Krampus
Next up on our Christmas horror movies is 2015’s Krampus. This holiday horror tells a twisted tale of a dysfunctional family coming together for Christmas, only to end up facing the not so jolly Krampus. Max (played by Emjay Anthony) writes a letter to Santa wishing to make Christmas as it once was. His belief in Santa and in Christmas quickly diminishes and the letter makes it to a much darker force. The family is then terrorized by Krampus and his merry band of sinister entities. Being picked off one by one they start mending their family ties but it might be too late.
This movie is definitely a newer Christmas must watch. With its 10th anniversary coming up next year it still definitely holds up. I would describe this movie as if Christmas vacation mixed with Poltergeist, and it does it well. The mix of horror and comedy adds to the family dynamic of the characters. Their fear of not only the spirits but to each other has every character on edge from the beginning, it shows that only the most drastic measures will bring this family together.
I would also like to add that Adam Scott, who plays Tom Engle, the father of the Engle family, played this role well. He is a level headed protective father and has some moments where he really shines. A spoiler here but his “death” scene was a highlight, as his actions and emotions make the movie a little more believable. He portrays the emotions of sadness and bravery of a man sacrificing himself, even if pointless, to give his family just a little more chance of survival. His performance stood out to me more due to Adam Scott being one of my favourite actors, but most of the performances were fun as well. They all portrayed their characters as expected. Some of the kids' roles and David Koechner’s character of Howerd were a little caricatured and flat. They didn’t have a lot of background besides being the overly political uncle and the rude cousins. This dynamic didn’t affect my viewing experience too much since I think most people have family members like this and can relate to the over the top nature of their characters.
All and all this is a solid family Christmas film. I would rank this movie a 7.5/10. It is enjoyable and fun to say the least. It doesn’t do anything revolutionary but sticks to a solid horror plot of a family getting attacked by evil entities but adds a Christmas filter on top. I would recommend checking out this movie if you haven’t already and want a fun movie to watch over the holidays.
