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Christmas-Reviewer2 December 2016
Three days before Christmas, a suburban family gets together to celebrate the holidays.
One child named Max wants to continue the family's Christmas traditions, but tensions between members of the family keep everyone from having a good time and the family lose their Christmas spirit, especially Max, who rips up his letter to Santa and throws it to the wind after his cousins read it out at the dinner table Shortly afterwards, a severe blizzard appears and cuts out power in the entire town and Christmas will never be the same.
Now Despite it's Christmas Background this film is anything but cherry. In fact this film is one of the best main stream horror films produced in quit some time.
In this film we get a cross between 'Night of the Living Dead' and 'Gremlins'. If your fans of those films then you will enjoy this movie.
If you have small children please do not let them watch this.
One child named Max wants to continue the family's Christmas traditions, but tensions between members of the family keep everyone from having a good time and the family lose their Christmas spirit, especially Max, who rips up his letter to Santa and throws it to the wind after his cousins read it out at the dinner table Shortly afterwards, a severe blizzard appears and cuts out power in the entire town and Christmas will never be the same.
Now Despite it's Christmas Background this film is anything but cherry. In fact this film is one of the best main stream horror films produced in quit some time.
In this film we get a cross between 'Night of the Living Dead' and 'Gremlins'. If your fans of those films then you will enjoy this movie.
If you have small children please do not let them watch this.
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The next horror cult classicPermalink
thomasrkent1 December 2015
Honestly Universal should be paying me for the amount of hype i've created for this film among my friends and their friends. I was without a doubt super excited for Krampus for two reasons. Firstly it's a horror film that isn't from Blumhouse, honestly with every horror film these days being 'from the producers of Paranormal activity, Insidious and The Purge' I was starting to think Jason Blum made a pact with the devil to produce all mainstream horror films. Secondly this was the kind of film I hadn't seen in ages, something along the lines of Gremlins but more horror focused was what I've been wanting for a long time. So after seeing Krampus I was not disappointed at all. Was it a horror masterpiece on par with The Exorcist? No it wasn't but thats not at all what I wanted. I wanted a fun imaginative horror film and one that finally does justice to the long overlooked legend of Krampus. The idea of a Christmas horror film is nothing new but all the well known ones (Black Christmas, Silent Night Deadly Night) are always slasher films with human villains when Christmas had it's own traditional villain with Krampus why has it taken so long to bring him to the big screen?
But anyway Krampus is unlike any film i've really seen before it's both lighthearted and funny but also surprisingly horrifying. I mean it when I say there's some nightmare fuel in this film even if i didn't find it that scary It is still in my opinion a legitimate horror. The Visit proved to me that horror and comedy can mix well. When a horror film is 100% serious thats OK as long as it's warranted. When a horror film takes itself too seriously though it can make it a boring watch. A great comparison is A Nightmare On Elm Street from 1984 and it's remake in 2010 the remake was largely panned because it was too serious while dealing with some ridiculous subject matter whereas the original made it into some morbid humour which worked much better. Krampus does the same although it is obviously more of a comedy than Elm Street.
Krampus himself looks fantastic being made entirely of practical effects and carries a great presence in may opinion he is a classic horror villain in the making. Of course he isn't alone and is accompanied by demonic toys and wicked elves who's sadistic and playful nature makes for some truly horrifying visuals. Oddly enough though this is still a Christmas movie and does manage to bring me those warm holiday feelings. I think this film in it's own right will hold a special place in my heart as a holiday movie with a wickedly twisted side that I just loved so much.
In conclusion Krampus won't win Oscars but I think if you go in wanting to have fun and experience some scares along the way you'll be more than satisfied. Krampus is one hell of a Christmas gift.
But anyway Krampus is unlike any film i've really seen before it's both lighthearted and funny but also surprisingly horrifying. I mean it when I say there's some nightmare fuel in this film even if i didn't find it that scary It is still in my opinion a legitimate horror. The Visit proved to me that horror and comedy can mix well. When a horror film is 100% serious thats OK as long as it's warranted. When a horror film takes itself too seriously though it can make it a boring watch. A great comparison is A Nightmare On Elm Street from 1984 and it's remake in 2010 the remake was largely panned because it was too serious while dealing with some ridiculous subject matter whereas the original made it into some morbid humour which worked much better. Krampus does the same although it is obviously more of a comedy than Elm Street.
Krampus himself looks fantastic being made entirely of practical effects and carries a great presence in may opinion he is a classic horror villain in the making. Of course he isn't alone and is accompanied by demonic toys and wicked elves who's sadistic and playful nature makes for some truly horrifying visuals. Oddly enough though this is still a Christmas movie and does manage to bring me those warm holiday feelings. I think this film in it's own right will hold a special place in my heart as a holiday movie with a wickedly twisted side that I just loved so much.
In conclusion Krampus won't win Oscars but I think if you go in wanting to have fun and experience some scares along the way you'll be more than satisfied. Krampus is one hell of a Christmas gift.
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Krampus (7/10)Permalink
skybrick73610 July 2016
Christmas usually a time of cheerfulness and presents thanks to the jolly Santa is flipped upside down when Krampus comes to town. The events follow an obnoxious family, who are crude in their comedy, and have poor decision making. Funny man Adam Scott and horror vet Toni Collette make a unique couple but are relied upon heavily being the only serious roles written for the film. There is an appropriate blend of comedy and horror, which is seen in the absurdity of characters, evil gingerbread men, and killer toys, not so much the written dialogue. Once Krampus is seen fully his appearance is pretty cool looking like an old decrepit vile Santa. The ending was rather a letdown but overall it was a decent fun horror flick. It would be best to watch Krampus during Christmas time because it does have a great holiday feel to it, worthy of a watch for sure.
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Good actual horror.Permalink
mavoro25 November 2015
Since no one written a review its on me i guess.
I really Enjoyed the Movie so sorry if i don't really have much negative to say.
The Good:
-Scary scenes are actually scary. (suspence build up pretty well, i liked seeing the 'Monster' which I usually dislike in other Horror Movies)
-Krampus is pretty accurate. (And Scary)
-Additions to the old myth are either working well or are too funny to not include.
-Brings the world closer to the real old Christmas we 'enjoy' in central Europe.
-Funny half of the movie working well.
-Scary half works perfectly fine.
-Overall pretty good contrast to the rest of the commercial holiday.
The Bad:
-Maybe a little slow on the start.
-Maybe overall a bit too harsh for some viewers. (but no blood or overuse of the F Word, but still pretty scary but the closer the end the more serious it gets with less comedy)
The cinema was pretty much enjoying it some people hated it i guess. But i felt it was quite good and had a good evening.
I would say overall if i wanted to watch Krampus in the very beginning, which i didn't intend to, i would be happy with the actual Movie.
It Keeps its Promises and does very well what it intends to do. Don't expect something like Tucker and Dale, Shawn of the Dead or Braindead more a mix of Jeepers Kreepers and and regular Christmas Comedy, but does this much better. (i disliked jeepers creepers and all this Christmas comedy but liked this)
I really Enjoyed the Movie so sorry if i don't really have much negative to say.
The Good:
-Scary scenes are actually scary. (suspence build up pretty well, i liked seeing the 'Monster' which I usually dislike in other Horror Movies)
-Krampus is pretty accurate. (And Scary)
-Additions to the old myth are either working well or are too funny to not include.
-Brings the world closer to the real old Christmas we 'enjoy' in central Europe.
-Funny half of the movie working well.
-Scary half works perfectly fine.
-Overall pretty good contrast to the rest of the commercial holiday.
The Bad:
-Maybe a little slow on the start.
-Maybe overall a bit too harsh for some viewers. (but no blood or overuse of the F Word, but still pretty scary but the closer the end the more serious it gets with less comedy)
The cinema was pretty much enjoying it some people hated it i guess. But i felt it was quite good and had a good evening.
I would say overall if i wanted to watch Krampus in the very beginning, which i didn't intend to, i would be happy with the actual Movie.
It Keeps its Promises and does very well what it intends to do. Don't expect something like Tucker and Dale, Shawn of the Dead or Braindead more a mix of Jeepers Kreepers and and regular Christmas Comedy, but does this much better. (i disliked jeepers creepers and all this Christmas comedy but liked this)
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A Very Good throwback to 80s horror.Permalink
jonathanmark-770487 December 2015
Plot: A boy who has a bad Christmas ends up accidentally summoning a Christmas demon to his family home.
This was a fun movie to watch, the kind of film I've been wanting to see done with much love and respect to the fans of the genre. Each of the cast does a good job portraying their characters even if the characters are not the friendliest people in the world. The practical effects are terrific and are a huge relief from all the CGI these days. Even though I don't hate CGI, a lot of filmmakers tend to overuse it these days. This film only used CGI when necessary which is something that most filmmakers should learn.
I only have 2 problems hence why I gave this an 8 and that is the ending is kind of weak and not every joke worked for me, but that's it. This film is a really good throwback to the 80s with a really good cast, script, story and great practical effects. Please go see this, these type of films need to be made nowadays, not reboots of movies and TV shows.
This was a fun movie to watch, the kind of film I've been wanting to see done with much love and respect to the fans of the genre. Each of the cast does a good job portraying their characters even if the characters are not the friendliest people in the world. The practical effects are terrific and are a huge relief from all the CGI these days. Even though I don't hate CGI, a lot of filmmakers tend to overuse it these days. This film only used CGI when necessary which is something that most filmmakers should learn.
I only have 2 problems hence why I gave this an 8 and that is the ending is kind of weak and not every joke worked for me, but that's it. This film is a really good throwback to the 80s with a really good cast, script, story and great practical effects. Please go see this, these type of films need to be made nowadays, not reboots of movies and TV shows.
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Krampus is exactly what we need.Permalink
Jgirl26886 December 2015
I first heard of the story of Krampus from a Christmas episode of American Dad!, and I've been surprised that none of the reviews I watched online for this film mentioned that since it's the one of the only times Krampus is mentioned in pop culture. Perhaps now that this movie is out, we will hear more about him. I sure hope so, because this is the perfect Christmas tale for the kids and families out there. It's a story that we could all benefit from, in fact.
The film starts out by showing us the insanity that we all know as Christmas shopping. It's all about how materialism and family strife can wreak havoc on our emotions during holidays. The problems all trickle down to the children, who should really be enjoying and celebrating the season instead of getting caught up in the stress the adult deal with. So, our main character rips up his letter to Santa, and wishes for all of this to be over with.
Krampus, being the evil side of Christmas, grants the wish. The characters are slowly plunged into a horror story. Their Christmas story becomes a story of survival. Will they be able to get along for the sake of surviving Christmas?
There were only a few things that I really had a problem with. That's why it gets an 8 instead of a 9 or 10. The first reason comes from the fact that I am a serious horror fan, and felt disappointed at the lack of blood and gore in the film. That reason may keep some genre fans away, but also makes the film more accessible to the kid and family audience, whom the film is really for. The other problem I had with the film was with the editing during the scenes with Krampus' helpers, because it was quite jumpy and made it hard to see everything going on the entire time.
Again, this is a good movie. I highly recommend it as one of the best new family Christmas movies. Krampus is exactly what we need to balance out the holiday. This will definitely be remembered as more than just another holiday themed horror movie. It will, hopefully, become a staple for Christmas viewing.
