I have to say, I knew I was excited to see Krampus, but I didn't really think that I would be this insanely excited to review it.
I saw it the day of its release: December 4th, and let me tell you, I was really disappointed with the turnout of the theater. I saw a 10:40 showing, and myself and my group of friends were 6 of about 15 in the theater. The place was dead...no pun intended. Okay, maybe a little pun intended.
Anyway, it seemed like we had a nice crowd of decently interested horror fans who were looking to seriously watch the film. I say this because typically, at the theater I go to, it's screaming 16 year olds who snuck in or their moms bought their tickets to an R-rated horror film. Needless to say when I saw the PG-13 rating on Krampus, I got pretty worried about the people that may be at the theater.
But, like I said, there really were no people, and no one under the age of 20. (-relieved sigh-)
Now, let's get into the film!
For those of you that don't know Krampus' origin story, he's a German folklore character. He's essentially the anti-Santa. Santa Claus brings gifts to the good kids, Krampus tortures the kids (and families) that have lost the Christmas spirit. This brings us to the home of Tom, Sarah, Beth, Max, and Omi. After Max writes a letter to Santa only to have it ridiculed at the dinner table by his nasty cousins, he rips it up and throws it out the window. This summons Krampus to remind Max just how important the Christmas spirit is.
This movie, you guys, was incredible. Michael Dougherty (writer and director of Trick 'r Treat) wrote and directed this film, and it shows. The cinematography, the storytelling, the characters...everything about it was stunning.
For a PG-13 film it was surprisingly terrifying; Krampus' "little helpers" were actually some really disturbing Christmas-decoration-esque demons that made me want to take my lights down (and never play with a Jack-in-the-box again).
I have to say, although they essentially included no gore at all, and the film wasn't graphic, you could tell that what was happening was pure horror. I appreciated that they left a decent amount up to the imagination, because to be honest, I've been looking for a film that allows me to insert my own thoughts. Lately, most horror films have been cut-and-dry, "here's what's happening" crap.
As always, I really don't want to give too much of the film away (although I could talk for hours about how brilliant I thought this film was), so I HIGHLY recommend that you see it ASAP (hence why this review is going up early!).
I give this film a solid 10/10. No ifs, ands or buts about it. There wasn't a single second of this film that I disliked or thought was unnecessary, I would watch it again a million times over, and it's solidified itself as one of my favorite holiday films (right alongside Trick 'r Treat, of course).
UGH YOU GUYS GO SEE KRAMPUS RIGHT NOW. Also, Fright Rags put out an awesome Krampus collection and you should check it out. I'm dying to order the sweatshirt. Let's wear matching Krampus sweaters, okay?
Until next time, stay spooky!
Taylor Terrible <3
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