Movie Review: ‘Krampus Unleashed’

Review by Cade

Krampus: Unleashed, directed by Robert Conway, harnesses the legend of an evil demon and applies a modern lens to it, marking the movie as delightfully unique. After accidentally finding the rock that summons Krampus and calling him, one family is pursued and punished during an initially banal Christmas Eve. Eventually they uncover the myth and plot to strike back against the creature, but not before Krampus tried to sate his thirst for blood.

Something that hooked me to the story was its quick exposition through an engaging first scene, which sets up the premise of the movie very well. The concept and origin of the movie’s version of Krampus is explained and presented to the audience, plus we get a sneak peek of what is in store for the next hour before the first ten minutes of the movie are over.

The characters are really what give Krampus: Unleashed its value. Conway introduces a large variety of them, whilst making it clear that almost no one is safe from Krampus through chilling jump scares. One character in particular that struck me was Troy, a teenager who Conway makes evident is the epitome of stupidity and ignorance. Though in the beginning it was doubtful he would be of much importance to the plot, it was refreshing and dismaying to see that remained a central part of it for most of the film.
There were a couple scenes in Krampus: Unleashed that were very clever, one being the astonishingly insightful character development between two rednecks who believe Krampus is actually Bigfoot, which as you can infer still manages to be comical.

Something that should be addressed when reviewing this movie is the gore. Krampus kills his prey in a multitude of ways that rarely leaves room for interpretation of what happened: a head sliced off, intestines being eaten- at least he doesn’t kill anyone in the same way twice. Nevertheless, if you’re fainthearted or have a full stomach, you probably won’t enjoy many parts of this film. In fact, I found certain character’s reactions to the casualties caused by Krampus unrealistic.

I quite liked the film overall, regardless of its egregious plot holes. Though it’s only true worth in the horror genre was through jump scares, it was an entertaining story that had witty moments. The excessive gore was an interesting choice by Robert Conway, that leaves viewers wondering how the next person is going to die. When Christmas comes and you’re in need of a horror movie, you may want to consider Krampus: Unleashed.