 When I think of director Bob Clark, I immediately think of the now somewhat dated Christmas classic that I'll never stop loving, 'A Christmas Story.' It boasts all of the magic and joy of Christmas in the 1950s, communicates with children and adults equally, is hilarious and incredibly quotable, and is just a home run. But what's strange is that the same man responsible for such a feel-good Christmas classic also helped to launch the slasher genre that would overwhelm the 80s as much as superheroes overwhelm us now.
It's kind of a fascinating chain of events, all somewhat connected. 1960's 'Psycho' is the initial inspiration of it all, with the famous shower stabbing scene, complete with equally famous music accompanying it. 'Psycho' actress Janet Leigh could never shower again as a result. However, she could still have children with fellow actor Tony Curtis, one of whom was Jamie Lee Curtis of 'Halloween' fame, often toted as the true beginning of the 80s slasher craze. But many people miss the friendship between directors Bob Clark and John Carpenter, with 'Halloween' being a bit of a spiritual successor to 'Black Christmas.' One can simply Google this to find it out, but at some point, Carpenter asked Clark if he planned on a sequel to 'Black Christmas.' He said "no," as he was done with horror. But the idea (get this) would involve the killer getting caught and eventually escaping from an asylum to return to the sorority house and have things start over again, but it would be set at Halloween. Sound familiar? The rest is pretty much history, and Clark says that he doesn't consider 'Halloween' a ripoff of his cult horror classic - something I definitely pointed the finger at 'Halloween' for in recent years, despite my love for it. Getting into the movie at hand, however, the plot involves a gross, crazy person who has since simply been identified as "Billy," although if I remember correctly, that's only because he keeps calling himself that, and his actual name is slightly more unknown. "Billy" is more of an assumption. In fact, subtitles call him "Caller." Again, kinda like Michael Myers initially being identified as "The Shape." Anyway, he casually breaks into a sorority house's attic and hides out there while making obscene phone calls to the sorority. Admittedly, they are, to this day, incredibly creepy and don't end in harsh perversion. Said sorority is host to a group of friends who are staying there over the Christmas holiday and hosting a party while Billy breaks in over the noise. Jess (Olivia Hussey), Barb (Margot Kidder), Phyl (Andrea Martin), and Clare (Lynne Griffin) host the party, able to cut loose and have fun due to their awesome house mother, Mrs. Mac (Marian Waldman). Eventually, one of them goes missing, which leads to the rest of the sorority seeking help from the police, headed by Lt. Ken Fuller (John Saxon - yet another 80s horror connection with 'Elm Street'). Without going on about it too much, it ends up being a play on the urban legend of "The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs" (also done with 'A Stranger Calls,' but much better here). When I first checked this out, it actually did its job and managed to get to me, giving me a whole new fear of some dangerous stranger just hanging out in my house. And Billy, at least to me, is actually a lot more terrifying than the big, stocky nature of Michael Myers. Billy is completely off his bean, and just listening to the far too random things he says is enough to get under one's skin. He seems to have a split personality disorder, ranging from an angry woman to a frightened child (Billy) to a complete pervert to... I dunno, animals? He's always on about "Agnes" when he decides to be Billy, but it's ultimately all gibberish. This is a movie that definitely leaves one with a sense of dread. I have to thank God that it is not as hardcore as something like 'The Exorcist' (for the time) and is often punctuated with bits of comedy (the "fellatio" scene is pretty hilarious, and it's not what you might think when reading it). But if the comedy is cut out, this can be nightmare fuel for the right people (like me) who may have seen supernatural horror as terrifying as a kid, but now that that's sort of laughable, it's the stuff that can really happen that can get to me now. What is the biggest moral of this flick? Keep those doors and windows locked, ladies & gentlemen! 4/5
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 This title comes from a great niche director by the name of Michael Dougherty, who also did the instant Halloween classic 'Trick r' Treat'. The beauty of this man is that he's not afraid to give us the strange and twisted without holding anything back. He just goes for it while taking pure pleasure in creating these surreal creatures that provide some pretty fantastic nightmare fuel. Perhaps the prime example is the now widely regarded Sam from 'Trick r' Treat' who has taken his seat at the table of recognizable horror villains.
While 'Krampus' isn't quite the calibre of 'Trick 'r Treat,' it's very much done in the same spirit. It's a dark and creepy ride the whole way through, and all of those comfy, cozy things we love so much about Christmas end up taking a turn and get pretty bloody horrific with this movie, catching us a touch more off guard than a Halloween-themed movie would because hey, it's Christmas! The way 'Trick 'r Treat' compares to 'Halloween' nowadays can also be seen here, comparing 'Krampus' to 'Black Christmas'. In other words, it's probably the best horror movie for the respective holiday since 1970-something. The story centers on a young boy named Max (Emjay Anthony). A sweet boy with his imagination still hanging onto Christmas magic, he's actively getting into the holiday spirit and getting his letter for Santa ready. A part of him, however, "knows better" about the truth behind Santa. In contrast, another part listens to his Omi (Krista Stadler), considering Santa to have a bit of a deeper meaning than something physical in a red suit. I was taught the same way upon discovering the truth. The idea is that Santa is totally real, for he is the symbol that represents the magic and warmth of the Christmas spirit. Everything gets ruined for Max when his family comes by for the holidays, sporting their very redneck, ignorant attitudes, which ultimately sets him off to go upstairs, tear up his letter to Santa, and essentially lose faith in the whole Christmas deal. However, in doing this, he accidentally seems to summon the anti-Santa, Krampus - a being sent to punish those who have been bad. This is how some cultures look at Christmas instead of our much more tame tradition of "coal in the stocking" (which I'm not even certain is a thing anymore). And while the idea of an anti-Santa is fun to those of us a bit more morbid about things, I would still prefer the coal idea after seeing what this thing can do. The movie ends up being more or less a "bottle movie," borrowing a lot of inspiration from movies like 'Night of the Living Dead,' and I'd even say, to some extent, oddly enough, 'Christmas Vacation' based on a lot of the comedic dysfunction of the family. It also features Adam Scott and Toni Collette as Max's parents, David Koechner and Allison Tolman as his aunt and uncle, and topped with Conchatta Ferrell as miserable Aunt Dorothy. So, all in all, it's actually an interesting combination of B-C-listed talent, and I wouldn't have it any other way. For some reason, I feel like an A-lister would feel out of place here. Actors aside, however, they're far from the best thing about this flick. The practical creature effects are What really sell you on this as a horror movie. There IS a fairly sad-looking army of killer gingerbread men done in CG. Still, once you see what's lurking elsewhere in the house, you're provided with some genuinely creepy and imaginative creatures straight out of one's nightmares. It's no secret that I also give horror movies much more credit when they ensure the audience that no one in the cast is safe. I will not spoil anything here, but the final outcome of this movie is really cool and leaves the viewer feeling very disturbed. This is not something I'd consider a traditional "Christmas movie," but if you want the darker side of the holidays, it functions very well as a spookhouse film. Much like 'Trick 'r Treat,' it was made as not much more than a creepy, fun ride that highlights a specific holiday. Some of the imagery might be rough for some people, and it's not a movie you're gonna wanna sit and watch on "Family Movie Night." But it's a lot of fun as long as you can treat it as the spookhouse film it's meant to be and have an open mind about it. One could almost think of it as a long, Christmas-themed episode of 'Tales from the Crypt.' 4/5 |
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