Reel Snippet – Krampus
Krampus is an odd duck of a Christmas movie, forgoing the usual cheer to try and scare us straight with an old German legend. The reason for such is showcased by a brilliant opening sequence with an old-timey feel-good Christmas song playing against people shopping and acting like the worst of humanity. The main family themselves tow the line between rotten enough to be targeted by Krampus and sympathetic enough for us to want them to survive. For the most part, they succeed, though the uncle played by David Koechner falls a little short with his machismo and Fox News-isms standing in for character.
The atmosphere is dense with terror and very effective, especially with a flashback sequence done in a vintage Claymation style. At the same time, though, it can be very schizophrenic in tone, going from intentionally humorous to serious and terrifying to Evil Dead 2 style goofiness at a pin drop. I was honestly trying to decide if certain parts were really stupid or secretly brilliant. Also, a note to future horror writers, tongues are not scary. They’re icky, slimy, and sometimes creepy, but they in themselves are not scary.
However, none of my complaints hold up against the awesomeness of the ending (barring one unnecessary jump scare). Without giving too much away, the movie looks like it’s about to seriously cop out, but then it delivers a surprise that’s both amazing and delightfully twisted. I honestly took longer to write the review because the beginning and ending were all I could think about for days. This isn’t going to be up everyone’s alley; the fact that it’s a Christmas horror movie alone is bound to put some people off. But on the whole, I’m glad I saw it and I’m glad we have it as a reminder that we need to be much better people around the holidays rather than resorting to Black Friday manners. If it sounds like you would like it, give it a look in theaters or as a rental. Just be prepared for some serious goofiness in the weirdest of places.
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