The Scene staff
Nothing gets me more in the holiday spirit than bundling up in warm clothing, taking a few sips of Sprite-cranberry and watching a family come together and fight a demon goat and his minions.
“Krampus” is a horror-comedy Christmas movie from 2015 that’s based on the European legend of an anti-Santa figure with the same name.
Young Max writes a letter to Santa Claus, asking him to restore Christmas spirit to his dysfunctional and obnoxious family. But then in a fit of rage, Max tears it up, inadvertently summoning Krampus and henchmen. In the end, the family comes together to protect each other from being attacked and abducted.
The movie begins by showing the real-life horrors of commercial Christmas. There’s a stampede at Mucho Mart with shoppers charging into the mall in slow motion while trampling over employees. While the Bing Crosby song “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” plays in the background, chaos ensues with fights breaking out in stores, kids bawling their eyes out on Santa’s lap, security guards dragging and zapping people with tasers, checkout lines stretching for miles, customers hoping their credit cards won’t be declined and employees taking their sweet time to ring up items.
Soon the movie transitions to the main character, 12-year-old Max (Emjay Anthony), slapping a character in a Christmas play silly in front of a nativity scene.
Max’s parents, Tom (Adam Scott) and Sarah (Toni Collette), rush to the stage, trying to break up the fight. In the front row, we see Max’s sister, Beth (Stefania Owen), smiling from ear to ear while watching her brother.
Back at the family’s house, we meet German grandmother Omi (Krista Stadler) preparing for a “very” memorable dinner with Max’s boorish extended family. Max is frustrated with his cousins teasing him about his belief in Santa Claus and tearfully tears up his letter to Santa.
This puts an end to Max’s Christmas spirit and subjects him and his family to the antics of Krampus, who appears as a giant goat. A mystery bag is left at the front door along with a parcel delivery.
The next morning, the family wakes up to a blizzard with no power in the house. Beth gets worried and asks her parents if she can go out to check on her boyfriend.
While Beth is walking, we see the neighborhood looking like a ghost town with snow and ice everywhere. She notices a large goat-like creature wearing a tattered red cloak, hopping roof to roof in the distance.
Scared, Beth tries to run away, but the creature is catching up with her. In a last-ditch effort to escape, she hides under a delivery truck. 
Krampus stands in front of the truck, knowing Beth is underneath it, but he doesn’t harm her. Instead, he leaves behind a sinister Jack-in-the-box that attacks and abducts her.
Back at the house, Max and His family are getting worried about Beth being gone so long. His dad and Uncle Howie (David Koechner) arm themselves and go out to check on her and her boyfriend.
The horror begins in earnest as they search the neighborhood, then Howie is attacked by something that erupts from beneath the snow. Tom saves Howie, and the two manage to return with frostbite and bloody bite marks on Howie’s legs.
Omi tells the family of her experience with Krampus, illustrated by an animated flashback to her childhood. Tom and Uncle Howie decide to board up the windows for safety.
Soon toys from the mystery bag and attic (a Christmas angel, Jack-in-the-box, gingerbread cookies, a robot and elves) come to life and begin attacking and ultimately abducting family members one by one.
Those left in the house plan a desperate escape and run for an abandoned truck, with Omi staying behind to sacrifice herself and delay Krampus. Max and his cousin, Cherub (Ivy George), reach the truck, but Cherub is abducted by an elf.
Krampus drops Max’s torn-up Christmas letter at Max’s feet and runs back to his sleigh. Max apologizes for losing his Christmas spirit, then Krampus snatches him by the head and drops him into a bottomless pit.
The movie ends with Max waking up on Christmas morning in his own room and going downstairs to find that all is well and everyone is opening gifts. A bell ornament engraved with the name “Krampus” reminds him to keep his Christmas spirit. There’s also a surprise at the end that I won’t spoil.
As a horror-comedy Christmas movie, “Krampus” is entertaining. It tackles holiday stereotypes in an amusing way.
The horror is more suspense with very little gore. It’s still scary, but most characters disappear by getting sucked up chimneys, pulled under snow or otherwise exiting in cartoonish ways rather than being outright killed.
“Krampus” is rated PG-13 and includes obscenities. I recommend it for teenagers and young adults. It might be too scary for younger children.
To me, it’s worth the hour on a chilly winter evening and a great addition to any holiday movie rotation.