Krampus (USA, 2015)

Nine Things About the Movie Krampus

1.This poisoned holiday card is my new all time favorite Christmas movie.

2. This is a weird little indie movie that somehow got big-budget Hollywood backing. It's based on the old German legend of Krampus, a horned creature that shows up at Christmas time to kidnap and kill bad children.

3. It is about a family getting together for the holidays, and they all hate each other. When a boy loses his faith in a happy life, the neighborhood is assaulted with a blizzard... and some pretty nasty things in the blizzard.

4. The movie is hard to categorize. It starts out as an acidic, mean-spirited comedy and dark cultural satire. But it increasingly adds horror elements, so it ends up being very different than it started. It's an odd combination, and some people won't like it just because they aren't sure what it is that they are watching. If you want a full-on horror movie, you may be disappointed. But that's not what it's trying to be, and it makes that clear from the very first scene.

5. It was written and directed by Michael Dougherty. Dougherty also wrote and directed my favorite Halloween movie, Trick 'r Treat, which has a similar feel and style to this one.

6. Some of the horror sequences are confusingly edited, which makes me suspect they were cut down so the movie could go from being rated 'R' to 'PG-13'. This is annoying, but the movie doesn't lose its punch. So while this movie may not be rated 'R' it is NOT for little kids. Some children will be terrified by the events of this film. Some adults may object to a few scenes.

7. There is an underlying theme of sacrifice in the film, including the sacrifice of innocence.

8. I was worried about how the movie was going to end, but Dougherty doesn't betray what he built up. The conclusion of the film was very satisfying.

9. This movie takes everything you love about Christmas and twists them inside out. It corrupts all that is sacred about the holiday. It's a beautifully whimsical, horrific fairy tale that exposes the human darkness and false happiness of the most wonderful time of the year.