The film starts out by showing us the insanity that we all know as Christmas shopping. It's all about how materialism and family strife can wreak havoc on our emotions during holidays. The problems all trickle down to the children, who should really be enjoying and celebrating the season instead of getting caught up in the stress the adult deal with. So, our main character rips up his letter to Santa, and wishes for all of this to be over with.
Krampus, being the evil side of Christmas, grants the wish. The characters are slowly plunged into a horror story. Their Christmas story becomes a story of survival. Will they be able to get along for the sake of surviving Christmas?
There were only a few things that I really had a problem with. That's why it gets an 8 instead of a 9 or 10. The first reason comes from the fact that I am a serious horror fan, and felt disappointed at the lack of blood and gore in the film. That reason may keep some genre fans away, but also makes the film more accessible to the kid and family audience, whom the film is really for. The other problem I had with the film was with the editing during the scenes with Krampus' helpers, because it was quite jumpy and made it hard to see everything going on the entire time.
Again, this is a good movie. I highly recommend it as one of the best new family Christmas movies. Krampus is exactly what we need to balance out the holiday. This will definitely be remembered as more than just another holiday themed horror movie. It will, hopefully, become a staple for Christmas viewing.
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'Twas the night Krampus entered my life and surprised me tonight!Permalink
TheCinematicMind6 December 2015
The Cinematic Mind reviews Krampus (Dougherty, USA, 2015) ****/*****
A few days before Christmas, we meet a dysfunctional family who are not getting on very well. A young boy (Emjay Anthony) loses the hope and spirit of Christmas because the holidays aren't the same as they used to be with his family and proceeds to destroys a letter he wrote to Santa Claus triggering the release of a massive blizzard and the summoning of the titular Christmas folklore demon who strikes against the family and it isn't alone.
From 2007's Trick 'r Treat director and screenwriter Michael Dougherty, this is the second holiday themed horror film he has done. This sub- genre is known as the X-MAS Horror! For me, they are very mixed-bag for me! My favourite would easily be Black Christmas (1974) in my life as one of cinema's most underrated slashers of the 1970's with one of the most bone chilling endings in a horror film and Gremlins, enough said. Others include The Nightmare Before Christmas, Christmas Evil and Silent Night Deadly Night (I consider it a little overrated). The potential is huge but also can be a task to handle. However, this is movie besides Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale are the greatest modern X-MAS horror films of recent times considering I was making fun of the title alone and thought it would be TV movie quality. The results altered once the film began.
The setup is a brilliant throwback to the stereotypical mean-spirited family from Christmas Vacation and Home Alone and a great satire on consumerism taking over the holidays with a riot at a Shopping Mall with 'It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas' by Bing Crosby in the background. Ahh! The lost of being vintage and nostalgic. I call glorious irony.
The acting is surprisingly strong. Adam Scott as the classic overworking father, Toni Collette as the anguish wife and David Koechner as the overbearing mean spirited uncle who provide great conflict in a dysfunctional nightmare at each other. Even the child performances not once cringe me at all! Once the characters start to realise what the following events are taking place and coming to learn lessons about the actual meaning of Christmas, I quote I dropped in awe. A celebration gift to all the memorable horror films and Christmas horror films of the 80's/90's.
From Gremlins, The Evil Dead to Poltergeist, Nightmare Before Christmas and one of my favourite scenes, a homage to Rankin/Bass with a back-story of Krampus presented in animation. The comedy is hilariously quotable. Mainly from the cynical drunk great aunt played by Conchata Ferrell. However, it never ruins the thrills of the suspense and creativity of the creatures the film thrown at us. For my universal acclaim, the production design, the music score by composer Douglas Pipes and the practical effects of Krampus and the minions brings to life the dark corners of Christmas in a way I wanted to experience. From the vintage jingles to the chilling suspense pieces. This is an example of me wanting to check out the art of Krampus and resulting in myself in collapsing all over the designs. They took the budget of $15 million and the crew carry out this stimulating picture given on what they had on their shoulders.
However, why do I did prefer Trick 'r Treat still more? Simple! The execution wasn't fully there. Krampus felt underused at times! When Krampus is in it, my mind is blown away in excitement, I wanted to discover the hellish nightmare of Krampus. There might had been a little too much of the minion/toys more than Krampus. There needed to be more set pieces with the character without this disjointed middle. Also, the ending nearly irritated me as it nearly involved one of my most hated cliques in horror history until the rest of the ending happened, it at least never destroyed the ending with the message of the film and what it turns out to be. I wanted a little more than that because I felt it could had a longer runtime. It breathe a sequel that could happen.
Still, I'll consider this during a time where most expensive Horror films are underwhelming unintentional comedies with ugly third rate CGI, Dougherty and his crew decided to continue the practical dream to us Horror fans and brought us a dark and fun early Christmas gift! In conclusion, 'Twas the night Krampus entered my life and surprised me tonight! Merry Christmas and let's hope the force would awake and rise. Tell me what you think of my review.
A few days before Christmas, we meet a dysfunctional family who are not getting on very well. A young boy (Emjay Anthony) loses the hope and spirit of Christmas because the holidays aren't the same as they used to be with his family and proceeds to destroys a letter he wrote to Santa Claus triggering the release of a massive blizzard and the summoning of the titular Christmas folklore demon who strikes against the family and it isn't alone.
From 2007's Trick 'r Treat director and screenwriter Michael Dougherty, this is the second holiday themed horror film he has done. This sub- genre is known as the X-MAS Horror! For me, they are very mixed-bag for me! My favourite would easily be Black Christmas (1974) in my life as one of cinema's most underrated slashers of the 1970's with one of the most bone chilling endings in a horror film and Gremlins, enough said. Others include The Nightmare Before Christmas, Christmas Evil and Silent Night Deadly Night (I consider it a little overrated). The potential is huge but also can be a task to handle. However, this is movie besides Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale are the greatest modern X-MAS horror films of recent times considering I was making fun of the title alone and thought it would be TV movie quality. The results altered once the film began.
The setup is a brilliant throwback to the stereotypical mean-spirited family from Christmas Vacation and Home Alone and a great satire on consumerism taking over the holidays with a riot at a Shopping Mall with 'It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas' by Bing Crosby in the background. Ahh! The lost of being vintage and nostalgic. I call glorious irony.
The acting is surprisingly strong. Adam Scott as the classic overworking father, Toni Collette as the anguish wife and David Koechner as the overbearing mean spirited uncle who provide great conflict in a dysfunctional nightmare at each other. Even the child performances not once cringe me at all! Once the characters start to realise what the following events are taking place and coming to learn lessons about the actual meaning of Christmas, I quote I dropped in awe. A celebration gift to all the memorable horror films and Christmas horror films of the 80's/90's.
From Gremlins, The Evil Dead to Poltergeist, Nightmare Before Christmas and one of my favourite scenes, a homage to Rankin/Bass with a back-story of Krampus presented in animation. The comedy is hilariously quotable. Mainly from the cynical drunk great aunt played by Conchata Ferrell. However, it never ruins the thrills of the suspense and creativity of the creatures the film thrown at us. For my universal acclaim, the production design, the music score by composer Douglas Pipes and the practical effects of Krampus and the minions brings to life the dark corners of Christmas in a way I wanted to experience. From the vintage jingles to the chilling suspense pieces. This is an example of me wanting to check out the art of Krampus and resulting in myself in collapsing all over the designs. They took the budget of $15 million and the crew carry out this stimulating picture given on what they had on their shoulders.
However, why do I did prefer Trick 'r Treat still more? Simple! The execution wasn't fully there. Krampus felt underused at times! When Krampus is in it, my mind is blown away in excitement, I wanted to discover the hellish nightmare of Krampus. There might had been a little too much of the minion/toys more than Krampus. There needed to be more set pieces with the character without this disjointed middle. Also, the ending nearly irritated me as it nearly involved one of my most hated cliques in horror history until the rest of the ending happened, it at least never destroyed the ending with the message of the film and what it turns out to be. I wanted a little more than that because I felt it could had a longer runtime. It breathe a sequel that could happen.
Still, I'll consider this during a time where most expensive Horror films are underwhelming unintentional comedies with ugly third rate CGI, Dougherty and his crew decided to continue the practical dream to us Horror fans and brought us a dark and fun early Christmas gift! In conclusion, 'Twas the night Krampus entered my life and surprised me tonight! Merry Christmas and let's hope the force would awake and rise. Tell me what you think of my review.
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A horror comedy that isn't scary..or funnyPermalink
d_stack0414 December 2015
Warning: SpoilersAs a frequent cinema goer I can appreciate when a filmmaker tries something new. I like it when a movie takes a risk. But it is called a risk for a reason. Michael Dougherty took some risks with Krampus and while I admire the effort, I didn't care for the resulting product.
Krampus is that movie that tries just a little too hard. Everything feels forced. The comedy. The 'scary' moments. This movie desperately wants to be this generation's Gremlins and it isn't. Not by a long shot.
This movie is not without its positives. The actors in this movie do a very good job and I was very close to caring about their characters' fates. But the good acting is wasted on the movie thanks to its clichéd dialogue. And the exception of this would be Conchatta Farrell. She plays the same loud, brash, sarcastic old broad that she annoyed us with for years on Two and a Half Men. I can't help but think that a better actress who could play the type of character they were aiming for, like a Kathy Bates, would have made the character more sympathetic and the movie a little better.
The biggest problem with this movie is it doesn't ever really decide if it's a horror or a comedy. It gets more serious at the end as horror comedies naturally do but by that time you really don't care about these characters. It was a horror movie that didn't make you root for the bad guy per se, but man was I waiting for everyone to die. There are scenes where these people are getting attacked by their toys (yeah, I know. Stupid.) and you can't tell if you're supposed to laugh or be terrified. I laughed at how unterrifying the creatures were but I'm sure that wasn't the filmmaker's intent.
And as for the creatures, once again I appreciate the deviation from the norm and using practical effects, but they are really cheesy and look too puppet-y. First off, we see some toys come to life and attack the family. Sounds like a real scary Christmas scenario. But the toys that come to life are a jack in the box; something that hasn't been under a Christmas tree in about 50 years, a porcelain doll that wouldn't be a suitable gift for ANY of the female characters, and an obviously CGI killer teddy bear. But my biggest complaint is the actual Krampus creature itself. The movie shows you flashes of the villain and even got me excited to see what this thing looks like. Then when they show the Krampus it looks like a prop from a local theater production. At that point, I wish they had never shown him, the mystery would have been way better.
The movie's story is just flat out inconsistent. For a good while you forget about the Krampus completely because of the endless attacks from his minions. You never get any kind of explanation as to where everyone else in this town went to. The grandma character was most frustrating. They used the very annoying foreign language ploy to get more dialogue on the page. As in the character says something in a foreign language, another character asks what they said and yet ANOTHER character translates. See how I just wasted three sentences to explain something that could have been done with one? Yeah, THAT annoying. She also happens to be the living exposition machine. Why is this happening? Grandma will explain after the fact when saying this earlier might have saved a person's life but whatever, I guess. And at the end they kill off about 4 or 5 characters within a matter of seconds. It's as if they realized they had too many survivors at the end and just sloppily had the creature take them out.
