Film Review: Krampus

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror

Cert: 15 cert

Director: Michael Dougherty 

Screen writer: Todd Casey (written by) Michael Dougherty (written by) Zach Shields  

Starring: Adam Scott, Toni Collette , David Koechner , Allison Tolman , Conchata Ferrell, Emjay Anthony , Stefania LaVie Owen, Krista Stadler , Mark Atkin , Trevor Bau , Brett Beattie , Breehn Burns , Gideon Emery , Maverick Flack , Sophie Gannon.

Running time:  1h 38min

Parents advised to read before viewing film as some scene may contain scenes unsuitable for younger viewers.

Sex & Nudity: man and woman kiss for about 2 seconds. Nothing bad just a quick kiss.

A mother is concerned that her daughter is late returning from her boyfriend's house, her tone and phrasing imply that she's afraid they may be in bed. However we never see the girl and boy together.

No nudity or sexual content.

Violence & Gore: A man gets bitten on the leg (off-screen but very frightening). Some blood is shown later. The same character gets shot with a nail gun; there is a little blood. The same man is shot through the leg, and we see the wound.

A young kid is eaten alive by a jack-in-the-box toy

Some of the evil creatures are stabbed and shot with a shotgun. They ooze green gooey "blood" Not graphic looks like slime

Profanity:  The film contains,hell 5 times but used only for religious purposes and 2 assholes .

A character apologizes for thinking of his brother in law as a "JACKASS"

Other mild humor played for humor

Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: A character jokes about having a hangover.

A character makes a peppermint drink with alcohol in it, and then shares it with one of the children. Meant to be funny.

A man pours alcohol into his coffee cup.

A girl on skype is talking to her boyfriend who shows her a Christmas-themed bong, then tries to convince her to come over.

A girl says how her mom is using a perscription drug "like candy".

Frightening/Intense Scenes: The film contains several sequences where characters are faced with threatening situations and commit moderate violence.

For example, when the adults are attacked by menacing-looking toys, they manage to fend off the assault through the use of an axe, a knife and a shotgun.

The sense of threat is heightened by the toys gruesome appearance, where they bare features such as sharp teeth and claws.

There is a scene where a young girl is eaten alive by one of the toys

Parental Guidance strongly recommended for people aged 11 and Higher. as its a 11 rated film nobody under that would be admitted

Story: When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max (Emjay Anthony) is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know, this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers. All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family's home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive. Likes : First of all great storytelling of an age old christmas nightmare story of krampus, who if you forget the christmas spirit he'll come to collect your parent as punishment and leave one alive to witness the horror so christmas is never forgotten again. If you compare this to other film of this concept none of them have actually captured the true element of krampus quite like this one. I wanted to see this at the cinema but i thought it would’ve been just another horrible low budget syfy channel typical movie, so i waited for it to come out on dvd after a few months and i finally i got to watch it for the first time. Upon watch this film i’m pleasantly surprised this was actually really good, I love the style of the way they've made this film in a nightmarish tone using thing from nightmares and christmas as well, special with the gingerbread men which was probably the most cheesiest but damn right funny moment in the film; which was twisted laughing because it a horror film not a christmas one but you just can't help yourself. What also great about this film is we get a complete full background story of krampus of what he is & what he does when the christmas spirit dies, it kind of a frightening concept with a ice cold chill with this story being told in a creepy animated back story. Which the grandmother tells the family, it’s this brilliantly done animation style flashback which stand out in the film with a pretty dark and chill to the bone story. It adds to the film atmosphere which is cool because it give the film some ground edge which set up the scene’s perfect for that come next when thing start hitting the fan. The film has a very similar concept like the gremlins yet with a more darker nightmarish tone with thing you would normal see on christmas. But it’s one of those films despite being a horror you kind of find yourself laughing your head off at with certain bits throughout the film , (which beg the question where is you moral compass at; at this point laugh out loud). Although the film does have some funny scene there is a great balance of horror and comedy smooth the film out ,but it still hold some chilling scenes that puts a chill down your spine. But unfortunately it not the over the top scary as it could've been, it more of a weird & funny type horror that you could see becoming a cult classic for sure. With great acting performance from Adam Scott , Toni Collette , David Koechner , Allison Tolman , Krista Stadler & Emjay Anthony really made the film convincing in area’s, David Koechner being a comedy actor really did well with the serious parts as well as some funny scenes . All in all this is a pretty good told story of krampus and is actually the best one i've seen in awhile, it one of those film you really have to watch to get and enjoy. Special the twisted ending which leaves you baffled for a second but then you get this Jeeper creepers ending style which is brilliant done, one of the best ending i've seen that leave thing to the imagination Dislikes : I think the film was missing some opportunities where there could've been other people involved fighting for the lives but as it is this is a cool film for a horror story. Overall : Great story telling, funny moments with some chilling moments though the film worth checking out. Rating: 5 out of 5 for entertainment / 8 out of 10 for story telling