krista Stadler | Directed by Michael Dougherty

Krampus has seemingly become the de jour villain in the horror genre recently. We’ve already had two movies featuring the evil anti-Santa, Krampus: The Christmas Devil and Krampus: The Reckoning; and now comes a third. Although unlike its seasonal brethren, this Krampus at least made it into cinemas – and so it should have. This is the latest film from director Michael Dougherty, who exploded onto the UK horror scene a few years back when his Halloween anthology Trick ‘r’ Treat was screened at Frightfest.

By Seth Metoyer

MoreHorror.com

Can't get enough Krampus? Well that's good because there's more on the way. The first official teaser for Snowdog Studio's 2016 release of Krampus: The Devil Returns has released. It can be checked out below.

The film stars Rich Goteri, R. A. Mihailoff, A. J. Leslie, Mike Mili, Tiffani Fest, Darin Foltz, featuring Melantha Blackthorne. Written and Directed by Jason Hull.

The story of Krampus is based on actual mythology dating back to 17th century Alpine/Eastern European lore. Krampus is Saint Nick's evil brother. However, unlike St. Nick, Krampus brings wrath on children who misbehave. This story takes place shortly after the demise of Jeremy's (A.J. Leslie) family. Krampus has returned to this small community and is seemingly out of control on his quest to punish bad children.

In the sequel, Jeremy is brought back to help end the reign of terror that...

Halloween remains the big-gun holiday for setting and releasing horror films, but Christmas-themed tales of terror are likely a close second. Part of the appeal is simply staging mayhem against the most festive and selfless day of the year, but the holiday is also rich in cultural detail and legend offering filmmakers and audiences a far more textured canvas than the simplicity of masked killers can provide. 2010’s Rare Exports got the Krampus ball rolling, and a handful of straight to DVD features followed with titles like Krampus: The Christmas Devil, Krampus: The Reckoning, and Night of the Krampus. The mythical creature tasked with punishing the naughty among us broadened its cinematic reach with this year’s A Christmas Horror Story and will be seen next in Kevin Smith’s Anti-Claus, but in between those two is the creature’s biggest, most promising outing yet — and it’s from a filmmaker who knows a thing or two...

Stars: A.J. Leslie, Samantha Hoepfl,Bill Oberst Jr., Michael Mili, Jay Dobyns, Paul Ferm, Andrew Ferrick, Richard Goteri, Angelina Leigh, Darin Foltz | Written and Directed by Jason Hull

Jeremy is a local police officer who has spent most of his life searching for the man who kidnapped his as a child. After children in his town start to go missing he realizes there may be a connection, and the kidnapper could be Krampus, the creature of Christmas legend, who is the brother of Santa Claus and punisher of naughty children; and is known for performing acts of unspeakable evil. The big question is, can Jeremy kill Krampus before even more children are taken?

Not even five minutes into Krampus: The Christmas Devil and I knew I was going to love this movie. Why? Because from the get-go this movie looks and feels exactly like that other slice of classic Christmas horror: Silent Night,...

By Seth Metoyer

MoreHorror.com

Director Jason Hull will be helming the sequel to his 2014 film Krampus: The Christmas Devil. Krampus: The Devil Returns will begin filming this winter. Read all about if below!

From The Press Release:

Director Jason Hull and Snowdog Studio announce their sequel to 2014's"Krampus: The Christmas Devil," in "Krampus: The Devil Returns." Jason states that production on this rendition will be further elevated, promising to include more of "what the fans requested," in more blood, more Krampus, more Santa, and a spectacular cast.

Attached to the film are Bill Moseley (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Devil's Rejects), Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th VII, VIII, and X, Frozen), Robert Mukes (House of 1,000 Corpses), Tiffani Fest (Circus of the Dead), and scream queen darling Melantha Blackthorne (Sinners and Saints, A Grim Becoming) will be joining various returning members from the prior cast, including Rich Goteri, Mike Mili, A.J. Leslie,...

by Seth Metoyer

MoreHorror.com

The 2014 FANtastic Horror Film Festival was a great success. The festival featured a plethora of indie horror producers, directors, actors/actresses and much more.

