Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Krampus 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 16, 2021

In 2007, writer/director Michael Dougherty set out to redefine Halloween horror with “Trick ‘r Treat,” a clever anthology effort that emphasized eeriness over pounding terror. For his follow-up, the helmer looks to shake up another holiday with “Krampus,” a Christmas-set chiller providing scares for the season of giving. Again avoiding cheap thrills, Dougherty creates an entertaining monster mash with the picture, which blends yuletide sensitivities involving dysfunctional families and the wrath of ghoulish creatures. Strangely, the production doesn’t aim to create a roller coaster ride of oddity, preferring to step carefully with its genre offerings, leaving the endeavor feeling slack at crucial moments, but it’s still satisfying overall.

It’s Christmas time in suburbia, and young Max (Emjay Anthony) wants nothing more than to stick to tradition with his increasingly distanced family. Mom Sarah (Toni Collette) is anal retentive while dad Tom (Adam Scott) is overworked, and sister Beth (Stefania LaVie Owen) has grown up, leaving Max to consider abandoning holiday magic. Stomping into the house are Sarah’s sister Linda (Allison Tolman), her husband Howard (David Koechner), and their awful kids, who bully Max into rejecting his letter to Santa, which inadvertently welcomes evil into town. As the temperature drops and a colossal blizzard blows in, the extended family is trapped inside their house when the Santa-like demon Krampus arrives, unleashing terror as the humans are picked off one by one by the shadowy creature.

“Krampus” has something to say about the holiday season, with the main title sequence showcasing the misery of Christmas shopping, with its overspending and pushy participants, pulling Max into the thick of hostility when he’s caught in a fight with a boy looking to expose the myth of Santa in front of gathered kids. Max is a big-hearted pre-teen who loves Christmas, with gifts placing second on his list of seasonal priorities, coming after the family time he craves and has recently lost, watching his parents and sister losing their desire to bond as they grow older. Max is the soul of “Krampus,” with his longstanding belief in Santa the catalyst for the demon’s arrival, throwing torn pages of a confessional letter to Santa into the wind after suffering humiliation at the hands of Linda and Howard’s vile children. However, before creatures are unleashed, Dougherty has a few ideas to share on the fragility of domestic harmony, and how easy magic dissipates once wonder is willingly replaced by reality.

There’s a push to make the characters meaningful, with the screenplay teasing comedy and pathos with Max’s family to gift the feature a human touch. “Krampus” doesn’t transition to horror for quite some time, remaining in the midst of housebound discomfort as thinly disguised impatience for the holiday gathering is revealed to all, watching Aunt Dorothy (Conchata Ferrell) gleefully dump on everyone’s attempt at normalcy. But soon, genre touches begin swirling into view, with a sudden blizzard disrupting the celebratory week, finding Beth lost in the whiteout, forcing Tom and cartoonishly masculine Howard into rescue mode. However, instead of finding the teen girl, the men happen across a visit from Krampus, a masked, horned ghoul out to collect a fresh round of innocents.

“Krampus” transitions from matters of the heart to a home invasion tale in its second half, though the enemy is hardly familiar. The titular demon isn’t actually the primary threat, arriving armed with minions in the form of elves, monstrous toys, and gingerbread men. The attack sequences are the most thrilling in the feature, teasing a “Gremlins” tone of comic mayhem and miniature foes, and the production wins points for mixing CGI with practical effects, adding touchable texture to the nightmare. Visually, “Krampus” is quite impressive, and the film is always most interesting when giving itself over to horror interests. Intensity isn’t nearly as welcome, as Dougherty has trouble keeping the picture motivated with escape plans and survival skills. The effort feels too slack at times, while campy extremes are a lump of coal in a movie that’s more engaging in panic mode.

Krampus 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Screencaps are taken from the Blu-ray included in this release.

Previously released on Blu-ray in 2016, "Krampus" returns to disc with a 4K presentation from Shout Factory. The "Director's Cut" (102:20) is only available on this release, offering an intensely detailed examination of frame information, which for this movie involves a lot of decorative additions and various monsters. Skin surfaces are exact, and costuming registers with softer fabrics, including a variety of sweaters. Household particulars are also textured, and exteriors retain ideal distances, with deep snowscapes and roof activity. Colors make an ideal fit for 4K, with the use of Christmas hues immediately noticeable, offering rich reds and greens. Home activity is warmer, while outdoor events carry a slightly bluish tint to blizzard exploration. Skintones are natural. Compelling highlights emerge with the feature's steady use of candlelight and fire, remaining tastefully bright. Blacks are deep, working with the endeavor's limited lighting. Source is in excellent condition.

Krampus 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 7.1 Dolby TrueHD mix is supremely active throughout the listening event, with heavy emphasis on surround atmospherics. Snowstorm visits are loud and heavy, and domestic events provide household bustle. Directional activity and separation is surprising at times, offering an active understanding of monster movement and interior threats. Dialogue exchanges are crisp and clean, capturing subtle emotionality and louder arguments. Scoring sounds full and wide, with defined instrumentation, and soundtrack selections are appealingly louder, setting the holiday mood with Christmas classics. Low-end is powerful, rumbling along with bad weather and creature attacks.

Krampus 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

UHD

• Commentary features co-writer/director Michael Dougherty and co-writers Todd Casey and Zach Shields.

Blu-ray

• Commentary features co-writer/director Michael Dougherty and co-writers Todd Casey and Zach Shields.

• Interviews (HD) include co-writer/director Michael Dougherty (18:31), co-writer Todd Casey (8:29), actor David Koechner (8:35), actress Allison Tolman (11:30), actor Emjay Anthony (5:27), WETA artist Richard Taylor (10:12), storyboard artist Simeon Wilkins (7:54), performer Luke Hawker (11:16), and composer Douglas Pipes (8:05).

• "'Krampus' Comes Alive!" (HD) is a collection of making-of featurettes, including "Dougherty's Vision" (3:04), "The Naughty Ones" (4:44), "Krampus and his Minions" (12:00), "Practical Danger" (4:58), and "Inside the Snowglobe" (4:43). A Play All option is provided.

• "Behind the Scenes at WETA Workshop" (9:54, HD) combines cast and crew interviews with BTS footage highlighting the practical effects used in "Krampus."

• Deleted/Extended Scenes (17:36, HD) are offered.

• Gag Reel (5:15, HD) presents flubbed lines, laughing fits, and Toni Collette's inability to hang a picture on a wall.

• Alternate Ending (1:24, HD) is presented.

• Galleries include "Poster Art" (:22), "Creature Art" (9:17), "Story Art" (2:47), "Michael Dougherty's Xmas Card Art" (:47), and "Storyboards" (27:36).

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:30, HD) is included.

Krampus 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are great ideas sprinkled around "Krampus," including an animated sequence that details grandmother Omi's (Krista Stadler) first encounter with the Christmas creature. Dougherty doesn't sustain berserk encounters, but his heart is in the right place, constructing an atmospheric chiller that explores myth, monsters, and family antagonisms. "Krampus" doesn't overwhelm like it could, but it does hit a few genre sweet spots with real imagination.