Michael Dougherty made a splash in genre circles back in 2007 with his imperfect but highly enjoyable Halloween horror anthology, Trick ‘r Treat (a work he wrote and directed). After a bit of a hiatus, he returned in 2015 and pulled double duty again, this time with a Christmas themed creature feature. Besides the obvious holiday focused approach, Krampus is reminiscent of his previous effort in that it is flawed but still entertaining.
The plot revolves around the Krampus myth of a sort of demonic inverted Santa Claus. Krampus is a monster that shows up on Christmas to punish and take rather than reward and give. The opening of the film is pretty much a spin on the same basic framework of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. A middle-class family is having extended family over for a protracted holiday gathering and some of the guests are yokels, creating tension and offering up a few laughs. This isn’t the only instance of Krampus calling back to other Christmas stories. A Christmas Carol is invoked and an animated sequence reminiscent of the classic Rankin Bass holiday specials serves as an explanatory interlude. In any case, a frustrated action by a young boy inadvertently summons the demon and its Christmas themed minions. The family is then forced to work together as a supernatural blizzard engulfs their town and the creatures begin to mete out vengeance to the naughty and nice, alike.
My main issue with the film is it’s a little undercooked. The script, written by Dougherty, Todd Casey, and Zach Shields, labors to create set pieces where characters sometimes aren’t allowed to honestly earn their reactions. Additionally, it calls attention to itself by having characters do dumb things. Normally, this doesn’t bother me that much, but it’s pretty prevalent here. It's also a little tonally uneven with the comedy not quite feeling as natural as the film wants. If the performances weren’t as strong, this might’ve tanked the picture. Thankfully, Dougherty assembled a nice ensemble. Adam Scott is the anchor as the host family’s loving but workaholic father. The always welcome Toni Collete is the stressed-out mom trying to ensure a beautiful holiday for everyone despite some lack of appreciation. David Koechner, echoing Randy Quaid from Christmas Vacation, is the disruptive redneck with questionable parenting techniques. Plus, Conchata Ferrell and Krista Stadler are also memorable in smaller roles.
The makeup effects by Weta Workshop are cool and well crafted. Creature work is nicely polished. Specifically, the onscreen realizations of Krampus itself and a giant monstrous jack in the box bring the creep factor, creating effective scares. However, the violence is a little slapstick-y in parts, distributing some dark humor between the chills. The production design is actually magnificent. The outdoor sequences with the abandoned frozen houses and empty streets are really well done and amp up the isolation and anxiety. DP Jules O'Loughlin's lensing is at its strongest in those stretches, though I also enjoyed his presentation of the attic scenes. Douglas Pipes' score is playful, putting creepy spins on seasonal favorites.
Though flawed, Michael Dougherty’s Krampus is a satisfying holiday horror flick. Solid performances and amusing practical effects (enhanced by CGI, I believe) make up for scripting that's not quite up to snuff. After also seeing Dougherty's Godzilla: King of the Monsters this past summer, I'd consider myself a fan of his directing and of his films in general, but the scripts he's worked with have yet to completely come together for me. His passion for his projects is always present, though, even if the results don't reach their full potential. Recommended, with caveats, for fans of Gremlins, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, and Scrooged.
Michael Cavender