Krampus (2015)

It's become part of my annual Christmas viewing. it's a cross between "It's a wonderful life, national lampoon Xmas, Gremlins but scarier lol ENJOY!! GREAT LIFE LESSON

Fmovies: Wow! Now this is a Horror cult classic! I haven't seen a movie like this in years! It was certainly a great surprise! While people compare this movie to Gremlins I guarantee you it is nothing like Gremlins. This movie is its own movie! The acting was top notch, even when there were elements of cheesiness that occurred they all managed to keep it great! The director also did "Trick Or Treat" which is another Halloween cult classic. But Krampus surpasses "Trick Or Treat" by a long shot. The story was good, and it keeps you really glued to the screen wandering what will happen next. There are also many scenes that are hilarious. Most of the humour came from Aunt Dorothy.

Many people online will complain that the characters/actors were too unbelievable and so unlikeable. This is the whole point of the movie. This is a story of a broken with family with no love, no respect and no desire to love Christmas. And then Krampus comes to town!

The Practical Effects were used so well. I like the fact there was no CGI used for this movie (with the exception of the Ginger Bread Men). It's kept old school, and it never fails to amaze us.

Without spoiling anything...the story does start out quite slow. But as soon as the blizzard hits...you know you're in for the roller-coaster ride. Kramous's minions are awesome and scary, to say the least! When Krampus's appears his face will give you nightmares! The ending was very original and very unexpected. I really hope this becomes a movie (like Home Alone) that comes on TV every year for all of us to appreciate the spirit of Christmas! All in all, it is a cult classic and it was quite a surprise on how good it was. Had no idea this would be a movie I would love so much. Really highly recommended! 4.5/5 stars. -Autistic Jay

Review: 'Krampus' is a comedy-horror film directed by Michael Dougherty. It is based on the eponymous character from Austro-Bavarian folklore. I seen this movie when it first came out and I was so happy to have a Christmas themed horror film that was actually good. When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max (Emjay Anthony) is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know; this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers. All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family's home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive. The acting is surprisingly strong. Adam Scott as the classic overworking father, Toni Collette as the anguish wife and David Koechner as the overbearing mean spirited uncle who provide great conflict in a dysfunctional nightmare at each other. Even the child performances not once cringe me at all! The story is simple but executed in a way that is so entertaining it makes you want to watch it again and again. The comedy doesn't always hit and makes tense scenes seem awkward rather than have added humor. But the movie is very tense at times and while it is lacking in humor, its all entertaining. Overall, the movie is a Christmas film with a horror twist and if you're into that, give this a try. It has a great cast and above all a great and simple story. 4/5

Krampus fmovies. The Cinematic Mind reviews Krampus (Dougherty, USA, 2015) ****/*****

A few days before Christmas, we meet a dysfunctional family who are not getting on very well. A young boy (Emjay Anthony) loses the hope and spirit of Christmas because the holidays aren't the same as they used to be with his family and proceeds to destroys a letter he wrote to Santa Claus triggering the release of a massive blizzard and the summoning of the titular Christmas folklore demon who strikes against the family and it isn't alone.

From 2007's Trick 'r Treat director and screenwriter Michael Dougherty, this is the second holiday themed horror film he has done. This sub- genre is known as the X-MAS Horror! For me, they are very mixed-bag for me! My favourite would easily be Black Christmas (1974) in my life as one of cinema's most underrated slashers of the 1970's with one of the most bone chilling endings in a horror film and Gremlins, enough said. Others include The Nightmare Before Christmas, Christmas Evil and Silent Night Deadly Night (I consider it a little overrated). The potential is huge but also can be a task to handle. However, this is movie besides Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale are the greatest modern X-MAS horror films of recent times considering I was making fun of the title alone and thought it would be TV movie quality. The results altered once the film began.

The setup is a brilliant throwback to the stereotypical mean-spirited family from Christmas Vacation and Home Alone and a great satire on consumerism taking over the holidays with a riot at a Shopping Mall with "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" by Bing Crosby in the background. Ahh! The lost of being vintage and nostalgic. I call glorious irony.

The acting is surprisingly strong. Adam Scott as the classic overworking father, Toni Collette as the anguish wife and David Koechner as the overbearing mean spirited uncle who provide great conflict in a dysfunctional nightmare at each other. Even the child performances not once cringe me at all! Once the characters start to realise what the following events are taking place and coming to learn lessons about the actual meaning of Christmas, I quote I dropped in awe. A celebration gift to all the memorable horror films and Christmas horror films of the 80's/90's.

