Krampus

A woefully misguided horror effort, Krampus details the chaos that ensues after the title creature and its minions attack a family gathering on Christmas. It’s not difficult to see what director Michael Dougherty is attempting to accomplish here, as Krampus boasts a mix of comedy and horror that’s reminiscent of similar-themed fare from the 1980s – with this vibe certainly perpetuated by a fairly pronounced use of practical (rather than digital) special effects. And while the movie admittedly does hold some promise in its early stages – Dougherty kicks things off with an impressively conceived and executed slow-motion sequence – Krampus suffers from an overall atmosphere of rampant silliness that’s compounded by a total lack of scares. It doesn’t help, certainly, that Dougherty and cowriters Todd Casey and Zach Shields offer up an obnoxious roster of supporting characters that make Randy Quaid’s National Lampoon’s Vacation brood look subtle and restrained by comparison, with the viewer’s inability to work up an ounce of sympathy for or interest in these people ensuring that it becomes awfully difficult to care once they begin fending for their lives. (This is true also of the woefully underdeveloped protagonists.) By the time the overstuffed and aggressively frenetic third act rolls around, Krampus has solidified its place as a decent premise in search of a compelling execution (with the movie’s underwhelming final few minutes certainly perpetuating that feeling).

*1/2 out of ****