Check out the full list of winners from the official details below.

From The Press Release:

The FANtastic Horror Film Festival held their first annual Awards Ceremony at the Whiskey Girl Bar in city’s the Gaslamp District of San Diego.

The event was Mc’d by actress Katy Foley, whose combination of stand-up wit and humor kept the ceremonies light and lively. After an entertaining performance by Mo “Mesmerizing Mo” Kelly, Foley began the proceedings.

Highlights of the awards ceremony included the award for Best Short Film (Awesome Ouija Board - Tonjia Atomic, Writer/Director), and Best Feature Film (Krampus: the Christmas Devil - Jason Hull, Co-Writer/Director). Also featured were Most Memorable Line (“I want a divorce!” – Bloody Wedding,...

2014's Fantastic Horror Film Festival has come to a close, in San Diego, California. This year's winners have just been announced and actor Bill Oberst Jr. has won a "Lon Chaney Award for Outstanding Achievement in Independent Horror Films." This prestigious award was presented to Oberst Jr. by Ron Chaney (see left). Oberst Jr. continues to take the horror world by storm. With appearances in over 100 films, this actor has an exceptional career. Fans of indie horror can expect to see Oberst Jr. in the upcoming films: Slay Utterly, Circus of Dread, Squeal: Blood Harvest and many more. The award ceremony was concluded Sunday, November 2nd and more award nominees are listed below. Other award recipients include: "Best Feature Film:" Krampus: The Christmas Devil "Best Director Feature:" Jason Hull (Krampus: The Christmas Devil) "Best Actress Feature Film" Cindy Merrill (Deadly Revisions) "Best Actor Feature Film" Bill Oberst Jr. (Deadly Revisions). The complete list of.

Fatal Pictures recently celebrated a successfully funded Kickstarter campaign for their final short film Heir. The film promises to be gory, horrific and monstrous and will showcase practical FX.

We've been sent a few stills from the set and thought we'd share them below. Enjoy!

About Heir

Produced by Fatal Pictures in association with Red Sneakers Media, "Heir" is the final entry in their "Box Cutter Trilogy", a trio of linked shorts each representing “different theories on the origin and operation of sociopaths,”.

The first two shorts, Worm and Familiar have received excellent reviews from around the genre.

Credits

Starring, The Emmy award winning Bill Oberst Jr. (Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies, Take This Lollipop & Children Of Sorrow) & Robert Nolan (Worm, Sick, Familiar) Written & Directed by Richard Powell (Consumption, Worm, & Familiar) Produced by Zach Green (Consumption, Worm, & Familiar) Marc Roussel & Ron Basch (Remote, Elusive Man & The Sweetest Hippopotamus) & Richard Powell, Associate Producer Seth Metoyer (Cell Count,...

Whilst Kevin Smith is hard at work prepping his Krampus movie, Anti-Claus, it seems he’ll be beaten to the punch by director Jason Hull, whose film Krampus: The Christmas Devil is currently being shopped at Cannes by independent film distribution/acquisitions company ITN. The film, which stars Nerdly favourite Bill Oberst Jr., follows…

Jeremy, a local police officer, pieces together the truth and realizes that his childhood kidnapper could be a creature of ancient yuletide lore, Krampus, who is the brother of St. Nick, and punisher of children who perform acts of unspeakable evil without repercussion. Can Jeremy kill Krampus and prevent more missing children?

Check out the Cannes sales art for the flick below, and expect to see more Krampus flicks coming your way very soon!

by MoreHorror.com

The critically acclaimed holiday Horror-Action film Krampus: The Christmas Devil (review) has been aquired for worldwide distribution through ITN Distribution.

Check out the complete details below.