The most disappointing aspect of the film is its comedy, or lack thereof. I know how subjective comedy is but you see every joke coming from a mile away like you do this film's jump scares. Maybe it's the Conchatta Farrell thing bothering me still but the jokes feel like they were written by the staff of Two and a Half Men. It's just set up, break, punchline, repeat. They never take advantage of any physical comedy that could come out from a story like this.
Overall, you could see that everyone really tried on this movie but the execution left so much to be desired. I wouldn't recommend seeing this in a theater simply from a financial standpoint. If you're still curious about this one by the time it gets to disc, go ahead and rent it if only to feed your curiosity. No offense but if you're a teenager you might really enjoy this one. I saw plenty of teens enjoying this one and laughing at the jokes I groaned over. So who knows? Maybe I'm just too old for this one.
4 out of 10 stars
Krampus is that movie that tries just a little too hard. Everything feels forced. The comedy. The 'scary' moments. This movie desperately wants to be this generation's Gremlins and it isn't. Not by a long shot.
This movie is not without its positives. The actors in this movie do a very good job and I was very close to caring about their characters' fates. But the good acting is wasted on the movie thanks to its clichéd dialogue. And the exception of this would be Conchatta Farrell. She plays the same loud, brash, sarcastic old broad that she annoyed us with for years on Two and a Half Men. I can't help but think that a better actress who could play the type of character they were aiming for, like a Kathy Bates, would have made the character more sympathetic and the movie a little better.
The biggest problem with this movie is it doesn't ever really decide if it's a horror or a comedy. It gets more serious at the end as horror comedies naturally do but by that time you really don't care about these characters. It was a horror movie that didn't make you root for the bad guy per se, but man was I waiting for everyone to die. There are scenes where these people are getting attacked by their toys (yeah, I know. Stupid.) and you can't tell if you're supposed to laugh or be terrified. I laughed at how unterrifying the creatures were but I'm sure that wasn't the filmmaker's intent.
And as for the creatures, once again I appreciate the deviation from the norm and using practical effects, but they are really cheesy and look too puppet-y. First off, we see some toys come to life and attack the family. Sounds like a real scary Christmas scenario. But the toys that come to life are a jack in the box; something that hasn't been under a Christmas tree in about 50 years, a porcelain doll that wouldn't be a suitable gift for ANY of the female characters, and an obviously CGI killer teddy bear. But my biggest complaint is the actual Krampus creature itself. The movie shows you flashes of the villain and even got me excited to see what this thing looks like. Then when they show the Krampus it looks like a prop from a local theater production. At that point, I wish they had never shown him, the mystery would have been way better.
The movie's story is just flat out inconsistent. For a good while you forget about the Krampus completely because of the endless attacks from his minions. You never get any kind of explanation as to where everyone else in this town went to. The grandma character was most frustrating. They used the very annoying foreign language ploy to get more dialogue on the page. As in the character says something in a foreign language, another character asks what they said and yet ANOTHER character translates. See how I just wasted three sentences to explain something that could have been done with one? Yeah, THAT annoying. She also happens to be the living exposition machine. Why is this happening? Grandma will explain after the fact when saying this earlier might have saved a person's life but whatever, I guess. And at the end they kill off about 4 or 5 characters within a matter of seconds. It's as if they realized they had too many survivors at the end and just sloppily had the creature take them out.
The most disappointing aspect of the film is its comedy, or lack thereof. I know how subjective comedy is but you see every joke coming from a mile away like you do this film's jump scares. Maybe it's the Conchatta Farrell thing bothering me still but the jokes feel like they were written by the staff of Two and a Half Men. It's just set up, break, punchline, repeat. They never take advantage of any physical comedy that could come out from a story like this.
Overall, you could see that everyone really tried on this movie but the execution left so much to be desired. I wouldn't recommend seeing this in a theater simply from a financial standpoint. If you're still curious about this one by the time it gets to disc, go ahead and rent it if only to feed your curiosity. No offense but if you're a teenager you might really enjoy this one. I saw plenty of teens enjoying this one and laughing at the jokes I groaned over. So who knows? Maybe I'm just too old for this one.
4 out of 10 stars
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And all through the house, a whole damn bunch of creatures were stirring.Permalink
Hey_Sweden1 December 2016
'Krampus', based on actual folklore in Germany and Austria, may not be without faults, but damn if it isn't a reasonably impressive new addition to the canon of Yuletide genre movies. It starts out as an obnoxious domestic comedy, as one family welcomes their grating relatives in for the holidays. Young Max, played by the very appealing Emjay Anthony, is so distraught by the friction between his kin that he destroys his letter to Santa and turns his back on the Christmas season. Big mistake: an imposing demon named Krampus makes it his mission to punish - make that SEVERELY punish - all those who lose their hopes and beliefs. Soon, horrible weather conditions presage an escalating series of terrors for Max and company.
Co-written and directed by Michael Dougherty, who also gave us a modern Halloween favorite in the form of 'Trick r Treat', this is surprisingly engaging entertainment. However, it's not so much a horror comedy, as it is a full-blown horror movie with some moments of levity. Despite the PG-13 rating, it's not for the youngest members of your own family due to some incredible intensity. It does take on the tones of a nightmare. It's not always believable - if you heard the disembodied voice of a loved one who'd gone missing, you'd sure as Hell want to investigate - but this viewer regards this sort of thing as mostly pure fantasy, anyway.
It does have its pleasures, such as a rich variety of 'monsters', which are huge, hideous abominations of familiar toys and goodies. (This viewers' personal favorite was the anaconda sized Jack in the box.) There is some very potent atmosphere and quite a bit of macabre imagery filling up the 2.35:1 frame.
How one responds to the protagonists will most likely affect how they respond to the film. Yours truly wouldn't have minded seeing everybody get theirs. Still, the actors give it 100%: Adam Scott and Toni Collette as Maxs' parents, David Koechner as the gun loving uncle, Conchata Ferrell as the grumpy great aunt, and Krista Stadler as the wise grandmother who knows the score, right from the start.
A solid diversion overall, with some groan inducing dialogue and moments but quite a bit of energy & pizazz and a twisted nature.
Seven out of 10.
Co-written and directed by Michael Dougherty, who also gave us a modern Halloween favorite in the form of 'Trick r Treat', this is surprisingly engaging entertainment. However, it's not so much a horror comedy, as it is a full-blown horror movie with some moments of levity. Despite the PG-13 rating, it's not for the youngest members of your own family due to some incredible intensity. It does take on the tones of a nightmare. It's not always believable - if you heard the disembodied voice of a loved one who'd gone missing, you'd sure as Hell want to investigate - but this viewer regards this sort of thing as mostly pure fantasy, anyway.
It does have its pleasures, such as a rich variety of 'monsters', which are huge, hideous abominations of familiar toys and goodies. (This viewers' personal favorite was the anaconda sized Jack in the box.) There is some very potent atmosphere and quite a bit of macabre imagery filling up the 2.35:1 frame.
How one responds to the protagonists will most likely affect how they respond to the film. Yours truly wouldn't have minded seeing everybody get theirs. Still, the actors give it 100%: Adam Scott and Toni Collette as Maxs' parents, David Koechner as the gun loving uncle, Conchata Ferrell as the grumpy great aunt, and Krista Stadler as the wise grandmother who knows the score, right from the start.
A solid diversion overall, with some groan inducing dialogue and moments but quite a bit of energy & pizazz and a twisted nature.
Seven out of 10.
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Autistic Reviewers opinion on this movie.Permalink
autisticreviewers11 December 2015
Wow! Now this is a Horror cult classic! I haven't seen a movie like this in years! It was certainly a great surprise! While people compare this movie to Gremlins I guarantee you it is nothing like Gremlins. This movie is its own movie! The acting was top notch, even when there were elements of cheesiness that occurred they all managed to keep it great! The director also did 'Trick Or Treat' which is another Halloween cult classic. But Krampus surpasses 'Trick Or Treat' by a long shot. The story was good, and it keeps you really glued to the screen wandering what will happen next. There are also many scenes that are hilarious. Most of the humour came from Aunt Dorothy.
Many people online will complain that the characters/actors were too unbelievable and so unlikeable. This is the whole point of the movie. This is a story of a broken with family with no love, no respect and no desire to love Christmas. And then Krampus comes to town!
The Practical Effects were used so well. I like the fact there was no CGI used for this movie (with the exception of the Ginger Bread Men). It's kept old school, and it never fails to amaze us.
Without spoiling anything..the story does start out quite slow. But as soon as the blizzard hits..you know you're in for the roller-coaster ride. Kramous's minions are awesome and scary, to say the least! When Krampus's appears his face will give you nightmares! The ending was very original and very unexpected. I really hope this becomes a movie (like Home Alone) that comes on TV every year for all of us to appreciate the spirit of Christmas! All in all, it is a cult classic and it was quite a surprise on how good it was. Had no idea this would be a movie I would love so much. Really highly recommended! 4.5/5 stars. -Autistic Jay
Many people online will complain that the characters/actors were too unbelievable and so unlikeable. This is the whole point of the movie. This is a story of a broken with family with no love, no respect and no desire to love Christmas. And then Krampus comes to town!
The Practical Effects were used so well. I like the fact there was no CGI used for this movie (with the exception of the Ginger Bread Men). It's kept old school, and it never fails to amaze us.
Without spoiling anything..the story does start out quite slow. But as soon as the blizzard hits..you know you're in for the roller-coaster ride. Kramous's minions are awesome and scary, to say the least! When Krampus's appears his face will give you nightmares! The ending was very original and very unexpected. I really hope this becomes a movie (like Home Alone) that comes on TV every year for all of us to appreciate the spirit of Christmas! All in all, it is a cult classic and it was quite a surprise on how good it was. Had no idea this would be a movie I would love so much. Really highly recommended! 4.5/5 stars. -Autistic Jay
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Great Horror Film with Some Christmas ComedyPermalink
Octavien4 December 2015
Going into this movie I expected it to be a horror comedy with more comedy than horror. I was wrong.
Like many horror films this film starts out light and then becomes continually darker. The start is a great parody of modern day Christmas and rather funny. The movie gets darker fast and the middle produces a great mixture of light comedy and dark horror. The last third is surprisingly dark. The end you'll either hate or love.
Horror fans will be glad they have a movie to watch every holiday season. Those seeking more comedy will be disappointed but not by much.
The cast is excellent and the performances by Scott and Koechner stand out. Ferrell and Tolman provide great side characters. The rest of the cast provide good performances with none making me wish there was another in their place. Characters are well written and the development is one of the best in a horror film. Characters are supposed to mimic family and much like many Christmas stories the family is more likable as it progresses.
The plot is decent. A warning to commercialism like most Christmas movies and specials these days except much darker. The horror in the film plays like a home invasion. There are pure comedic moments that don't ruin the tone of the movie. There are pure horror moments that sets the tone. There are only a few horror/comedy mix moments allowing a dark tone for the movie without being too outlandish.
The only problems I had was with the lack of subtitles and need for Max/Tom to translate for the German grandma and the ending will give you mixed feelings.
Come for horror and stay because Krampus leaves you with a nice present under the tree.
