There’s something very appealing to the idea of Krampus, the punishing demon of the Yuletide season. Maybe his monstrous visage is a welcome shade of grey to overlay on the reds and greens and jollies of the holidays. Perhaps the idea of a punitive entity, a counterbalance to Santa Claus’ goodwill and gift bequeathing, is a more intriguing notion than St. Nick’s presents of coal and switches to kids who land on his “naughty” list. Hell, maybe the appearance of devil-like creature helps with the Halloween hangover some of us are experiencing months after the fact.
Regardless of why, the notion of Krampus has become a part of the wider pop cultural milieu in recent years, with the culmination of that fascination with the punishing spirit materializing this Friday in Universal Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ Krampus, starring Toni Collette (Little Miss Sunshine), David Koechner (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy), and Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation). To prepare the uninitiated, the filmmakers behind the movie have released a featurette to give viewers a little bit of background of what Krampus is all about. It’s like a dark-mirror Linus from a fractured Peanuts universe giving us the skinny on all things terrifying about this Noel!
Have y’all been naughty or nice this year? Luckily, Krampus hits theaters this Friday, giving me plenty of time to watch it before the demon of Christmas drags me to the underworld for double-parking or using too many swears.