This year horror is overlapping into new holiday territory with Krampus. Krampus is the dark companion of St. Nicholas who rewards well-behaved children with holiday gifts on December 6. Krampus punishes misbehaved children swatting them with switches and rusty chains before dragging them, in baskets, to a fiery place below.
Director Michael Doughtery has now brought this sinister villain to the big screen in a new thriller aptly entitled Krampus. In this film, Toni Colette and Adam Scott struggle to deal with their family’s annual holiday visit when darkness sets in. Critics have been split by the film. Peter Howell of thestar.com says “Ho-ho-horror movie Krampus is not entirely unwatchable, despite amateurish direction, frenzied lensing and bog-level CGI work” while Noel Murray of the LA Times says, “The quality of the cast helps sell jokes that rely on broad stereotypes and even pushes "Krampus" toward genuine yuletide warmth and familial redemption … at least until the monsters come out.”
In the past, we have seen the horror genre attempt to cover a wide range of holidays including such titles as Black Christmas, Thankskilling, My Bloody Valentine, Leprechaun, and April Fools. Although many believed the trend died in the 80s, we could see a resurge of this synergy event returning to the genre in the not too distant future.
Howell, P. (2015, December 4). Krampus wants you to believe in Santa – or else: Review | Toronto Star. Retrieved December 7, 2015, from http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2015/12/04/krampus-wants-you-to-believe-in-santa-or-else-review.html
Murray, N. (2015, December 4). 'Krampus' kills it with Christmas scares that are all in good fun. Retrieved December 7, 2015, from http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-krampus-movie-review-20151205-story.html