From The Press Release:

"Krampus: The Christmas Devil," a film by award winning Director, Jason Hull, featuring 2012's "Scream King," and Hollywood's "favorite horror actor" Bill Oberst, Jr ("Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies," "Scary or Die"), Rich Goteri (AMC's "Low Winter Sun," "Machine Gun Preacher") announces worldwide distribution with ITN Distribution.

"Krampus: The Christmas Devil" is based on actual mythology dating back to 17th century Alpine/Eastern European lore. Krampus is Saint Nick's evil brother. However, unlike St. Nick, Krampus brings wrath on children who misbehave. This story follows the life of Jeremy, who escapes the monster as a child, and grows up to become a police officer working to find missing children, only to stumble upon the monster again as an adult.

Last week we learned that Michael Dougherty (Trick 'r Treat) is working on a movie about mythical holiday demon Krampus, which surprised us considering Kevin Smith also has a similar project in the works. Now, a third Krampus flick has come to light...

...and it's already in the bag and headed to Cannes!

We've learned today that ITN Distribution is bringing indie filmmaker Jason Hull's Krampus: The Christmas Devil to the Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off this week. Beating both Dougherty and Smith to the punch, this is the very first feature length film about the Alpine child-eater.

Hull is already at work on a sequel, entitled Krampus: The Devil Returns, which is set for release next year.

Bill Oberst, Jr., stars in Krampus: The Christmas Devil alongside Richard Goteri and A.J. Leslie.

Synopsis

Jeremy, a local police officer, leads a life of a confusing past, spending his...

by Seth Metoyer, MoreHorror.com

It's that time of year where horror sites and fans present their Best Horror Films of 2013 lists. For some reason I've typically steered clear of top lists in the past. I think it's mostly because of the constant whining and bellyaching that occurs once lists are released. Plus there will inevitably be good films that didn't make the list. However, mostly it's the constant cries of "That wasn't a horror movie that was a thriller stupid!" or "That movie released last year dummy!" or "There are too many mainstream releases here losers!" or my personal favorite "That film totally sucked so you guys suck!", that really get to me.

This year I decided to go ahead and make a MoreHorror Top 20 Horror Films of 2013 list because a lot of people seem interested in our take. Yes there are some mainstream Hollywood films on the list,...

Reviewed by Jesse Miller, MoreHorror.com

One of the things that I love about working for More Horror is the exposure to gems of independent horror that I wouldn't otherwise have discovered at all and Krampus: The Christmas Devil is one of these very fun and enjoyable gems.

Krampus takes it's inspiration from the folklore entity of the same name - an otherworldly beast that, come Christmas, kidnaps the very naughty children and feeds on their souls - and uses this device to tell the story of Jeremy, (A.J Leslie) a haunted cop obsessed with tracking down a serial killer known to pick out very bad children and kill them. Are you connecting the dots yet?

Krampus: The Christmas Devil, Written and Directed by Jason Hull, feels like it wandered out of the 80s - from its synth musical score to its visuals, it evokes those great holiday horrors...

My favorite line from this trailer: “The blood and guts fly out….the camera does not stop rolling!”…Well, let’s hope not!

The movie’s lead actor, who is slicing his way through more than half-naked nubile bodies is Bill Oberst Jr. If you were at the screening of the St. Louis-lensed shocker Coyote last month at Mx Theater, you saw that film’s star Mr. Oberst who is currently swinging for the title of “Hardest Working Man In Horror” with no less than twelve major roles in independent horror films this year. Bill’s most famous role was as honest Abe in Abraham Lincoln Vs Zombies (2012), which, though not quite as good as Abe Lincoln Vampire Hunter, was far superior than that boring-ass Speilberg movie.

The Los Angeles-based actor has just arrived in the woods of Kentucky to start shooting his 6th feature film of the year (The...

by Seth Metoyer, MoreHorror.com

A new teaser video for Ditch Day Massacre has been released (watch it under the details below).

