Candy Cane Shivs, Nail Guns, and German Lore...Oh My!
Killer Candy Cane Shiv-Weilding Gingerbread Men.
This isn’t the tagline for KRAMPUS, but it should’ve been. No further explanation required. It paints a vividly humorous picture, while also capturing in seven words the fun KRAMPUS offers. I could just end the article here. If tiny killer gingerbread men with candy cane shivs and a loaded nail gun don’t pique your curiosity, what will?
Yeah, I could end it here. But I won’t.
Let’s talk Fantasy Horror. It’s a term I coined several years back, after my first viewing of Michael Dougherty’s other amazingly fun film, TRICK 'R TREAT. We’ve got our evolved, elevated horror. The real good stuff. The intellectual stuff. It’s usually psychological in nature, and it’s my absolute favorite sub-genre—NOM, NOM, NOM! We’ve also got slashers, paranormal horror, and horror thrillers. There’s sci-fi horror and torture porn. There’s 80s horror, which is nearly a sub-genre in its own right. Some incredibly defining material saw its genesis in the 80s, but it also birthed some real loaded diapers. Still, even the rubbish of the 80s delivered us fun. It was the era of practical effects, which stomps CG’s ass any day of the week, if for ingenuity alone. (THE THING, released in 1982. Need I say more about practical effects?) Then there are the super turds, so bad they’re good. You’ve gotta slum pretty low to find these puppies, but boy…when you do, you feel like you’ve excavated a real gem. (This round goes to NIGHT KILLER.)
But I digress.
Fantasy Horror. It’s a unique sub-genre, and one with ample room for more neighbors. It’s not slapstick. It’s got more respect for itself and its viewers than to dumb things down to an unpalatable level, but it knows better than most how to have fun. It takes any and all lighthearted bits and bobs it can from horror, dresses ‘em up, gets ‘em drunk, and lets ‘em pirouette center-stage. But what sells it is that those little bits & bobs can actually dance. It’s a good time and a ton of visual fun, all without resorting to B-rated tactics and actors. And while it’s not nightmare fuel, it still taps into the darker subject matter we horror hounds love.
Michael Dougherty has brought us two such films, both of which perfectly define fantasy horror. Everyone loves TRICK 'R TREAT. I’m no exception. It’s quickly becoming a Halloween favorite among the general public, which is rad to see. It long ago won a place in the hearts of true horror fans like myself, but it continues to gain a following because, simply put, it’s fun. It’s full of good actors—some great, like Brian Cox. It’s original. It’s a joy to look at—no skimping on visual design. It’s got a great soundtrack. It’s playful, imaginative, and fantastical. It’s…Fantasy Horror.
KRAMPUS, while not as widely received, offers up much of the same. No, we don’t get an awesome original character like Sam, but remember those shiv-wielding gingerbread men I told you about? They’re not alone. They’ve got buddies. And I’m not just talkin’ the man himself, Krampus. They’ve got splendidly imaginative toys friends. Larger-than-life, murderous, conjoined toys that help complete their sinister deeds. Fortunately, Dougherty took a note from the 80s and relied heavily on practical effects—a smart move that paid off. Some of the devilish creations featured in KRAMPUS are wonderous. I can only imagine the good time had while conjuring up these playful beasts that devour in equally imaginative ways. And let’s not forget Krampus himself. He’s a stunning example of what can happen when amazing artist are allowed to get dirty and build with their hands and not computers. Krampus’s scale and beauty alone are worth giving the film a go. If you purchase the DVD or Blu-Ray, I highly recommend the behind-the-scenes material.
As the acting goes, it features Toni Collette. Need I say more? Academy award winner Toni Collette co-stars alongside Adam Scott, who adds a certain boyish charm to his role, just as he did in another fun fantasy horror brought to us by Netflix, LITTLE EVIL. These actors and actresses are no chumps. As was the case with Brian Cox in TRICK R TREAT, Toni Collette’s mere presence proves Michael Dougherty is no slouch. While his films are fun and full of dark whimsy, it’s not in lieu of real talent.
KRAMPUS features some great actors, whimsical storytelling, beautiful inserts of animation (an unexpected treat), a stable storyline that, while not amazing, keeps the momentum moving forward, and creatures that are an absolute blast to watch—even if those feisty little gingerbread men you’ve heard so much about are CG, which I’ll make an exception for. No man has yet to capture a tiny homicidal gingerbread man and lived to tell the tale.
This film is great for those of us who desire a little hit of horror throughout the Christmas season. Don’t get me wrong, I fa-la-la-la-la with the best of them, but a true horror fiend needs to water his or her decrepit, festering roots, even in December, lest the holiday cheer snuff the darkness out of our dreary little souls. So, make some cocoa, snuggle into your favorite blanket, and ring in the Christmas season with some German folklore.
Kommentarer