Krampus

Christmas home invasion creature feature black comedy with an excellent snowy backdrop. Dougherty fuses German folklore and American genre traditions into a sufficiently entertaining mix in which children are devoured and the titular devil doesn't grow tiresome thanks to a late entry. Formal finesse, good actors and unobtrusive film references are sometimes enough to satisfy, especially at Christmas. 70 % (12/16/2022)

The story of Krampus may be a bit simple, but it is packed with quite an action spectacle that will keep you entertained. It's something that won't scare you much, but it can sweep you away as very good entertainment. If you want to go to the movie theater to watch something that won't bore you, I think this is exactly the kind of film you should go see. Plus, it has that Christmas family spirit. (04/07/2016)

If Krampus was even more comedic, and I don't care if in the black-humorous style of the skirmish in the attic or the Griswold Christmas break style in which it began, I'd like it even more. Even so, from my point of view, it is a very pleasant surprise, which is able to entertain and tantalize, but it could do without those few annoying, more serious minutes promoting family values. I was probably most pleased by the special effects - with the exception of bloodthirsty gingerbread, not too much digital magic is happening here, but rather good old-fashioned puppets and animatronics. And it all looks great! (02/18/2018)

I’ve never seen a film centered around Christmas that predominantly functions as a horror, but here we have the first one that fits into that category. It starts off quite comedic, and you might wonder what you've gotten yourself into, but it gradually intensifies until it becomes a full-fledged horror. The cast is quite good, and the overall German mythology revolving around Krampus left a deep impression on me; you definitely don’t want him to visit your home, as it doesn’t bode well for you. The story was predictable, but the atmosphere was sometimes almost palpable. I was slightly annoyed by the sense of the studio presence in some scenes, but mostly it was an authentic experience enhanced by practical effects, which I appreciate from time to time (of course, the scenes with animated gingerbread cookies are computer-generated, but at least they were entertaining). Krampus struck the fear in me that he was supposed to. The intense ending, where characters started dying off like on a conveyor belt, was surprising, as was the final twist, which each viewer can interpret differently. It will never be a blockbuster, but as a Christmas-themed horror film, it will always have a place with me. I give it 75%. (12/14/2017)

A future Christmas classic, but one that is so audience-friendly that it will play at 7pm after Home Alone. Krampus is lively and has a likeable and entertaining cast, especially the boorish David Koechner who steals up all the jokes for himself and gets away with it. The atmosphere is properly Christmassy, and quite dense by the end, and the varied selection of villains is surprising, the great imagination of the people behind this movie cannot be denied, even if they are largely Christmas candy and toys, and Krampus himself, who is more like a wrinkly grandfather, is a nevertheless a successful and original creation. The film is more of a comedy and fairytale than horror, the characters do die quite often, but due to the rating we don't get to see gore and the scares are actually absent as well, they scares don't really work out too well, but it's a nice oldschool fun film to watch with honest practical effects. Home Alone crossed with Gremlins! Story 5/10, Atmosphere 7/10, Gore 0/10, Visuals 7/10, Action 5/10, Suspense 7/10, Humor 7/10. Entertainment 7/10. 75%. (12/19/2015)