Like many horror films this film starts out light and then becomes continually darker. The start is a great parody of modern day Christmas and rather funny. The movie gets darker fast and the middle produces a great mixture of light comedy and dark horror. The last third is surprisingly dark. The end you'll either hate or love.
Horror fans will be glad they have a movie to watch every holiday season. Those seeking more comedy will be disappointed but not by much.
The cast is excellent and the performances by Scott and Koechner stand out. Ferrell and Tolman provide great side characters. The rest of the cast provide good performances with none making me wish there was another in their place. Characters are well written and the development is one of the best in a horror film. Characters are supposed to mimic family and much like many Christmas stories the family is more likable as it progresses.
The plot is decent. A warning to commercialism like most Christmas movies and specials these days except much darker. The horror in the film plays like a home invasion. There are pure comedic moments that don't ruin the tone of the movie. There are pure horror moments that sets the tone. There are only a few horror/comedy mix moments allowing a dark tone for the movie without being too outlandish.
The only problems I had was with the lack of subtitles and need for Max/Tom to translate for the German grandma and the ending will give you mixed feelings.
Come for horror and stay because Krampus leaves you with a nice present under the tree.
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A future holiday cult classic combining comedy and horrorPermalink
kjmcdani5 December 2015
Warning: Spoilers'Krampus' is a cautionary tale for the families that fight and bicker during the holidays. The film really takes a deeper look into how American families have lost the true meaning of Christmas, which is meant to be a time of giving and joyful celebration with loved ones.
DIRECTION/PACE
The opening scene and following setup scenes of 'Krampus' define the way Christmas is celebrated in America. The slow motion scramble in the mega store and the following awkward, dissonant exchanges between the family peer into how meaningless and materialistic American society has become. The following family scenes also address the loss of wonder that one experiences when growing up, such as disbelief in Santa. In addition, most of the family members complain about spending time with their cousin counterparts. These scenes drag on for longer than I would have liked.
The film transitions from family scenes to thriller scenes. Krampus appears in a fast paced action scene. The first attack occurs and signals that it's time for the horror to start. From this point on the film continues to build up tension as more and more frightening things happen. This build up period is lengthy and has some frustrating moments that lag the action to increase suspense.
The main action (which is humorous at points - dependent upon the audience) actually takes place in a short amount of time. It is intense all throughout and will have you jumping and laughing at the disturbing creatures. This is followed by the climax of the film - the up close unveiling of Krampus. The falling action is a 'flight' from the horrors and the ending is quick, but satisfactory. There is a strong message and not some cheesy cop out. The ending is unexpected, despite what some other reviews would lead you to believe - lots of hindsight heroes out there.
Ultimately, I felt the pace and direction could be improved. Less setup, a little less tension building, and a little more horror action+gore would have helped balance out the film. 'Krampus' provided the horror excellently and I'm pleased it isn't just another 'jump scare' film. It blends thriller, horror, and comedy well.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
As said before, the slow motion brawling in the mega store is brilliant. The film uses lots of low, closeup, and unique angles that work well in the horror genre. The camera during the outside chase scene where Krampus is jumping from roof to roof makes it exciting - the camera is aimed perpendicular and up close to the character with Krampus in the background.
There is also a nice closeup shot of a used Santa candle that had two streams of red candle wax running down the head as if Santa is bleeding. Excellent use of foreshadowing with characters lurking in the background. The haze of the blizzard added to the intensity and 'fear', meanwhile use of underexposure in some scenes created apprehension. Overall, the cinematography in 'Krampus' is well done and stays true to the genre.
WRITING
The plot of the movie is an innovative twist on the Krampus folklore in an American setting. The characters are believable and mostly stayed true to themselves. The only real break in any character comes from the grandmother who goes from speaking only German to English suddenly. There is not much character development to be had. There is no 'growth' from the events that happened other than characters regrets of hostility. Again, the cautionary tale aspect is really where the message is delivered - the end result of their actions.
EDITING
'Krampus' flows well throughout the course of the film. Scene transitions were not jarring and there are no bad 'cuts'. The film does an excellent job with use of CGI elements. CGI is used intelligently and as an enhancement of the scene, never replacing it. Where CGI fails often, to me, is when it's overused for beings that need to move 'naturally'. This is not an issue in 'Krampus'!
COSTUME DESIGN
The costumes are spot on. All the characters are wearing traditional Christmas garb - big coats, hats, gloves, knit sweaters, etc. They even went far enough to distinguish between Tom's family (Adam Scott) and Howard's family (David Koechner) wealth gap. All of the evil Krampus 'helpers', the 'sleigh', the 'reindeer', etc. are mostly real props that were expertly touched up (with CGI). I really enjoyed the close up scenes of Krampus, there is great attention to detail to make him look like the real deal - hooves and horns and all!
SET DESIGN
'Krampus' takes place in the perfect modern day Christmas movie location - what I would call a 'Home Alone' suburbia. The location not only fit the film perfectly, but it looks just like a frozen nightmare. The house, creepy snowmen, the blizzard, the recently abandoned/dead house, etc.
SCORE/SOUNDTRACK
'Krampus' features popular Christmas tunes serve as background music or in a creepy way, either to add suspense to tense moments or 'altered' to create a horror effect - such as played with an odd instrument or particular emphasis on certain notes (such as holding them longer) that distinguishes from the original piece. The score emphasizes the movie and moods of the scenes so well it melds right into every scene.
As a whole, 'Krampus' does a lot of things right. There are a few shortcomings in the character writing and pace. The story accomplishes what it was set out to do and still very much entertains. The film is a great break from the usual Christmas garbage while still conveying a very important message - don't lose sight of the spirit of Christmas! (In a non-religious point of view).
DIRECTION/PACE
The opening scene and following setup scenes of 'Krampus' define the way Christmas is celebrated in America. The slow motion scramble in the mega store and the following awkward, dissonant exchanges between the family peer into how meaningless and materialistic American society has become. The following family scenes also address the loss of wonder that one experiences when growing up, such as disbelief in Santa. In addition, most of the family members complain about spending time with their cousin counterparts. These scenes drag on for longer than I would have liked.
The film transitions from family scenes to thriller scenes. Krampus appears in a fast paced action scene. The first attack occurs and signals that it's time for the horror to start. From this point on the film continues to build up tension as more and more frightening things happen. This build up period is lengthy and has some frustrating moments that lag the action to increase suspense.
The main action (which is humorous at points - dependent upon the audience) actually takes place in a short amount of time. It is intense all throughout and will have you jumping and laughing at the disturbing creatures. This is followed by the climax of the film - the up close unveiling of Krampus. The falling action is a 'flight' from the horrors and the ending is quick, but satisfactory. There is a strong message and not some cheesy cop out. The ending is unexpected, despite what some other reviews would lead you to believe - lots of hindsight heroes out there.
Ultimately, I felt the pace and direction could be improved. Less setup, a little less tension building, and a little more horror action+gore would have helped balance out the film. 'Krampus' provided the horror excellently and I'm pleased it isn't just another 'jump scare' film. It blends thriller, horror, and comedy well.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
As said before, the slow motion brawling in the mega store is brilliant. The film uses lots of low, closeup, and unique angles that work well in the horror genre. The camera during the outside chase scene where Krampus is jumping from roof to roof makes it exciting - the camera is aimed perpendicular and up close to the character with Krampus in the background.
There is also a nice closeup shot of a used Santa candle that had two streams of red candle wax running down the head as if Santa is bleeding. Excellent use of foreshadowing with characters lurking in the background. The haze of the blizzard added to the intensity and 'fear', meanwhile use of underexposure in some scenes created apprehension. Overall, the cinematography in 'Krampus' is well done and stays true to the genre.
WRITING
The plot of the movie is an innovative twist on the Krampus folklore in an American setting. The characters are believable and mostly stayed true to themselves. The only real break in any character comes from the grandmother who goes from speaking only German to English suddenly. There is not much character development to be had. There is no 'growth' from the events that happened other than characters regrets of hostility. Again, the cautionary tale aspect is really where the message is delivered - the end result of their actions.
EDITING
'Krampus' flows well throughout the course of the film. Scene transitions were not jarring and there are no bad 'cuts'. The film does an excellent job with use of CGI elements. CGI is used intelligently and as an enhancement of the scene, never replacing it. Where CGI fails often, to me, is when it's overused for beings that need to move 'naturally'. This is not an issue in 'Krampus'!
COSTUME DESIGN
The costumes are spot on. All the characters are wearing traditional Christmas garb - big coats, hats, gloves, knit sweaters, etc. They even went far enough to distinguish between Tom's family (Adam Scott) and Howard's family (David Koechner) wealth gap. All of the evil Krampus 'helpers', the 'sleigh', the 'reindeer', etc. are mostly real props that were expertly touched up (with CGI). I really enjoyed the close up scenes of Krampus, there is great attention to detail to make him look like the real deal - hooves and horns and all!
SET DESIGN
'Krampus' takes place in the perfect modern day Christmas movie location - what I would call a 'Home Alone' suburbia. The location not only fit the film perfectly, but it looks just like a frozen nightmare. The house, creepy snowmen, the blizzard, the recently abandoned/dead house, etc.
SCORE/SOUNDTRACK
'Krampus' features popular Christmas tunes serve as background music or in a creepy way, either to add suspense to tense moments or 'altered' to create a horror effect - such as played with an odd instrument or particular emphasis on certain notes (such as holding them longer) that distinguishes from the original piece. The score emphasizes the movie and moods of the scenes so well it melds right into every scene.
As a whole, 'Krampus' does a lot of things right. There are a few shortcomings in the character writing and pace. The story accomplishes what it was set out to do and still very much entertains. The film is a great break from the usual Christmas garbage while still conveying a very important message - don't lose sight of the spirit of Christmas! (In a non-religious point of view).
