The more frustrating movies are usually the ones that start with the most promise. A great filmmaker working with a certain actor or an intriguing premise builds anticipation, making it more disappointing when the finished product doesn’t live up to expectations.
Released in late 2015, Krampus combines all the elements of a promising movie: an exciting director, great cast and a good premise. Directed and co-written by Michael Dougherty and starring Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner and Allison Tolman, Krampus follows a family struggling to come together around Christmas. Frustrated by a lack of togetherness, the family’s son “Max” tears up his letter to Santa, losing his Christmas spirit and inadvertently bringing forth a sinister demon. “Krampus,” described as the shadow of Santa Claus, punishes those who are naughty around Christmas and sets his sights on “Max’s” family.
The film tries to do too much and ends up with a middling movie that doesn’t quite know what its message is.
Krampus starts slowly and when it introduces annoying relatives, it almost becomes cringe-worthy. The horror elements in the first half are slow-building and atmospheric, but in the second half, it jumps to a level of insanity that is reminiscent of the Evil Dead film series. Each approach could have worked individually, but having both makes the movie uneven and inconsistent. In the end, it feels like the three co-writers all wrote their own version and threw it all together. There are enough funny moments and so-so scares that the film ends up being enjoyable, but the mistakes are too much to overcome.
If it was more consistent it could’ve been something special. Instead, it ends up a fun but muddled mess.
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