Krampus

I’d been looking forward to Krampus. The users here turned it into a legendary movie, which in the future will be an inseparable part of Christmas; they kept putting it into the same rank as Home Alone. By the way, the only thing this movie has in common with Home Alone is a couple of melodies in the score. Other than that, it’s worlds apart. You see Krampus alternates between a fairy-tale atmosphere and a regular horror movie in the vein of Nightmare on Elm Street. Nevertheless, I do admit that the film had a couple of really interesting moments. For instance, the opening scene in the mall, which is totally awesome or the cartoon part, which tells the story of the grandma, who had met Krampus when she was little. By the way, it looked almost as if it was made by Tim Burton himself. The rest is a classical slasher movie, where you’re actually not sure whether it’s a comedy (the constantly drunk grandma and her catchphrases, or the three gingerbread guys who are alive) or a horror movie (Krampus, who isn’t actually seen much in this one, and his elven minions). (15/12/2015)

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. (07/04/2016)

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%. (14/12/2017)

The movie left much to be desired. Within the first few minutes, a sense of irritation crept over me, only to be replaced by sheer boredom once the mindless herd was gone. It became clear that there was no one to root for, as each family member seemed either unlikable or left me indifferent. Any attempt at comedy felt like a feeble imitation of Griswold's Christmas, stripped of all its humor by the three(!!!) screenwriters. Horror was notably absent. In the end, it amounted to little more than a background for mundane household chores. / Lesson learned: Ben Affleck's knack for facial expressions could make him an excellent Krampus. (23/12/2023)

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 % (16/12/2022)