Inline image 1Courtesy of Universal Pictures

“Krampus” is a horror/dark comedy set during the holidays. It follows a little boy named Max (Emjay Anthony) as he somehow fucks up Christmas by tearing up his wishlist he was planning to mail to Santa, which triggers the Krampus to go on a murdering rampage toward him and his family. This is strange, because you’d think that with all the bad people in the world who don’t even celebrate Christmas, humanity would’ve been long wiped out by now.

But the weird premise matters less than the spectacle, and director Michael Dougherty knows this. Once the movie trudges through the faux family drama of the first act, the story settles into “Home Alone” territory with full-on PG-13 action and violence, topped off with a surprising neat twist at the end.

Overall, it’s not too bad. It’s something I’d watch a second time with a beer or two, and with a buzz going I might even find the movie to be great.

3.5/5 Stars