Well, isn’t this movie just a bag of fun, especially for someone who grew up hearing about the Alpine legend. Honestly, I enjoyed the hell out of 2015’s Krampus. While it’s not something to write home about, it has been a long time since there was a Christmas dark horror comedy movie that attempted to fill the big boy boots of 1986’s Gremlins. Yes, attempted. Krampus tried to fill that longing itch that Gremlins left us with oh so many years ago but it didn’t. Nonetheless it was an entertaining ride from start to finish.
The movie, while not sticking to the actual legend of the terrifying yuletide punisher, does put forward a rather interesting idea. Krampus taking your family away from you when you’ve lost faith in the holiday is a good concept. After all its not presents that bring you joy at that time, it’s spending time with your family, Christmas to Krampus is about family and since you not longer have your faith in the holiday it must mean you no longer want your family. Right? At least that is my interpreting of it. It might be a long stretch but its better than the alternative theory that the movie seems to support, which is that Christmas spirit is some how genetic and Krampus can hone in that this in your bloodline
Huh? Don’t think it is? Well…
Max, the main protagonist, loses his Christmas spirit and accidentally summons Krampus, kicking off the events of the movie. Omi, his grandmother also summoned Krampus when she was a child and had her family taking away from her.
Max’s cousins, Asshole one and Asshole two (seriously they are the worst) both don’t have any Christmas spirit and it is hinted that they haven’t for sometime since they mercilessly tease their cousin about his Christmas letter. It’s safe to say that their father, and brother have no interested in Christmas either. Max’s aunt and his mother while they keep a family tradition, they seem to keep these traditions because they have to. Max’s mother has the same kind out burst that Max has when confronted by the annoyance that is her Aunt and her sister’s family. This doesn’t not summon Krampus. Max’s father seems to have the ability to summon Krampus but never did since he is seen throughout of the movie being level headed and is also able to keep things from getting to him. It could be that his mother, Omi, brought him up to be this way, the same way she was trying to with Max. This could also be the same reason why Max’s sister never summoned Krampus either, while she doesn’t seem the care about what her parents think, she shows to have great respect for her grandmother. Leaving Max, who is younger and doesn’t have the ability to control his emotions, and ends up summoning the Demon. Max’s father never knew about the Krampus curse but his sister might have since she’s seen during the dinner scene trying to calm her brother showing great concern for him when she didn’t before. She also notices Krampus when she seens him for the first time.
There you go, Krampus is about a family who has a bloodline that is marked by the Yuletide demon, the youngest loses his Christmas spirit and unknowingly screws over the rest of his family.
Doesn’t that just sound like Christmas?