Christmas has lost its luster for young Max (Emjay Anthony) and his family. His adolescent years are right around the corner and he’s getting just a wee bit too old to keep believing in Santa Claus. The rampant commercialization of the holiday and the pressure to get along with their extended family at all costs has also taken its toll on everyone and with Christmas just days away, Max wishes his family would just go away. Unfortunately, someone hears his wish and that someone is Krampus, a demon who punishes those who’ve forgotten what makes the season bright. Now that they’re snowed in and their numbers are dwindling, Max and his family must set aside their differences and do battle with all sorts of demonic lil creatures. Then Krampus himself arrives… Oh, and there’s some poop jokes.
I don’t mean to peepee on anyone’s holiday party, but National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) just ain’t for me. It came out when I was a teenager and I thought it was absolutely hilarious. After a few viewings and then a few more viewings and then a few more viewings after that, I got sick of it. Much like I did with A Christmas Story (1983) -a wildly better film- I got burnt out and haven’t looked back. So when I saw Krampus (2015) and got the distinct impression that it was the horror version of Christmas Vacation, I fell in love with it immediately. Maybe director Michael Dougherty never intended for audiences to draw such a conclusion, but I certainly did.
As for Krampus himself, he is one of the most unsettling monsters I’ve seen in a horror film. All of the little details that I see when we get a closer look at his nightmarish facade, the more horrifying he gets. Krampus’s little helpers are so damn well thought out and seeing their glee as they spread their Opposite Day (which is January 25th?) version of Christmas cheer is a jolly joy to behold. Krampus has an excellent cast, beautiful wintry vibes (I live in Florida so I can appreciate such a thing), demonic Christmas mayhem, excellent pacing, and it’s all delivered with a darkly heartfelt blast of seasonal love. Mmm, taste that blast of seasonal love!
And now Scream Factory has released the Naughty Cut of Krampus and I’m kind of on the fence about it. I’m familiar enough with the theatrical version that I think I spotted most (if not all) of the differences between the two. Other than a couple of cool character moments and some bonus foul language, there aren’t that many changes. Folks who are obsessed with the film will absolutely want to see this version, but I’ll be sticking with the PG-13 cut for my family friendly needs since my cats are easily offended. Either way, you get a superb 4K UHD disc and a Blu-ray version film (if you’re a Grinch or a really tall elf like me).
Scream Factory (AKA Santa’s Workshop) brought over all the extras from the Universal release (commentary track, gag reel, deleted scenes, etc.), but made some shiny gifts for you to stroke your yule log to. Ew, strike that. Sorry. They give you a whole buttload of fresh candy canes for you to suck on. There now, that’s better! There are 9 new interviews on this disc with the cast and crew that fit together nicely as an excellent “making of” documentary. This was a passion project for Dougherty and company and it really shows.