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Remarkably well done, & remarkably malignedPermalink
bobtheskull-882408 December 2015
You know that sense of duty you feel sometimes when watching patriotic movies? You know, the old, 'somebody's got to stand up for what's right' kind of shtick that sappy, emotional dramas love to smack audiences with so that they can be nominated for awards while being carried on a tide of tears and guilt? That's more or less how I feel about this review on Krampus, but in this case it's because I'm quite fed up with reading professional reviews of the film. I don't think any of the critics that I stumbled across had more than one or two kind words for Krampus, and that seems like a disservice to me because this film isn't bad -- in fact, it's really good. So this is me trying to set the record straight. If you're looking for a TL;DR sort of line so that you can skip reading the rest of this: 'Krampus isn't perfect, but has likable characters, beautiful design, and produces enough tension to baffle an army of massage-therapists. If you aren't bothered with a PG-13 Horror movie, or are willing to wait for the unrated version, strongly consider watching it.' For those of you who watched the trailers put out for Krampus, I'm sure that the beginning of film didn't hold much in the way of surprises for you. We're thrust into the story of a young boy named Max who is so disheartened both by the general air of marketing- driven greediness, and by the unpleasant attitudes of his family, that he throws away his own holiday spirit. Since we are talking about a Horror movie, this sort of thing can only ever lead to curses or monsters; and sure enough, Max's ill feelings draw down the ire of Krampus: a Germanic spirit whose job is to punish those who are on the Naughty section of Santa's list. Soon, Max and his family are trapped in their house by a blizzard of epic proportions, all while Krampus and his minions stalk them and pick off family members one by one; and if all of this sounds very familiar to you, then you've probably ridden on the Horror express a time or two. Krampus doesn't set out to make major waves in the genre, and is on very friendly terms with the clichés we've all come to know and love. But it doesn't take an utterly original movie to be good, and Krampus has to be my favorite new Horror movie that I've seen in a long while. For one thing, Krampus' actors are all very good. None of them are people that I recognize off-hand, which is a little unusual for movies nowadays; but every single one of them pulls their weight, and manages to come across as being more than just a walking plot device -- which is excellent. Nothing kills the mood in a movie where people are picked off one-by-one like unreal-seeming characters. Another point in Krampus' favor is that every critter that makes its way onto the screen looks absolutely horrifying in the best possible way. Dougherty did similar things with creature design in Trick 'r Treat, and it really pays off in this movie with evil clowns, elves, dolls, and pretty much anything else you can think of that's vaguely Christmas related. Cinematography is similarly fantastic-looking, and really does its job in establishing a mood. In fact, the more I think about the film, the more I realize that the only negative thing that I have to say is that the ending could have been a little better. Without wishing to spoil anything, there's a part near the end where it would have been absolutely devastating to drop the curtain and simply leave the story, and the film fails to capitalize on this. Still, the ending isn't absolute crap, and considering how good of an impression the rest of the movie left on me, it would have taken an ending on par with a natural disaster to change my opinions. Which leads me somewhat unevenly to my next thought: I don't understand where the negative professional critique on Krampus is coming from. Perhaps the most baffling comments for me (and there are a lot of them) are the ones that claim that Krampus is comedy, and fails to hit the mark in terms of humor. I might have missed something, what with my jaw resting on the floor while I stared at the terrifying- looking jack-in-the-box, but I really detected little to no comedic vibe from Krampus. There are some scenes which pay a certain amount of homage to movies like Evil Dead, but nothing I saw struck me as being intended in a comical light; in fact, the only reason that I can fathom for people believing that Krampus is partially a comedy is that there were rumors circulating around the Web to that affect. In fact, the more I've read through critics' comments, the more strongly I'm struck by the bizarre feeling that none of them actually paid much attention to the film. Maybe this suspicion is nothing more than my bias showing, but I have difficulty in accepting that a reviewer has actually watched the movie when they try to sell me on the idea that the plot revolves around Liberal vs Conservative stereotypes. (Yes, that is an actual example.) More than anything else, though, I think that the feeling of disconnect between myself and the reviewers is mostly due to the fact that few of them seem to be looking at the movie from the standpoint of Horror. As has been paraphrased uncounted numbers of times, real Horror is only possible when faced with the unknown and mysterious; and none of the reviewers whose works I've read seem to have had the patience for this. Which is a shame, both because it's harder to review a movie which you don't give a chance to, and because they missed out on what I'd call a very good time.
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Meeehhhh..
85122210 April 2016
Greetings from Lithuania.
'Krampus' (2015) is sometimes kinda pretty creepy, sometimes a little scary, sometimes a little funny movie that eventually gets boring by trying to be different and by doing that, it quickly becomes very average. It is not a bad movie by any means, but it's just so .. average. There is nothing in it that you would like to return for a second viewing and nothing that you would be glued to your screen during first viewing.
Overall, 'Krampus' tries to be scary and kinda original Cristmas movie, and sometimes it succeeds, but mostly it doesn't by the end i didn't care what will happen to one or another two dimensional character. It is not a bad movie, but it's a quickly forgettable one.
'Krampus' (2015) is sometimes kinda pretty creepy, sometimes a little scary, sometimes a little funny movie that eventually gets boring by trying to be different and by doing that, it quickly becomes very average. It is not a bad movie by any means, but it's just so .. average. There is nothing in it that you would like to return for a second viewing and nothing that you would be glued to your screen during first viewing.
Overall, 'Krampus' tries to be scary and kinda original Cristmas movie, and sometimes it succeeds, but mostly it doesn't by the end i didn't care what will happen to one or another two dimensional character. It is not a bad movie, but it's a quickly forgettable one.
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A Great Satire on the American SocietyPermalink
tjgoalie136 December 2015
Warning: SpoilersKrampus is yet another Christmas horror-comedy that satirizes the American family, and the merriest time of the year. Beneath all of it's scary creatures, and comedy oriented cast is a message about family, and the Christmas spirit. Krampus is a funny, and often scary Christmas horror movie, despite its weak and somewhat confusing ending. In an age when Christmas time means something different to everybody, this movie is especially impressive because it appeals to all of those people.
Krampus' humor is one of the film's biggest strengths as it opens with a hilarious black Friday scene. The humor came as no surprise, considering the cast, but what was slightly surprising was that the comedy was more black-comedy, which blended beautifully with the horror tones. The film in many ways is a satire on our society in general, poking fun at how divided we are and our overall apathy towards the things that matter. Although the film has a pretty biting take on the American family, it has a somewhat positive outlook on it.
The creatures in the film are a combination of gremlins, and a terrible holiday nightmare. The different types of creative creatures the film uses is truly impressive and terrifying. The black comedy blends beautifully with the twisted variations on holiday toys and treats. Despite all of this the film does have it's share of weaknesses. The most notable is the ending.
The film has a good narrative flow, and pushes through until the last 10 minutes of the film. In the last 10 minutes, one characters turns a 180 and the plot becomes confusing. Without giving anything away, the film has multiple endings and by the end it's tough to tell what happened. On top of the weak ending, many times the film feels like a gremlins rip off. On top of that the satire on the family falls a little flat, as many characters remain stereotypes.
Krampus does deliver on the humor and the horror that it promises, and if that's all you're expecting then you won't be disappointed. The film even gives a funny look at the American society, even if it's a little thin. In the end Krampus is a fun take on Christmas horror, and horror comedy, so if you like either of those genres, check it out.
Krampus' humor is one of the film's biggest strengths as it opens with a hilarious black Friday scene. The humor came as no surprise, considering the cast, but what was slightly surprising was that the comedy was more black-comedy, which blended beautifully with the horror tones. The film in many ways is a satire on our society in general, poking fun at how divided we are and our overall apathy towards the things that matter. Although the film has a pretty biting take on the American family, it has a somewhat positive outlook on it.
The creatures in the film are a combination of gremlins, and a terrible holiday nightmare. The different types of creative creatures the film uses is truly impressive and terrifying. The black comedy blends beautifully with the twisted variations on holiday toys and treats. Despite all of this the film does have it's share of weaknesses. The most notable is the ending.
The film has a good narrative flow, and pushes through until the last 10 minutes of the film. In the last 10 minutes, one characters turns a 180 and the plot becomes confusing. Without giving anything away, the film has multiple endings and by the end it's tough to tell what happened. On top of the weak ending, many times the film feels like a gremlins rip off. On top of that the satire on the family falls a little flat, as many characters remain stereotypes.
Krampus does deliver on the humor and the horror that it promises, and if that's all you're expecting then you won't be disappointed. The film even gives a funny look at the American society, even if it's a little thin. In the end Krampus is a fun take on Christmas horror, and horror comedy, so if you like either of those genres, check it out.
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Funny, yet Grim and Darkly AtmosphericPermalink
ButcherOfLuverne8 December 2015
Michael Doughtery, who directed 'Trick R Treat', brings a rather offbeat but overall enjoyable concept to his latest film based on the Alpine folk legend, 'Krampus'.
Krampus stars a very talented cast, featuring Toni Colette and Adam Scott in the lead roles, David Koechner, Alison Tolman and Cochenta Farrell in supporting roles, and Emjay Anthony as the heart of the story, Max. Max is a young boy who has lost his Christmas spirit when he family becomes more and more distant from each other and have pretty much given up on Christmas. Things are made worse by his bullying cousins and the arrival of his aunt and uncle. Eventually, Max snaps, and tears up his letter to Santa Claus then tosses it out the window. This summons the ancient beast himself, Krampus, a demonic goat-like creature who wrecks havoc on those who have lost the Christmas spirit.
This launches all sorts of mayhem, including a pretty damn suspenseful chase through the snow with some of Dougherty's best cinematography to date. The cast does a pretty good job; Emjay Anthony is a good child actor so he's convincing as a kid who misses his younger years when Christmas was simpler. The adult cast is quite top-notch, with Koechner ringing off some very funny dialogue, particularly one after he faces off with some crazy Christmas cookies. Tolman and Colette have some nice, tender moments as sisters but aren't doing anything incredible; they have proved themselves to be capable performers in the past so here is no different. Cochenta Farrell, who plays the bitter, drunkard Great Aunt Dorothy provides as the main comic relief in particularity darker scenes of the film, and she does so with such finesse that its hard not to enjoy her sour attitude. The main stars, however, are the minions of Krampus. Aside from a group of CGI Gingerbread men and one beastly teddy bear, all the effects in this film are animatronics and puppets provided by Weta Workshop, including Krampus himself. The minions of Krampus are incredibly creatively designed; an intimidating crew of atmospheric yet useless snowmen, a stabby robot toy, a creepy Christmas angel, and, possibly best of all, a snake-like jack-in-the-box that swallows children whole. These minions set the perfect tone; creepy, eerie, and even freakish if you find a sharp-toothed clown and slimy tongued angel scary but also are very fun. They have personality; they have a mischievous way about them, and the giggle and clap with glee when they achieve their goals of chaos.The movie overall has this tone; fun and giddy but still grim, dark and somewhat gruesome at certain times. The film doesn't shy away from showing one small obese child being dragged up a chimney with chains and hooks.Luckily, it tackles this darkness with a warm-hearted Christmas message of hope and some good comedy. Krampus himself is kept in the shadows mostly, and we only see him for a few (but memorable) scenes for the first two acts. However, after an incredibly suspenseful build up reveal of a fireplace entrance, the final act focuses it's entirety on Krampus.
The film has two flaws, however. Though they aren't film ruining, they are just a bit noticeable. First, the snowmen; I loved these things. The snowmen provided a great sense of sinister atmosphere and looked legitimately menacing. But I wish they had more to do with the chaos that ensues in the film; they mostly are just there to look creepy but they never come to life, which is a bit of wasted potential. It would've been interesting to see them move around, adding some more creepiness to the movie. The second flaw is the CGI on the gingerbread men; though this movie uses practical effects almost entirely, the gingerbread me were computerized. They aren't bad looking, by any means, but they don't look like they really are there in the environment. That's a bit of a nitpick but, overall, I can see myself watching this every Christmas for a good message of family togetherness, as well as some madcap mayhem involving a hooved demon goat.
8/10.
Krampus stars a very talented cast, featuring Toni Colette and Adam Scott in the lead roles, David Koechner, Alison Tolman and Cochenta Farrell in supporting roles, and Emjay Anthony as the heart of the story, Max. Max is a young boy who has lost his Christmas spirit when he family becomes more and more distant from each other and have pretty much given up on Christmas. Things are made worse by his bullying cousins and the arrival of his aunt and uncle. Eventually, Max snaps, and tears up his letter to Santa Claus then tosses it out the window. This summons the ancient beast himself, Krampus, a demonic goat-like creature who wrecks havoc on those who have lost the Christmas spirit.
