Skip to main content

Krampus (2015) - Michael Dougherty


It's that magical time of the year. The time of giving and loving. The time of getting together with your loved ones. A time for bloodshed and mayhem. So it's as good a time as any to cozy up to the fire for Krampus. A horror movie with that certain holly and poinsettia theme. Warm, fuzzy and scary.

A family gets together for Christmas and obviously it doesn't go well. They hate each other. During an explosive family dinner our lead Max loses all faith in Santa Claus and Christmas. He immediately tears up his Letter to Santa. A move that he soon regrets. This act summons the frightening Krampus. 

This movie explores the Krampus tale with superb embellishment. They actually have a really amazing narrated flashback sequence that acts as the origin story. This flashback was stylized in claymation and it was really neat. Krampus is really terrifying, The horror sequences are actually horrific and scary. This is definitely an easy movie to fall in love with as a horror movie fan. 

A great mix of comedy and horror. The beginning of the film is so cozy. It feels like a call back to John Hughes' Home Alone or something like Christmas Vacation. The cast is amazing. Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Conchata Ferrell and Emjay Anthony all make some great characters. Especially Emjay. He does an awesome job as Max our lead. 

This movie is incredible. With Trick or Treat for Halloween and now Krampus for Christmas, this is awesome. The effects are tremendous. The art direction is right up my alley. If you want a movie that is going to make you laugh and smile and scream. This is it. Very few horror movies that come out these days are successful at what they set out to accomplish. This one knocks it out of the park. 

Director: Michael Dougherty
Producers: Alex Garcia, Jon Jashni, Michael Dougherty and Thomas Tull
Writers: Todd Casey, Michael Dougherty and Zach Shields
Starring: Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman and Emjay Anthony
Studio: Legendary Pictures and Zam Pictures
Release Date: November 30, 2015 (Los Angeles premiere)
Country: United States
Did ya know: The film was originally to release on November 25 but was pushed back to December 4 to coincide with the Krampusnacht, a traditional Austrian festival held on December 5 that celebrates the Krampus coming to punish naughty children.The Krampus's final design was distilled from various postcards and illustrations of the creature over the years.Max's mom alludes to "the noodle incident" that estranged the family from a neighboring one. The noodle incident was often referred to but never explained in the Calvin & Hobbes cartoon strip, and Krampus also leaves it unexplained.






Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ju-On (2000) - Takashi Shimizu

Watching Japanese horror is similar to watching British comedy. If you enjoy dry whit then you probably enjoy the boys of Monty Python in drag. That's the joke, they're dressed like women. Get it? Well, that's British humor. But if you're like most Americans you probably prefer Adam Sandler farting his way across a football field and hooking up with chicks that are way out of his league. Americans usually prefer this more in your face, crass brand of humor. My point is funny in England is different from funny in the US. The same goes for J-Horror. What the Japanese consider scary is very different from what Americans consider scary and it shows in this horror film. Japanese horror is generally slow (a little too slow sometimes), suspenseful and creepy. Ju-On is a creepy effing film. The movie has almost no soundtrack. It is incredibly suspenseful and the pay-offs are pretty awesome, but I think that it was done better in the American version (cultural t...
Post a Comment
Not scared yet? »

Sleepy Hollow (1999) - Tim Burton

Tim Burton's take on the old Sleepy Hollow tale is really interesting. He adds his own flair of course. He delves very deeply into the original story by Washington Irving. The casting is usual for Burton. Johnny Depp of course in your lead. Helena Bonham Carter, thrown in for some flavor. The score is done by Danny Elfman. It's literally just the Ichabod Crane story run through the Tim Burton machine. But in a good way. Sleepy Hollow has a problem with a guy, running around, taking people's heads. Like, a lot of people. The town sends word for assistance and the nervous  Constable Ichabod Crane reports. He starts to unravel clues that take him down an incredibly strange path. With the Horseman still murdering patrons, Crane tries finding who's next before they lose their head.  I've always been a big fan of the Disney cartoon,  The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad . This movie is a far cry from Bing Crosby and quaint animations....
Post a Comment
Not scared yet? »

Escape From Tomorrow (2013) - Randy Moore

This review may contain spoilers. An American independent horror movie from filmmaker Randy Moore. It stars Roy Abramsohn, Elena Schuber, Katelynn Rodriguez, Jack Dalton, Annet Mahendru, and Alison Lees-Taylor. It premiered at the official selection of Roger Ebert, at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18th, 2013. Synopsis Jim is a depressed middle-aged man that despises his family life but wants to try to hold it together for a vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort. Jim receives a call before they leave and, unfortunately, Jim has lost his job as well. It proves too much to handle as this trip to the Magic Kingdom becomes a hellish nightmare. Jim’s mind cracks as we watch him deal with Disney’s seedy underbelly. Complete with elaborate corporate conspiracy, undercover sex workers, and demons. Oh and two very young French girls that Jim lusts over. It’s gross. Analysis The acting is amateurish. It’s nothing that’s going to win any awards or anything. The wri...
Post a Comment
Not scared yet? »