The bloody film stars actor Bill Oberst Jr. as the axe wielding killer. Oberst is on track to complete 12 horror films this year, now that's some heavy lifting!

Check out all the details below and don't miss Ditch Day Massacre when it releases.

From The Press Release:

(With 12 Flicks In One Year, Is This The Hardest Working Man In Horror?)

A new teaser vid for the film Ditch has posted and the movie's lead actor is slicing his way through more than half-naked nubile bodies: Bill Oberst Jr. is swinging for the title of Hardest Working Man In Horror.

Oberst is on track to complete roles in 12 independent horror/thriller movies by year's end. The Los Angeles-based actor has just arrived in the woods of Kentucky to start...

By Terry Farmer, MoreHorror.com

The latest news from Hollywoodland is that two horror powerhouses – Seth Metoyer and Bill Obert Jr’s Dismal Productions and Maria Olsen’s MOnsterworks66 – have joined forces to bring their rabid horror fans Squeal: The Harvest, a dark and sordid feature that will leave audiences gasping and, yes, squealing!

Michael Hultquist (Arena, Victim) has written a cracker of a script exploring murder, mutilation and mayhem, and the cast will be headed by the ultra-creepy Oberst as Uncle Ollie. Oberst is probably best known for winning a Daytime Emmy award for his role in the internet sensation Take This Lollipop, which was actually blocked on Facebook under suspicion of being a malicious app when it was first released. His other on-screen horror triumphs include Children of Sorrow, Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies, The Shunning and Deadly Revisions.

Squeal will also feature Olsen in a supporting role, and...

Krampus: The Christmas Devil

HorrorNews.net got a early Christmas present from the makers of Krampus: The Christmas Devil. Here are some Exclusive Photos from this holiday horror! Hnn favorite Bill Oberst Jr. returns in a “Christmas” move. Well, the kind of Christmas movie that you would expect from someone like Bill Oberst Jr. Let’s thank Matt Chassin (producer) and Jason Hull (director) for this sneak peak. I can only imagine what Santa Claus is going … Continue reading →...

By Michael Juvinall, MoreHorror.com

We've been following the latest film from Bill Oberst Jr. since its onset last year, Krampus: The Christmas Devil. Today we have the exclusive first teaser trailer from the film to show you all. Read on for more details.

From writer/director Jason Hull (Chasing Darkness, The Four) and Snowdog Studio comes this yuletide tale of terror featuring an ancient creature whose purpose is to punish the naughty children from Santa’s list. Along with Bill Oberst Jr.(Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies, Children of Sorrow) the cast features Rich Goteri (Machine Gun Preacher, Circus of Dread, Goodfellas), Aj Leslie (The Four), Mike Mili (Demon Equation), Jay Dobyns, Erica Soto (Post-Mortem), Annette Lawless, and Brad Weaver (Chasing Darkness) as the Krampus.

Plot Synopsis

Special Agent Jeremy Duffin (Aj Leslie) leads a darkened life of memories stemming from abduction as a child, where he was dropped into...

by Michael Juvinall, MoreHorror.com

We ran an exclusive story back in December on the indie film Krampus: The Christmas Devil, starring Bill Oberst Jr. which started pre-production. Now we have another exclusive for you, we have the first on set pics from the film which has been shooting in Pennsylvania for the last two weeks, and an exclusive interview with the director, Jason Hull.

From writer/director Jason Hull (Chasing Darkness, The Four) and Snowdog Studio comes this yuletide tale of terror featuring an ancient creature whose purpose is to punish the naughty children from Santa’s list. Along with Bill Oberst Jr.(Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies, Children of Sorrow) the cast features Rich Goteri (Machine Gun Preacher, Circus of Dread, Goodfellas), Aj Leslie (The Four), Mike Mili (Demon Equation), Jay Dobyns, and Brad Weaver (Chasing Darkness) as the Krampus.

Based on German folklore that dates back hundreds of years,...