Taglines: You don’t want to be on his list.
The film tells the story of young Max, who turns his back on Christmas as his dysfunctional family comes together and comically clashes over the holidays. When they accidentally unleash the wrath of Krampus, all hell breaks loose and beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own. Now, the fractured family is forced to unite if they hope to survive.
Krampus is an American horror film directed by Michael Dougherty and written by Dougherty, Todd Casey and Zach Shields. The film stars Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell, Emjay Anthony, Stefania Owen and Krista Stadler. The film was released on December 4, 2015, by Universal Pictures.
About the Story
On December 23, a bunch of crazed customers barge into a mall for their Christmas shopping by trampling over store employees, fighting with other customers, and some being tased down by security guards. During a Nativity depiction in the mall, we see two parents, Tom and Sarah Engel (Adam Scott and Toni Collette), run to their son Max (Emjay Anthony) as he is fighting with a bigger child after this child spoke ill of Santa Claus to him. Max’s sister Beth (Stefania LaVie Owen) gleefully films everything on her phone along with half of the adults in the audience.
The family returns home in anticipation of her sister and her family arriving. She is anxious, as is everyone else, but Sarah tries to keep the Christmas spirit alive in the house. Max wants to continue the family’s Christmas traditions, but the family loses interest with the exception of Tom’s Austrian mother, who is affectionately referred to as “Omi” (Krista Stadler). Sarah’s sister Linda (Allison Tolman), her husband Howard (David Koechner), their children Stevie (Lolo Owen), Jordan (Queenie Samuel), Howie Jr. (Maverick Flack), and their baby daughter arrive with Sarah and Linda’s aunt Dorothy (Conchata Ferrell).
Tensions arise between various members of the family and worsens when Stevie and Jordan mock Max for still writing a letter to Santa. They swiped it off of him and read his letter which says he has no friends, he wants his parents to be in love again, for him and Beth to spend time like they used to, and for things to go better between Linda and Howard. Stevie continues reading until she angrily finds out that Max wrote that Howard wishes she and Jordan were boys. Max loses it and fights Stevie to get the letter back. Upset, Max yells that he hates Christmas and his dysfunctional family before running upstairs.
Tom comes to Max’s room attempting to comfort him over the fight and reminding him that it’s the time of year to be with one’s family, even if they’re not the best of people. After Tom leaves, Max tries to put his Santa letter into an envelope, but in a furious rage he starts to rip up the letter. He then opens his bedroom window and casts the shredded letter into the wind and is blown into the night sky just as a sudden and ominous storm cloud forms over the neighborhood, cutting off the electricity to the town.
Krampus
Directed by: Michael Dougherty
Starring: Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell, Emjay Anthony, Stefania Owen, Krista Stadler
Screenplay by: Todd Casey, Michael Dougherty, Zach Shields
Production Design by: Jules Cook
Cinematography by: Jules O’Loughlin
Film Editing by: John Axelrad
Costume Design by: Bob Buck
Set Decoration by: Daniel Birt
Music by: Douglas Pipes, John Ottman
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of horror violence/terror, language and some drug material.
Studio: Universal Pictures
Release Date: December 4, 2015
Visits: 122