From Gremlins, The Evil Dead to Poltergeist, Nightmare Before Christmas and one of my favourite scenes, a homage to Rankin/Bass with a back-story of Krampus presented in animation. The comedy is hilariously quotable. Mainly from the cynical drunk great aunt played by Conchata Ferrell. However, it never ruins the thrills of the suspense and creativity of the creatures the film thrown at us. For my universal acclaim, the production design, the music score by composer Douglas Pipes and the practical effects of Krampus and the minions brings to life the dark corners of Christmas in a way I wanted to experience. From the vintage jingles to the chilling suspense pieces. This is an example of me wanting to check out the art of Krampus and resulting in myself in collapsing all over the designs. They took the budget of $15 million and the crew carry out this stimulating picture given on what they had on their shoulders.

However, why do I did prefer Trick 'r Treat still more? Simple! The execution wasn't fully there. Krampus felt underused at times! When Krampus is in it, my mind is blown away in excitement, I wanted to discover the hellish nightmare of Krampus. There might had

"Krampus", based on actual folklore in Germany and Austria, may not be without faults, but damn if it isn't a reasonably impressive new addition to the canon of Yuletide genre movies. It starts out as an obnoxious domestic comedy, as one family welcomes their grating relatives in for the holidays. Young Max, played by the very appealing Emjay Anthony, is so distraught by the friction between his kin that he destroys his letter to Santa and turns his back on the Christmas season. Big mistake: an imposing demon named Krampus makes it his mission to punish - make that SEVERELY punish - all those who lose their hopes and beliefs. Soon, horrible weather conditions presage an escalating series of terrors for Max and company.

Co-written and directed by Michael Dougherty, who also gave us a modern Halloween favorite in the form of "Trick r Treat", this is surprisingly engaging entertainment. However, it's not so much a horror comedy, as it is a full-blown horror movie with some moments of levity. Despite the PG-13 rating, it's not for the youngest members of your own family due to some incredible intensity. It does take on the tones of a nightmare.

It does have its pleasures, such as a rich variety of "monsters", which are huge, hideous abominations of familiar toys and goodies. (This viewers' personal favorite was the anaconda sized Jack in the box.) There is some very potent atmosphere and quite a bit of macabre imagery filling up the 2.35:1 frame.

How one responds to the protagonists will most likely affect how they respond to the film. Yours truly wouldn't have minded seeing almost everybody get theirs. Still, the actors give it 100%: Adam Scott and Toni Collette as Maxs' parents, David Koechner as the gun loving uncle, Conchata Ferrell as the grumpy great aunt, and Krista Stadler as the wise grandmother who knows the score, right from the start.

A solid diversion overall, with some groan inducing dialogue and moments but quite a bit of energy & pizazz and a twisted nature.

Seven out of 10.

I first heard of the story of Krampus from a Christmas episode of American Dad!, and I've been surprised that none of the reviews I watched online for this film mentioned that since it's the one of the only times Krampus is mentioned in pop culture. Perhaps now that this movie is out, we will hear more about him. I sure hope so, because this is the perfect Christmas tale for the kids and families out there. It's a story that we could all benefit from, in fact.

The film starts out by showing us the insanity that we all know as Christmas shopping. It's all about how materialism and family strife can wreak havoc on our emotions during holidays. The problems all trickle down to the children, who should really be enjoying and celebrating the season instead of getting caught up in the stress the adult deal with. So, our main character rips up his letter to Santa, and wishes for all of this to be over with.

Krampus, being the evil side of Christmas, grants the wish. The characters are slowly plunged into a horror story. Their Christmas story becomes a story of survival. Will they be able to get along for the sake of surviving Christmas?

There were only a few things that I really had a problem with. That's why it gets an 8 instead of a 9 or 10. The first reason comes from the fact that I am a serious horror fan, and felt disappointed at the lack of blood and gore in the film. That reason may keep some genre fans away, but also makes the film more accessible to the kid and family audience, whom the film is really for. The other problem I had with the film was with the editing during the scenes with Krampus' helpers, because it was quite jumpy and made it hard to see everything going on the entire time.

Again, this is a good movie. I highly recommend it as one of the best new family Christmas movies. Krampus is exactly what we need to balance out the holiday. This will definitely be remembered as more than just another holiday themed horror movie. It will, hopefully, become a staple for Christmas viewing.