CARLY KNASZAK
Assistant Reverb Editor
“He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. He knows when you’ve been bad or good.”
Everyone knows the classic Christmas song, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” But what happens when Santa sees children being bad? He sends Krampus, of course.
Audiences all around the world will be able to experience Krampus in all his holiday horror when the anti-Santa makes it to the big screen on Dec. 4. “Krampus” is a horror/comedy directed by Michael Dougherty, who also wrote the cult horror film, “Trick ‘r Treat.” Dougherty has been involved with many movies like “Superman Returns” and “X-Men 2.”
The film stars Adam Scott from “Parks and Recreation,” David Koechner from “Anchorman” and Toni Collette from “Little Miss Sunshine.”
“Krampus” is about a young boy who gives up on the Christmas spirit due to his family arguing during the holiday season. But little do they know that Krampus feeds off the anger of the holidays. Krampus comes and causes chaos, making the family team up to fight for its life.
“He is the shadow of St. Nicholas,” explained Dougherty in an interview with entertainment website, Collider. “While Santa Claus represents everything good, hopeful and light, Krampus really represents the dark, mysterious and original aspect of the holiday. A lot of people do not known that Krampus actually predates Christmas itself.
“Before Christmas it was the Winter Solstice celebration, and that is where Krampus and all those creatures came from,” he continued. “We sorta dressed it up with lights and TV specials and call it Christmas.”
The legend of Krampus also has quite the history. It started in Germany as a folk tale and has become popular in most of Europe. In Europe, Dec. 6 is St. Nicholas Day; children see if Santa brought them treats or coal. But legend has it that the night before Krampus lurks the streets and punishes the bad boys and girls. He is known to be fur-covered with horns on his head, a half demon and half goat creature.
Dougherty is known for his very artistic horror films, but unlike the movie “Trick ‘r Treat,” which is rated R and involves a lot of sex and gore, “Krampus” has a PG-13 rating. John Squires, from the horror news website, iHorror, is not turned off by the rating of “Krampus.”
“Some fans are worried about the PG-13 rating, though Dougherty has made no secret of the fact that Krampus is intended to be spooky holiday entertainment for the whole family to enjoy,” Squires said. “Like ‘Gremlins’ before it, I foresee the film becoming a seasonal staple in homes across the world and I think it’s wonderful that nobody is being excluded from the fun. Christmas is all about bringing families together, and ‘Krampus’ looks primed and ready to do just that.”