You know, if I could make one observation from a couple of years of doing these Christmas reviews is that the Christmas themed horror films are often not the scariest things I watch. They also tend to be slasher films. However, ‘Krampus’ (2015) steps away from that side of things, instead taking a much more fantastical view of the Christmas horror. It also has several name actors in it which is a surprise in your standard horror films, let alone Christmas horror films. But all of that is not an indicator of quality in and of itself, so let’s see in ‘Krampus’ could be a bit of a Christmas surprise. The film follows the Engel family who are preparing to welcome their extended family over for Christmas, which is more obligation than desire. When the two families start to argue, Max Engel (Emjay Anthony) turns his back on Christmas, which in turn inadvertently summons Krampus to wreak havoc on the family.
One thing this film does have over many other Christmas horror films I have seen is that the quality of acting is much improved. First off, if you put Toni Collette in your film you are on to a winner. This isn’t her best performance, but she still does a great job and is the stand-out performer of the film. The rest of the cast is made up of predominantly comedy actors, with Adam Scott, Conchata Ferrell and David Koechner all having large roles in the film and all doing well with the material. All the kid actors do well as well. None of them are outstanding, but they all do a good job so I can’t complain too much in that regard. Technically the film is also very solid. It is shot and lit very well, and it has some really great visuals. The cinematography throughout is great, and the film is not afraid to get creative with its camera movements, giving the film an interesting visual style that is fun to see. The special effects are a little hit and miss throughout. All the practical effects look great, and the design of the monsters and creatures that are terrorizing our characters is really fun. Horrific, but fun. But the CGI effects do not hold particularly well. They are not horrendous by any means, but there are a couple of times where they do look kind of janky. It is never so bad that it completely pulls me out of the film, but it is worthy of note.
I was hoping that I would like this film more than it turned out I did. It was set up for to really enjoy it, but it fell flat for the most part. The film is a horror-comedy, but it is a horror-comedy that is lacking in both genuine scares and genuine laughs. That would suggest that the film fails in what it attempts to do that isn’t the case either. As my earlier paragraph says, the film is well made and performed and it does feel like a horror-comedy throughout. It is also a fun film. So, what is the issue? I’ll be honest I don’t know. I just didn’t connect with the film all that much and I found that it was dragging a little bit as it went one. It starts, opening with a slow-motion montage of the hell that is a shopping centre at Christmas. Of course, it exaggerates this with an excess of violence and anger being shown by the characters as they wrestle to get the gifts they want (maybe it isn’t exaggerated after seeing the toilet paper rush this year) and it is all juxtaposed by the dulcet tones of Bing Crosby. It is a fun opening and sets the tone for the tone the film is going for. I also liked seeing the two halves of the family interact and the huge differences between the two of them meant for fun interactions. The film is also not afraid to be dark. It doesn’t really hold punches on who gets it and when which I do appreciate. But there was still something that didn’t sit with me. I think that maybe it just wasn’t the style of comedy I am into all that much, mixed with the fact that, although it is sometimes creepy, it is never scary and it led to the film feeling a little boring.
‘Krampus’ is a film that I was looking forward to seeing. It looked like a fun take on Christmas horror and it had actors whose work I enjoyed and so I was disappointed that I didn’t enjoy it all that much. I think it is fine and I wouldn’t say I had a bad time watching it, but it did feel like it was dragging towards the end and I was losing interest. Despite that, I think I will still recommend it. Like I say, it is at least a well-made film and it may very well do more for other people than it did for me.
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