This launches all sorts of mayhem, including a pretty damn suspenseful chase through the snow with some of Dougherty's best cinematography to date. The cast does a pretty good job; Emjay Anthony is a good child actor so he's convincing as a kid who misses his younger years when Christmas was simpler. The adult cast is quite top-notch, with Koechner ringing off some very funny dialogue, particularly one after he faces off with some crazy Christmas cookies. Tolman and Colette have some nice, tender moments as sisters but aren't doing anything incredible; they have proved themselves to be capable performers in the past so here is no different. Cochenta Farrell, who plays the bitter, drunkard Great Aunt Dorothy provides as the main comic relief in particularity darker scenes of the film, and she does so with such finesse that its hard not to enjoy her sour attitude. The main stars, however, are the minions of Krampus. Aside from a group of CGI Gingerbread men and one beastly teddy bear, all the effects in this film are animatronics and puppets provided by Weta Workshop, including Krampus himself. The minions of Krampus are incredibly creatively designed; an intimidating crew of atmospheric yet useless snowmen, a stabby robot toy, a creepy Christmas angel, and, possibly best of all, a snake-like jack-in-the-box that swallows children whole. These minions set the perfect tone; creepy, eerie, and even freakish if you find a sharp-toothed clown and slimy tongued angel scary but also are very fun. They have personality; they have a mischievous way about them, and the giggle and clap with glee when they achieve their goals of chaos.The movie overall has this tone; fun and giddy but still grim, dark and somewhat gruesome at certain times. The film doesn't shy away from showing one small obese child being dragged up a chimney with chains and hooks.Luckily, it tackles this darkness with a warm-hearted Christmas message of hope and some good comedy. Krampus himself is kept in the shadows mostly, and we only see him for a few (but memorable) scenes for the first two acts. However, after an incredibly suspenseful build up reveal of a fireplace entrance, the final act focuses it's entirety on Krampus.
The film has two flaws, however. Though they aren't film ruining, they are just a bit noticeable. First, the snowmen; I loved these things. The snowmen provided a great sense of sinister atmosphere and looked legitimately menacing. But I wish they had more to do with the chaos that ensues in the film; they mostly are just there to look creepy but they never come to life, which is a bit of wasted potential. It would've been interesting to see them move around, adding some more creepiness to the movie. The second flaw is the CGI on the gingerbread men; though this movie uses practical effects almost entirely, the gingerbread me were computerized. They aren't bad looking, by any means, but they don't look like they really are there in the environment. That's a bit of a nitpick but, overall, I can see myself watching this every Christmas for a good message of family togetherness, as well as some madcap mayhem involving a hooved demon goat.
8/10.
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Shockingly surprisingly xmas classicPermalink
boldlylou28 November 2018
It's become part of my annual Christmas viewing. it's a cross between 'It's a wonderful life, national lampoon Xmas, Gremlins but scarier lolENJOY!! GREAT LIFE LESSON
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Another wickedly entertaining horror-comedy from Michael Dougherty, 'Krampus' is a great throwback to 80's cheese and holiday-horror classics like 'Gremlins'!Permalink
MaximumMadness11 December 2015
Ah, the horror-comedy. How I love thee.
A sub-genre that is all too often dismissed, misunderstood or neglected altogether. Yet also a sub-genre that paves the way for some of the most wickedly entertaining and genre-bending classics of all time- just take a look at 'Gremlins' or 'Evil Dead II' for some of the finest examples of horror-comedy done right.
And for this fan of horror and of horror-comedy, 'Krampus' is definitely a wonderful new treat. Especially as, just like 'Gremlins', it's not only a horror-comedy, but also a prime example of a holiday-themed horror-comedy done near-perfectly, save for a few issues here and there.
Director Michael Dougherty is certainly no stranger to either sub- genre- his previous directorial effect (the excellent 'Trick 'R Treat') also fit into both categories and is arguably the best Halloween- themed horror flick of the past several decades with its savage sense of humor and some genuine eerie thrills. So it's a lot of fun seeing him lend his unique sensibilities to a Christmas- themed film.
The film focuses on a young, somewhat troubled boy named Max (Emjay Anthony) who is struggling with some Christmas-blues during the holiday season. He's just gotten into trouble for causing a fight, he worries that his parents (the wonderful Toni Collette and Adam Scott) are drifting apart and that he's similarly losing his friendship with his older sister (Stefania LaVie Owen).. and to top it off, he has to contend with his irritating extended family who have come to spend Christmas with he and his parents.
After a disastrous diner, Max loses all faith in the holiday spirit, and tears up a letter he had written to Santa Claus, casting it out of the window, unaware that his actions will summon a dark force- the 'Shadow of Saint Nicholas'- 'Krampus.' Now, Max and his family (under the guidance of his elderly German grandmother played by Krista Sadler) will have to struggle against Krampus and his legions of demonic toys, killer-gingerbread-men and freakish devil- elves to survive.
The success of the film really does fall back on Dougherty and his expert blending of both broad and specific types of humor in addition to a few genuinely creepy set-pieces, and the wonderful casting of the film that lends to all characters- even an irritatingly uber-conservative gun-nut uncle played by David Koechner (frankly a character you'd usually love to hate)- being inherently likable and enjoyable to root for as they deal with the onslaught of Christmas-chaos.
There's also plenty of great callbacks to old-fashioned 80's cheese and wonderful old film standards of the holiday and holiday-horror genres, which give the film great character in and of itself. Particularly notable is an animated flashback sequence explaining the character of Krampus that is done in such a style to invoke notes and feelings of those old, schmatlzy Rankin-Bass stop-motion Christmas specials.
Though despite how wonderfully entertaining and stylish the film often is, it does have a few issues. Even though it's only about 98 minutes, it does drag a bit in the first half (it honestly could have been trimmed down to an even 90 minutes and it probably would have flowed a lot better) and I do think the titular 'Krampus' is held off on a bit too much until the final act. I know the classic cliché is 'don't show the monster too much', but I think the film could have used another glimpse or two of him instead of relying so heavily on his freakish (and freakishly entertaining) 'minions' as often as it does.
I also will say that this is definitely a horror-comedy through-and- through, which I don't think was illustrated properly in the marketing. So be aware of this going in.. because I'm sure there will be some audiences who are unaware of this, or just don't enjoy or understand the horror-comedy sub-genre, and may emerge disappointed that it wasn't just a straight-forward horror film.
But regardless of that, I honestly can't say enough to recommend this film to horror fans, and ESPECIALLY to horror-comedy fans. It has a few kinks that could have been worked out, but they are just small chips in an otherwise exceedingly enjoyable and thoroughly entertaining ride to Holiday-Hell!
I give 'Krampus' a very-good 8 out of 10. It's not for everyone, and people who aren't fans of films that blend genres will probably not enjoy it, but open minded audiences and genre fans should eat this up! It's definitely joining 'Gremlins' and 'Die Hard' on my list of 'Must-Watch Alternative Christmas Films' that I view every year!
A sub-genre that is all too often dismissed, misunderstood or neglected altogether. Yet also a sub-genre that paves the way for some of the most wickedly entertaining and genre-bending classics of all time- just take a look at 'Gremlins' or 'Evil Dead II' for some of the finest examples of horror-comedy done right.
And for this fan of horror and of horror-comedy, 'Krampus' is definitely a wonderful new treat. Especially as, just like 'Gremlins', it's not only a horror-comedy, but also a prime example of a holiday-themed horror-comedy done near-perfectly, save for a few issues here and there.
Director Michael Dougherty is certainly no stranger to either sub- genre- his previous directorial effect (the excellent 'Trick 'R Treat') also fit into both categories and is arguably the best Halloween- themed horror flick of the past several decades with its savage sense of humor and some genuine eerie thrills. So it's a lot of fun seeing him lend his unique sensibilities to a Christmas- themed film.
The film focuses on a young, somewhat troubled boy named Max (Emjay Anthony) who is struggling with some Christmas-blues during the holiday season. He's just gotten into trouble for causing a fight, he worries that his parents (the wonderful Toni Collette and Adam Scott) are drifting apart and that he's similarly losing his friendship with his older sister (Stefania LaVie Owen).. and to top it off, he has to contend with his irritating extended family who have come to spend Christmas with he and his parents.
After a disastrous diner, Max loses all faith in the holiday spirit, and tears up a letter he had written to Santa Claus, casting it out of the window, unaware that his actions will summon a dark force- the 'Shadow of Saint Nicholas'- 'Krampus.' Now, Max and his family (under the guidance of his elderly German grandmother played by Krista Sadler) will have to struggle against Krampus and his legions of demonic toys, killer-gingerbread-men and freakish devil- elves to survive.
The success of the film really does fall back on Dougherty and his expert blending of both broad and specific types of humor in addition to a few genuinely creepy set-pieces, and the wonderful casting of the film that lends to all characters- even an irritatingly uber-conservative gun-nut uncle played by David Koechner (frankly a character you'd usually love to hate)- being inherently likable and enjoyable to root for as they deal with the onslaught of Christmas-chaos.
There's also plenty of great callbacks to old-fashioned 80's cheese and wonderful old film standards of the holiday and holiday-horror genres, which give the film great character in and of itself. Particularly notable is an animated flashback sequence explaining the character of Krampus that is done in such a style to invoke notes and feelings of those old, schmatlzy Rankin-Bass stop-motion Christmas specials.
Though despite how wonderfully entertaining and stylish the film often is, it does have a few issues. Even though it's only about 98 minutes, it does drag a bit in the first half (it honestly could have been trimmed down to an even 90 minutes and it probably would have flowed a lot better) and I do think the titular 'Krampus' is held off on a bit too much until the final act. I know the classic cliché is 'don't show the monster too much', but I think the film could have used another glimpse or two of him instead of relying so heavily on his freakish (and freakishly entertaining) 'minions' as often as it does.
I also will say that this is definitely a horror-comedy through-and- through, which I don't think was illustrated properly in the marketing. So be aware of this going in.. because I'm sure there will be some audiences who are unaware of this, or just don't enjoy or understand the horror-comedy sub-genre, and may emerge disappointed that it wasn't just a straight-forward horror film.
But regardless of that, I honestly can't say enough to recommend this film to horror fans, and ESPECIALLY to horror-comedy fans. It has a few kinks that could have been worked out, but they are just small chips in an otherwise exceedingly enjoyable and thoroughly entertaining ride to Holiday-Hell!
I give 'Krampus' a very-good 8 out of 10. It's not for everyone, and people who aren't fans of films that blend genres will probably not enjoy it, but open minded audiences and genre fans should eat this up! It's definitely joining 'Gremlins' and 'Die Hard' on my list of 'Must-Watch Alternative Christmas Films' that I view every year!
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Disappointingly low on laughs and scaresPermalink
areatw24 December 2016
'Krampus' is a comedy horror film that isn't very funny or scary. The scares are few and far between and the humour is almost entirely in the last quarter of the film. So much so that, when I finally laughed, it was a handy reminder that this is a comedy movie - I'd forgotten.
