Vague Visages’ Krampus essay contains spoilers. Michael Dougherty’s 2015 movie on AMC+ and Peacock features Emjay Anthony, Adam Scott and Toni Collette. Check out more VV film essays at the home page.

Christmas movies are, by their very nature, warm and cozy, which is what makes Christmas horror such a delightfully messed-up subgenre. And yet, even ostensibly festive fright fests like Gremlins (1984), which have children in peril at their dark hearts, aren’t brave enough to push the envelope when it comes to kills or even terror. But this isn’t so with Krampus, the 2015 Michael Dougherty flick that is so dedicated to putting kids in real danger that it features a lengthy sequence of a little boy being dragged, kicking and screaming, into literal hell. Although the movie is rated PG-13 like Gremlins (there’s also a “naughty” cut with more swearing and violence), Krampus establishes a defiantly dark tone in the opening minutes. Shoppers tear each other to pieces over sale prices to the lilting notes of Bing Crosby’s definitive take on “It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas.” Everybody is so over it, while the kids are terrified of sitting on Santa’s lap (another iconic image). It’s immediately clear that Dougherty, who co-wrote the screenplay with Todd Casey and Zach Shields, isn’t messing around.

Similar to Christmas itself, the true terror of Krampus involves being stranded with extended family members, all of whom can’t stand each other. It’s quite a starry cast, headed up by Adam Scott as Tom and Toni Collette and Sarah, who face off against the latter character’s sister, brother-in-law and aunt, respectively played by Allison Tolman, David Koechner and a scene-stealing Conchata Ferrell, who gets all the most cutting lines. They’re mainly confined to the Engel (German for “angel”) household, a sprawling McMansion deep in suburbia that audiences tend to take for granted as a safe space in cinema. Dougherty doesn’t waste too much time setting everything up, but he makes sure to establish the geography of the homestead, to create a false sense of security about how easy it’ll be to batten down the hatches and, if necessary, flee.

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Nobody does harried quite like Collette (her performance could be seen as a warm-up for 2018’s Hereditary), but even she can’t keep it together while juggling ungrateful, squabbling family members, a storm that knocks the power out and an ancient evil slowly descending upon the house. Krampus is a terrific villain, and there’s a charmingly old-school quality to how the film ties him into the original German myth, particularly in a gorgeous but still desperately sad animated sequence. Dougherty holds off on showing the creature for as long as possible, teasing the title character with a busted-in car window, a destroyed fireplace and some giant hoof prints in the snow. Krampus is also glimpsed hopping from roof to roof, which hints at his huge size. The big reveal of Santa’s shadow is brilliantly done — giant horns slowly emerge from the chimney as the camera pulls back to take in his imposing presence and those weirdly long fingers and tongue reaching out to grab Omi (Krista Stadler). CGI is used sparingly throughout, so it doesn’t age the movie too badly, but there’s also tons of great makeup and practical FX, with a bunch of physical performers portraying the creature’s helpers.

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Of Krampus’ helpers, a horrific and giant jack-in-the-box that eats everything in its path stands out alongside some murderous gingerbread men. The big hook emerging from the chimney as one enters the house subverts expectations, since general audiences are so used to seeing Santa’s boots in that very spot. This is just one of the many ways Dougherty rips apart some of the most beloved elements of Christmastime, starting with that opening sequence. The scares are relatively tame, but the tone, much like Dougherty’s outwardly cutesy Trick ‘r Treat (2007), is pitch-black, even mean at times. The director’s most well-known property is remembered predominantly for Sam, a little cutie with a nasty streak, but it’s just as ruthless as Krampus. Here, the body count is high and the deaths vicious — consider that Max’s big sister goes first, which establishes that everybody is fair game. Even though the denouement is technically undone, Dougherty has a cruel trick up his sleeve, pulling back to reveal that the family has been trapped by Krampus after all.

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Whereas most Christmas movies, including the scary ones, end on a fun, festive note, Krampus finishes in the same spirit as it begins and is all the better for it. The humor is equally sharp, from a sight gag involving Santa checking out the Engels’ eldest daughter in a commemorative photo to Collette’s Sarah acknowledging that “Maybe they should have to take a test before they’re allowed to breed” in relation to her own sister. Ferrell’s foul-mouthed Aunt Dorothy, meanwhile, keeps complaining right up until the moment she’s yanked out the window by Krampus’ goons. The lush production design and grand, sweeping orchestral score by Douglas Pipes (who also tackled the music for Trick ‘r Treat) prevents Krampus from being a full-on B-movie creature feature, but its trappings are inarguably dreamed up by a horror fanatic, rather than a studio stooge. This movie was clearly made by somebody with a love of both the genre and Krampus himself, as well as a true Christmas hater. Dougherty inherently understands that the worst part of the holiday season is exchanging pleasantries with people you must pretend to like purely because they’re family (Scott’s kindly father, Tom, understandably struggles to explain this rule to his son). Krampus is an outlier when it comes to festive horror and, in the decade since the movie’s release, nothing has threatened its throne (the film’s villain could easily kick Art the Clown’s butt). Maybe that’s because nobody but Dougherty has the guts to feed screaming kids to a demonic anti-Santa without remorse.

Joey Keogh (@JoeyLDG) is a writer from Dublin, Ireland with an unhealthy appetite for horror movies and Judge Judy. In stark contrast with every other Irish person ever, she’s straight edge. Hello to Jason Isaacs. Thank you for reading film criticism, movie reviews and film reviews at Vague Visages.

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