Movie Review: ‘Krampus’ is naughty and nice done right

MOVIE REVIEW: KRAMPUS (PG-13)

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I’m telling you why… “Krampus” is coming to town. Nothing says Merry Christmas like a good old fashioned ’80s-inspired, holiday-tinged monster movie. This one comes to us courtesy of writer/director Michael Dougherty, the creative genius behind the expertly crafted Halloween horror anthology, “Trick ‘r Treat,” and while there are a few uneven moments in “Krampus,” this wicked, wildly entertaining horror/holiday/comedy mash-up is naughty and nice done right.

In “Krampus,” young Max is so put off by dysfunctional family antics and so bothered by the absence of tradition during one fateful family holiday season that he’s compelled to rip up his letter to Santa Claus, thereby inviting a murderous, supernatural creature known as Krampus to town in the midst of what appears to be the storm of the century. So, in short, what was supposed to be a warm and fuzzy holiday celebration turns into a family bickering display until anti-Claus arrives, showing these unsuspecting folks what happens when the true meaning of Christmas is put on the backburner.

Clearly Dougherty has an eclectic range of tastes, because “Krampus” tips its hat to the Christmas sensibilities of  “A Christmas Carol,” “Christmas Vacation,” and “Gremlins” and mixes them with the brilliant horror stylings of “Poltergeist,” John Carpenter’s “The Thing,” “The Mist,” and “The Shining.” There’s even a bit of “Cabin in the Woods” and the underappreciated Norwegian import “Rare Exports” thrown in there for good measure.

If you haven’t already guessed, there are plenty of tonal shifts throughout “Krampus,” and for the most part, these shifts work surprisingly well, but it should be noted that the setup of the picture is slightly heavy-handed in the way that it depicts the sometimes over-the-top dysfunctional nature of this family.

Furthermore, there are plenty of moments when certain characters act in a foolish manner. At one point, the overly supportive parents of a teenage girl allow their daughter to walk to her boyfriend’s house during a virtual blizzard. In another questionable scene, a sacrifice made by a key character doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

However, despite said moments, “Krampus” is a ton of fun, and it gets a lot of mileage out of a pretty low budget. The majority of the creature designs are impressive, none more so than Krampus himself: a creepy, hunched over creature with hoofs and a freaky,  expressionless face. Also worth noting are the menacing gingerbread men and a frightening court jester-looking beastie with mandibles. The elves don’t fare quite as well, and in fact whenever they were on screen, I kept waiting for David Bowie’s Goblin King to show up and snatch a baby.

While Christmasy, “Krampus” is still very much a horror picture. It’s the kind of film that is sure to give children nightmares, so think twice before taking the kids. There is comedy, yes, but the majority of the proceedings are pretty dark in nature. So creative though. The look of the film, with its snow-filled Amblin-esque town setting, is sensational, and Dougherty even goes so far as to include a stunning animated Krampus backstory that is as visually stellar as it is heartbreaking.

What’s more, there is subtext here. At a surface level, the dysfunctional family dynamic at the heart of the plot may seem like nothing more than an excuse to unleash Krampus’ wrath on a bunch of selfless jerks who deserve what’s coming to them, but the film ultimately cuts deeper than that. There are character arcs and key moments that are surprisingly effective in which these family members (played wonderfully by the likes of Adam Scott, Toni Collette, and Emjay Anthony, just to name a few) begin working together in an effort to survive. The film even gets a little political, taking a side on gun control. Admittedly, this particular plot point as displayed in “Krampus” got under my skin given the recent tragedies in both Paris and San Bernadino, but I admire that Dougherty is quite fearless in his depiction of this issue.

Again, there are certainly flaws here, and it’s a real shame that “Krampus” is so restricted by its PG-13 rating because had Dougherty been permitted to go further with the tension and gore, this could have been a horror classic for the ages. As it stands, “Krampus” is a pretty darn good movie punctuated by an ending that is a pure slice of  “Twilight Zone”-level brilliance. Seriously! This movie sticks the landing in a big way.

As a whole, Michael Dougherty’s “Krampus” isn’t the home run “Trick ‘r Treat” was, but its a double with a runner scored.