This isn't a particularly bad film, it's okay as a mystery drama, which is exactly what it is for the first three quarters. Then it takes a humorous turn, but by then it's just too little too late. 'Krampus' can't seem to decide what it wants to be. It had the potential to be a scary and funny film, but falls short on both counts.
Overall, not what I expected or had hoped for. 'Krampus' has too few scares and not enough laughs.
This isn't a particularly bad film, it's okay as a mystery drama, which is exactly what it is for the first three quarters. Then it takes a humorous turn, but by then it's just too little too late. 'Krampus' can't seem to decide what it wants to be. It had the potential to be a scary and funny film, but falls short on both counts.
Overall, not what I expected or had hoped for. 'Krampus' has too few scares and not enough laughs.
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One successful horror / comedy that truly delivers!Permalink
InDyingArms5 December 2015
A family, all together is huddled up at home with no electricity as a massive storm hits them. On Top of that, they now have the challenge of which they must fight off a supposed legend; Krampus and his helpers pick each off one, by one, leaving them to a fight for survival. First off, this will be a flat out good review regarding this film, along with it's small flaws of course. This one was successful, and succeeded in my high, hypothesis thoughts toward it. Firstly, I found this movies plot to be intriguing, and simply thrilling for the audience. We're put through a whole, white- knuckle situation of witnessing this family slowly await the arrival of Krampus, and his helpers. You sit in suspense, wondering who'll be next, or what Krampus and the others may possibly do next. This movie keeps it all a solid secret, only adding more successful suspense towards the audience. On top of that, the film keeps the audience entertained with some funny jokes, which are actually quite funny overall. The film keeps the conflicting feelings of both suspense, and dark - comedy at a 50/50, leading to an intriguing, overall plot design that keeps us entertained, thrilled, tying in a few laughs with comedically successful humor! Overall for the plot, it succeeds in something new towards the whole Krapmus legend, turning it into a more frightening, mythical - like way that, as said many times before, succeeds. For the characters we're given in this film, I personally found to be overly great. We're given a group of characters that present themselves in a parody - like way, comedically keeping up with it's Comedy - horror title. The characters aren't bad, clichéd, or really even hateful. We, as the audience grow to these characters, whether it's actual hope for them, or for the comedic hilariocity they uniquely carry. These characters stand out as unique, and play their roles in this entire movie simplistically. Same goes for the actors, these actors did an outstanding job playing their characters in a believable matter. Now for the more intriguing aspect, that being Krampus' appearance, as well as his helpers. Honestly, hats off for the design that was given for the film. This entire film, in regards of the appearances of the creatures were flat out fantastic. Krampus looked great, and overall, we actually see a good majority of him, unlike other films that just pass off small glimpses, we actually see a great portion of Krampus, overall looking, actually, quite creepy, and menacing. For his helpers, they lead to more of a comical aspect, a surprise I honestly quite liked. We're given these helpers that go for more comedy, rather than chills. Like Krampus, they looked great. And we get a great number of appearances from them. I must say, though, the one helper. The Jack - in the box, ( Not a spoiler, we see him throughout the trailer ) Was creepy, and the film only threw that out to us harder than it came. Finally, probably the only flaw I can even see in this film, the pacing. Although this film had decent, well pacing, I have to address this feeling; Around the final act of this film, it felt as if the entire movie decided to just throw everything straight at our face - It felt rushed. Everything, honestly, just blew by quite quickly, and felt off. But overall, that's probably the only, small flaw in this film.
In conclusion. Great actors / characters, great pacing, amazing visual effects, nothing looked cheesy, or too CGI filled, We're given a great plot design, as well as unique aspects, and to top it all off we're given an excellent blend of comedy, as well as horror. Although the small flaw of a rushed - feel toward the end, 'Krampus' was a highly entertaining, chilling, and thrilling film that succeeded on many levels. I felt as if the writers, and directors did a simplistic job at this one. Definitely give this film a look. It's a great film - I'd even go as far as saying it's one of the best of 2015. And that's saying a lot - Highly recommended. Check it out, you'll have a blast!
In conclusion. Great actors / characters, great pacing, amazing visual effects, nothing looked cheesy, or too CGI filled, We're given a great plot design, as well as unique aspects, and to top it all off we're given an excellent blend of comedy, as well as horror. Although the small flaw of a rushed - feel toward the end, 'Krampus' was a highly entertaining, chilling, and thrilling film that succeeded on many levels. I felt as if the writers, and directors did a simplistic job at this one. Definitely give this film a look. It's a great film - I'd even go as far as saying it's one of the best of 2015. And that's saying a lot - Highly recommended. Check it out, you'll have a blast!
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Horror movie with a moralPermalink
iamhobojones5 December 2015
Just came from seeing the movie. I loved it!
Like mixing Jane Austen and zombies, nothing wrong with mixing horror and Christmas!
Now that Christmas starts November 1st, we need something to offset the sweetness.
The evil gingerbread men were my favorite. Attacking a character with a nail gun and getting set on fire. Gives new meaning to stop, drop and roll.
Stunning visual effects, creative evil toys.
Don't expect big scares. I think they only made me jump once. Instead, expect to laugh at the portrayal of family life during the holidays.
Like mixing Jane Austen and zombies, nothing wrong with mixing horror and Christmas!
Now that Christmas starts November 1st, we need something to offset the sweetness.
The evil gingerbread men were my favorite. Attacking a character with a nail gun and getting set on fire. Gives new meaning to stop, drop and roll.
Stunning visual effects, creative evil toys.
Don't expect big scares. I think they only made me jump once. Instead, expect to laugh at the portrayal of family life during the holidays.
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really really really really odd moviePermalink
A_Different_Drummer28 February 2016
Reviewers notes humbly submitted: 1. I have seen odder movies, check my reviews, but I have never seen such an odd movie with A-list production values, SFX and casting.
2. The opening title sequence is one of the best I have ever seen. Do they give Oscars for that? If they did, it would win.
3. The next 10 minutes after the titles is very X-Mas with the Kranks and actually funny and engaging. THEY SHOULD HAVE STAYED WITH THAT THEME.
4. The rest of the movie is very Gremlins and Tremors and not very engaging or very entertaining or very anything. Just odd. Very very odd.
What a waste of resources that could have been used to make a better movie!
2. The opening title sequence is one of the best I have ever seen. Do they give Oscars for that? If they did, it would win.
3. The next 10 minutes after the titles is very X-Mas with the Kranks and actually funny and engaging. THEY SHOULD HAVE STAYED WITH THAT THEME.
4. The rest of the movie is very Gremlins and Tremors and not very engaging or very entertaining or very anything. Just odd. Very very odd.
What a waste of resources that could have been used to make a better movie!
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This should have been called KRAPPUSPermalink
This_Really_Sucks6 December 2015
Warning: SpoilersTHIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS RIGHT FROM THE START!!!
Setting up a 'horror' movie with a marketing campaign that screams 'HORROR MOVIE!', but then presenting us with a family friendly horror movie in which the hero is a tween and everyone lives in the end is just an extremely crappy thing to do!!! Of course, I should have seen this coming from the guy who turned Superman into a sickeningly lovesick, Lois Lane-stalking, peeping Tom with his 'Superman Returns' story. You know, the Man of Steel story that made 'Superman 4: The Quest for Peace' look like 'Gone with the Wind'!
NEWS FLASH, Mr. Dougherty - Horror films and family films DON'T MIX WELL! Decide which one you're gonna make and stick with it.
If you're going to make a movie in which the titular character is historically known to be evil and merciless, then you should make the frigging movie reflect what he is! Who frigging makes a PG-13 horror film to begin with? This is like promising the public a 'Halloween' movie, but, your movie is about Michael Meyers prowling the neighborhood tickling his victims instead of dismembering them!
This wussy version of Krampus makes The Grinch look like Satan himself.
However, the director did do a decent job setting the tone for a dark horror film once Krampus arrives.. but, then the movie pukes all over the audience with no on screen violence or bloodshed and then a gang of evil elves which is pretty much just a bunch of short actors in what looks like unpainted Mardi Gras masks or something. To top it off, Krampus, himself, never does any of the killing or physical violence – he just looks like a fat, dirty, homeless, passive, evil leader. The evil-doings are all handled through his evil minions: a Jack-in-the- Box, a toy robot, a rabid teddy bear and a gang of gingerbread men. Seriously?
This movie starts with shoppers comically fighting for Black Friday deals. And as the audience around me began to roar with laughter, this was the point where I should have walked out, but they got my frigging $10 so I figured I'd stay put and see if it got any better. NOPE, it didn't!
This entire movie is filled with senseless behavior, from utterly retarded characters, that really only serves as weak plot devices to get us from one scene to the next. Such as..
We are presented with some of the most irresponsible parents in movie history. Here's an example A frigging mysterious blizzard of historically epic proportions has appeared suddenly and from nowhere (complete with strange snowmen cropping up in the front yard), and this mother and father allow their young, teenage daughter to head out into the blizzard from hell so she can walk several blocks away to her stupid boyfriend's house all because she's worried that he hasn't responded to her texts?
But, wait, it gets dumber when she hasn't returned after a couple of hours, the mother gets concerned, but dad blows it off and says she's fine, she's at her boyfriend's house. Does the writer even have kids? If so, would he send them out into a blizzard like the one he created in his story? If not, then why put it in the script just to separate the daughter from her family so Krampus can make his first appearance to the audience?
It would have been more forgivable to have the daughter ask permission to leave, have the parents say 'Absolutely not', and then have her sneak out of her bedroom window only to have mom and dad discover her missing later. It's much easier to accept a rebellious child's behavior in your script than a couple of retard parents who are so stupid as to send one of their children into the freezing unknown to check on her little, pizza-faced boyfriend.
And then, there's the scene where one of the parents is helping two of the kids escape into a truck, but, instead of climbing in with them, she actually closes the door and tells her son she loves him right before she's dragged away by a monster as her son watches in horror.
AND THEN as the parents try to fight off the onslaught of evil toys and dumb crap with a couple of guns, we're subjected to the idiotically clichéd 'taking-your-time-to-pull-the-trigger-so-you- can-make-a-stupid-wisecrack-but-something-else-happens-while- you-were-wasting-your-time-talking-and-you-miss-your-shot' plot device. This happens several times and is really annoying! It doesn't build tension it's really a sign of extremely weak writing. In fact, everything about this movie is a product of weak storytelling skills. How do you people even get these things financed?
Then when we finally see Krampus up close, it is some of the worse creature makeup I have ever seen on a big budgeted, highly anticipated 'horror' flick. The creature's mouth never closes, like a Halloween mask - you couldn't even spring for some better effects?
AND THEN in the end, when all of the family members have been taken by Krampus, the only survivor – the whiny, tween boy who summoned Krampus - confronts the holiday demon and the demon actually has mercy upon him and his family. And they all live – but trapped in a snow-globe? Total crap!
As a fan of horror – and an author of it, as well - I am thoroughly disappointed.
Setting up a 'horror' movie with a marketing campaign that screams 'HORROR MOVIE!', but then presenting us with a family friendly horror movie in which the hero is a tween and everyone lives in the end is just an extremely crappy thing to do!!! Of course, I should have seen this coming from the guy who turned Superman into a sickeningly lovesick, Lois Lane-stalking, peeping Tom with his 'Superman Returns' story. You know, the Man of Steel story that made 'Superman 4: The Quest for Peace' look like 'Gone with the Wind'!
