While the whole extended family has gathered, a boy condemns Christmas and unwillingly summons the demon of the festive period.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) goes dark in 20′! The funny opening sequence with everyone desecrating the Christmas spirit leads to the troubled family at hand and the visit of their extended family that immediately amplifies the troubles. The comedy element so far prevails, and the kid’s wish becomes the necessary plot point that switches it to horror. Interestingly, IMDb does not classify Krampus as horror, but I’m sure it would be if any of our families were involved in a remotely similar situation.
The moment the demon is introduced, Krampus turns dark, eerie, and atmospheric, offering immediately the vibe of a hopeless and desolating Christmas. Writer/director Michael Dougherty, the man behind Trick ‘r Treat (2007), manages once more to get into the spirit of the respective festive period and entertains us with balanced laughter, family gore and the incarnation of the brutal Austrian/German pagan demon and his minions. Evil teddy bear-type toys, angel ornaments, a Jack-in-a-box (that swallows kids), a robot, and numerous gingerbread cookie monsters offer pleasurable cinematic deaths and keep you company for over an hour and a half.
Personally, my favourite sequence is Omi’s animated flashback. This is the kind of storytelling Tim Burton would be proud of. It is heartbreaking and annihilates human nature. Its message that the adults pass on the torch of darkness to the kids, and they carry it on only to do the same with theirs, cuts my breath.
What the narrative’s evilness achieves is that both likeable and dislikeable characters become relatable to the audience. You cannot help but empathise even with the suffering of those who, initially, you wouldn’t mind if they got rid of from the beginning. No one, especially around Christmas, deserves to experience such family-level brutality. And this is where the “success” of films like Krampus is based: Christmas spirit massacre with a paradoxical message of hope. Pay close attention to the ending, as there are two ways to interpret it. Which one do you choose?
So… Does Christmas romance depress you? Do Christmas comedies bore you? Does Christmas drama leave you indifferent? Well, try Christmas horror/comedy. Try Krampus! The answer to what if Santa went rogue (we’ve seen with Superman already).
I very much hope you enjoy it, as well as this festive period.
P.S. While watching the opening slo-mo sequence with everyone busting in and fighting over Christmas stuff like it’s the end of the world, I couldn’t help but imagine people in 2020 and toilet paper. You know what I mean…
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