NEWS FLASH, Mr. Dougherty - Horror films and family films DON'T MIX WELL! Decide which one you're gonna make and stick with it.
If you're going to make a movie in which the titular character is historically known to be evil and merciless, then you should make the frigging movie reflect what he is! Who frigging makes a PG-13 horror film to begin with? This is like promising the public a 'Halloween' movie, but, your movie is about Michael Meyers prowling the neighborhood tickling his victims instead of dismembering them!
This wussy version of Krampus makes The Grinch look like Satan himself.
However, the director did do a decent job setting the tone for a dark horror film once Krampus arrives.. but, then the movie pukes all over the audience with no on screen violence or bloodshed and then a gang of evil elves which is pretty much just a bunch of short actors in what looks like unpainted Mardi Gras masks or something. To top it off, Krampus, himself, never does any of the killing or physical violence – he just looks like a fat, dirty, homeless, passive, evil leader. The evil-doings are all handled through his evil minions: a Jack-in-the- Box, a toy robot, a rabid teddy bear and a gang of gingerbread men. Seriously?
This movie starts with shoppers comically fighting for Black Friday deals. And as the audience around me began to roar with laughter, this was the point where I should have walked out, but they got my frigging $10 so I figured I'd stay put and see if it got any better. NOPE, it didn't!
This entire movie is filled with senseless behavior, from utterly retarded characters, that really only serves as weak plot devices to get us from one scene to the next. Such as..
We are presented with some of the most irresponsible parents in movie history. Here's an example A frigging mysterious blizzard of historically epic proportions has appeared suddenly and from nowhere (complete with strange snowmen cropping up in the front yard), and this mother and father allow their young, teenage daughter to head out into the blizzard from hell so she can walk several blocks away to her stupid boyfriend's house all because she's worried that he hasn't responded to her texts?
But, wait, it gets dumber when she hasn't returned after a couple of hours, the mother gets concerned, but dad blows it off and says she's fine, she's at her boyfriend's house. Does the writer even have kids? If so, would he send them out into a blizzard like the one he created in his story? If not, then why put it in the script just to separate the daughter from her family so Krampus can make his first appearance to the audience?
It would have been more forgivable to have the daughter ask permission to leave, have the parents say 'Absolutely not', and then have her sneak out of her bedroom window only to have mom and dad discover her missing later. It's much easier to accept a rebellious child's behavior in your script than a couple of retard parents who are so stupid as to send one of their children into the freezing unknown to check on her little, pizza-faced boyfriend.
And then, there's the scene where one of the parents is helping two of the kids escape into a truck, but, instead of climbing in with them, she actually closes the door and tells her son she loves him right before she's dragged away by a monster as her son watches in horror.
AND THEN as the parents try to fight off the onslaught of evil toys and dumb crap with a couple of guns, we're subjected to the idiotically clichéd 'taking-your-time-to-pull-the-trigger-so-you- can-make-a-stupid-wisecrack-but-something-else-happens-while- you-were-wasting-your-time-talking-and-you-miss-your-shot' plot device. This happens several times and is really annoying! It doesn't build tension it's really a sign of extremely weak writing. In fact, everything about this movie is a product of weak storytelling skills. How do you people even get these things financed?
Then when we finally see Krampus up close, it is some of the worse creature makeup I have ever seen on a big budgeted, highly anticipated 'horror' flick. The creature's mouth never closes, like a Halloween mask - you couldn't even spring for some better effects?
AND THEN in the end, when all of the family members have been taken by Krampus, the only survivor – the whiny, tween boy who summoned Krampus - confronts the holiday demon and the demon actually has mercy upon him and his family. And they all live – but trapped in a snow-globe? Total crap!
As a fan of horror – and an author of it, as well - I am thoroughly disappointed.
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Waste of a great idea.Permalink
paddyboy-315958 November 2016
Krampus Full Movie Megashare
Warning: SpoilersHorror comedies haven't always been my favourite mix of genres. The idea is a real juxtaposition and puts me off being truly horrified or dulls down the comedy in non-comedic circumstances. Since I have heard of Krampus before and have seen a few great horror comedies like Shaun of the Dead I'll put my preconceptions about the movie to one side. After watching the movie I feel like it should have been full horror and leave out the pathetic and forced attempts of comedy via awful characters or crude slapstick. Krampus is met through an oddly placed cartoon which felt a little more Disney and a little less Tim Burton that I think it should have done. Throughout the rest of the movie however, his ever looming presence was a great source of terror and really created most of the horror in the movie. Unfortunately, we see much more of his 'minions' than him, which may not be so bad but the minions are actually 3 gingerbread men, an owl with a doll's head (yeah, it does sound cool, doesn't it?), a very useless teddy bear, a large jack- in-the-box and some Oompa-Loompas in tiki masks with Greek letters sharpie-d onto their heads. Krampus may have been worth the wait if he hadn't ended up being a bloke in a latex mask with a blanket over his head who's had a little too much Christmas pudding. Perhaps if he had been gifted with a little more mystery and special effects, just to keep him scary, he may have made me consider this a worthwhile wait instead of making me not care about the characters who got eaten. Also, there are a few inconsistencies and plot holes with this movie. No rhyme or reason has been given as to why any character is sacrificed or taken before the others; they aren't particularly naughty within the 30s between their mates getting captured so I'm not sure as to why Krampus holds off. The sweet old grandma notices the house is shaking and everyone is slowly disappearing but fails to mention that she knows exactly what's happening until a couple minor characters are dead. But above all else, the most frustrating, horrid and awful thing that this movie does is in its ending. The infamous 'It was all a dream' ending where everything goes balls up and the writers can't undo the dead-end ending they have created so instead erase everything and say that nothing matters, except for some stupid paradoxical memento makes a character stop and look at the camera and ask themselves 'was it all a dream?'. I sure hope this terrible movie does not have a sequel but I am hoping for a remake with actual horror, more Krampus and some plot consistency.
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Christmas Movies are Getting WeirdPermalink
ryanmark-579196 December 2015
Warning: SpoilersWow, another movie that I liked a lot more than I thought I would. This is actually a really fun film and I agree with the moral behind the story. In case you're wondering, the moral is the same one that we hear about in many of the classic Christmas movies. Don't be selfish and give what you can to others. The lesson is similar to many other Christmas films but the movie itself is totally different. Michael Dougherty did a pretty good job on this one and I highly recommend it to anyone that's looking for a different kind of Christmas film.
The story follows a young boy named Max (Emjay Anthony) and his family during one particularly difficult holiday season. Max's family don't exactly get along and this is true even during Christmas. Max's whole extended family show up but none of them like each other and they're making Max miserable. Max tries to overcome his unhappiness and embrace the joy he feels during the holidays but his family just keeps pushing him and pushing him until he reaches his limit. Max decides to reject his positive feelings and ends up accidentally summoning a demon named Krampus. Krampus is kind of like Santa's shadow. Santa represents happiness and joy while Krampus punishes those that don't embrace the Christmas spirit. Unfortunately for Max and his family, they're next on Krampus's list.
They actually went with comedic actors for this movie which surprised me at first since I didn't really think it was a comedy at first. It does have a lot of funny parts to it though so I guess it's actually like a comedic horror film. Emjay Anthony does a decent job as the innocent and endearing Max. This kid really does try his best to overcome the selfishness around him but his family is making it difficult. I've seen Anthony in films before and I actually really like the kid. God knows he's much more believable than half the child actors in Hollywood. We also get some pretty good roles from Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, and Allison Tolman. All of these people are able to bring on the comedy but are also able to act decently well. They say being funny is extremely difficult so maybe that's why so many comedic actors are able to adapt to other genres. In any case, everyone does a great job here.
The atmosphere to this film works much better than I thought it would. The snowstorm really is a perfect place to set a horror movie and I'm surprised that more people haven't taken advantage of this plot point. The snow combined with night brings the visibility outside to basically nothing and makes everything seem even more spooky. The few times we see Krampus is either outside in the snowstorm or in the dark so he remains mysterious throughout the entire film. He doesn't do much of the dirty work himself and instead allows his minions to do the capturing of children and whatnot. The toys and elves are actually really inventive and scary looking for the most part. The Jack in the Box is especially terrifying just because of his looks and what he does to the children when he gets to them. The Gingerbread men are the most plain looking out of the minions but they're used so effectively in one particularly goofy scene that I really wasn't disappointed.
I really can't think of too many complaints to make about the movie. I guess the cgi wasn't that impressive but it really didn't bother me any. I suppose the scenes were tame for a horror movie but even the lack of blood didn't take away from my enjoyment of the film. It's not exactly groundbreaking or anything like that but the movie is just really fun and a unique take on the classic Christmas film. I don't think it'll be for everyone but I would easily recommend it to those looking for a weird horror comedy hybrid film.
The story follows a young boy named Max (Emjay Anthony) and his family during one particularly difficult holiday season. Max's family don't exactly get along and this is true even during Christmas. Max's whole extended family show up but none of them like each other and they're making Max miserable. Max tries to overcome his unhappiness and embrace the joy he feels during the holidays but his family just keeps pushing him and pushing him until he reaches his limit. Max decides to reject his positive feelings and ends up accidentally summoning a demon named Krampus. Krampus is kind of like Santa's shadow. Santa represents happiness and joy while Krampus punishes those that don't embrace the Christmas spirit. Unfortunately for Max and his family, they're next on Krampus's list.
They actually went with comedic actors for this movie which surprised me at first since I didn't really think it was a comedy at first. It does have a lot of funny parts to it though so I guess it's actually like a comedic horror film. Emjay Anthony does a decent job as the innocent and endearing Max. This kid really does try his best to overcome the selfishness around him but his family is making it difficult. I've seen Anthony in films before and I actually really like the kid. God knows he's much more believable than half the child actors in Hollywood. We also get some pretty good roles from Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, and Allison Tolman. All of these people are able to bring on the comedy but are also able to act decently well. They say being funny is extremely difficult so maybe that's why so many comedic actors are able to adapt to other genres. In any case, everyone does a great job here.
The atmosphere to this film works much better than I thought it would. The snowstorm really is a perfect place to set a horror movie and I'm surprised that more people haven't taken advantage of this plot point. The snow combined with night brings the visibility outside to basically nothing and makes everything seem even more spooky. The few times we see Krampus is either outside in the snowstorm or in the dark so he remains mysterious throughout the entire film. He doesn't do much of the dirty work himself and instead allows his minions to do the capturing of children and whatnot. The toys and elves are actually really inventive and scary looking for the most part. The Jack in the Box is especially terrifying just because of his looks and what he does to the children when he gets to them. The Gingerbread men are the most plain looking out of the minions but they're used so effectively in one particularly goofy scene that I really wasn't disappointed.
I really can't think of too many complaints to make about the movie. I guess the cgi wasn't that impressive but it really didn't bother me any. I suppose the scenes were tame for a horror movie but even the lack of blood didn't take away from my enjoyment of the film. It's not exactly groundbreaking or anything like that but the movie is just really fun and a unique take on the classic Christmas film. I don't think it'll be for everyone but I would easily recommend it to those looking for a weird horror comedy hybrid film.
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