TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS, DAY 1: “KRAMPUS”

EACH DAY UNTIL CHRISTMAS, WE’LL PROFILE A  TITLE WORTHY OF YOUR HOLIDAY VIEWING PLEASURE.

KRAMPUS (PG-13)

Article by Briana Pugh
Forward by Adam Mast

We thought it would be fun to kick off this column with a current Christmas movie, and KRAMPUS might be the most entertaining holiday flick since ELF. I really liked this film a lot! In fact, the more I think about it, the more I like it and I have a sneaking suspicion that in the future, it will be regarded a cult classic just like Michael Dougherty’s directorial debut, the horror anthology, TRICK ‘R TREAT. This isn’t to say KRAMPUS is without flaws, but what’s really special about it is its subtext. At a surface level, this is a holiday-inspired horror/comedy, but dig deeper and you’ll find real meaning. True, this isn’t exactly a movie for little kids but in its own way, it’s perfect viewing for the most wonderful time of year. My review is posted here on the site, but I thought we’d kick our “Twelve Days of Christmas” column off with an insightful perspective on KRAMPUS from Briana Pugh. This is a great piece and you’re bound to look at this picture a little differently after reading Briana’s take on it. Enjoy;

I couldn’t watch it, I had to look away, it was too frightening. KRAMPUS seems to have that effect on most people. However for me, that feeling of fear wasn’t brought on by the heavy hoofs and dark appearance of the (obviously) terrifying creature. He was pretty creepy too. But it wasn’t him that frightened me. No, it was the opening scene of KRAMPUS which was only too close to reality for comfort. A horrific shopping scene reminiscent of the YouTube videos posted only several weeks ago from Black Friday.

People jumping over each other to grab the latest whatcha-ma-call-it, and mothers fighting with children in their arms over the newest thinga-ma-bob. It was sickening. It was horrible. It was terrifying. But the reason it was sickening was because of how real it was, how this scene wasn’t just a scene from a movie, it was a reflection of our reality.

This Christmas horror-fest begins with a family preparing for the Christmas holiday. Tom, who is the hard working father is portrayed by Adam Scott. Best known for his role in Parks and Recreation. Tom’s wife Sarah, the uptight, type A personality, who desires a perfect Christmas is portrayed by (my favorite actress) Toni Collette. Their two children; Max who is portrayed by Emjay Anthony and his sister Beth, played by Stefania LaVie Owen, are the brother and sister pair that can’t seem to get along. They await the arrival of their relatives who, as Beth puts it, are from “the shallow end of the gene pool.”

The family arrives in a Griswold-esque kind of entry into the movie, making themselves known. Without further adieu, we can see that these two families clash. One is the uptight, perfect family with two kids, perfect house and perfect life, and the other family is the hardcore, let-it-all-hang-out type of group. It is insinuated that both families tend to lean to different sides of the political spectrum as well. Immediately they all start to collide in an awkward way that would even make the Griswold’s cringe.

Max is the most important character in this film (not just because that’s my son’s name.) But Max, the son of Tom and Sarah, is the only one in the whole movie who believes in Christmas the way it used to be, the only one who still believes in Santa Clause. The whole beginning of the movie, Max is trying to hold on to that hope and belief. But when he finally gives up and tears up the letter he wrote to Santa, that’s when, literally, all hell breaks loose.

Some might call this attempt at making a unique Christmas film cliché or silly. For instance, A.O. Scott from the New York Times calls KRAMPUS, “Occasionally funny, intermittently scary, but mostly hectic and sloppy…” And Stephen Whitty (who really isn’t that witty) from Daily News, calls it “a Christmas coal that not even a Grinch could like…” Both critics seem to despise the movie and find no merit or value in it at all.

Now, if myself or anyone I know actually paid attention to professional movie critics, their unfair assessment of KRAMPUS ld bother me more than they do. However, I don’t care for professional movie critics. No offense. Most of the time, they seem way off the mark when it comes to movies that actually rank well with audiences. I also just assume that most of them are moles placed there by studios to influence movie-goers into seeing only their movies. But that theory does tend on the conspiracy side of things, so we just won’t go there.

KRAMPUS was at moments, a little silly, a little cliché and hard to take, but I believe it held within it a simple message that could be the answer to all our problems right now. I know that seems like a stretch to some. But let me explain myself a little bit.

I personally feel like a lot of movies today try to be deep and complicated and mysterious. They try really hard to get at a message or answer, without taking the simple route. I believe that’s what this move did. The message is clear, the meaning is understandable and relatable. I don’t need to debate its meaning at a dinner table with several of my hipster friends because it’s not a philosophical theory that goes over most people’s heads. I believe a lot of people will miss the meaning of it because of it’s simplicity. Or they will dismiss it, as Scott and Whitty did, as some kind of halfhearted effort to make a unique film.

Was KRAMPUS unique? Yes, it wasn’t your normal, average, everyday Hollywood Christmas film. So in that way, it was unique. It fits more in the genre with Gremlins or, I would say, DRAG ME TO HELL. All these films have that same desire to scare you and make you laugh at the same time. Which I tend to love. For instance, THE VISIT by M. Night Shyamalan; a new favorite, would also fit in that category.

Now, I’m no film critic. I have tried my hand at it a couple times, mostly just because I love movies and I love writing, so it would make sense that I write film reviews. However, I just haven’t found the discipline yet and my movie knowledge, compared to some, might be considered green. So you can dismiss my review of KRAMPUS if you’d like because, according to some, I may not know what I’m talking about.

But there is one thing I love more than movies and that is politics. When I say “politics” everyone thinks “campaigns, elections, senators, presidents, laws we don’t understand” things like that. But when I say politics, what I actually mean is the things around us that influence, control, and shape our lives.

Right now, we live in a time that my Dad calls “the war of ideas.” We are in a war. I don’t know, maybe that sounds dramatic or “end of times-ish” But I can’t help but feel that with Christmas coming on, and the end of the year approaching, that it does feel like the end of times or at least the beginning of the end and it definitely doesn’t feel like Christmas. Maybe that’s because I’m older now and Christmas has lost it’s mystery and as such it’s magic. But that is why KRAMPUS hit a cord with me, it hit a nerve, it was relatable to me.

Everyone has an idea about how to run our lives, and everyone is fighting to get their idea heard and the key word here is “fighting.” We’re fighting over things that matter, like laws or rights, but we’re also fighting over things like whether the dress is blue and black or white and gold. People are impatient, angry, fed-up, and frustrated; feeling the weight of themselves and anxious to relax and breathe.

This is why we need Christmas and this movie. Because we have, like in the movie, forgotten the meaning of Christmas. (I can’t seem to say that without sounding like a cheesy Hallmark movie). But we have, we have forgotten why we celebrate.

Christmas isn’t just about giving. That is important. But Christmas is also about graciously receiving. Both are essential to the spirit of giving—the spirit of Christmas. But the most important thing to remember about Christmas is that it is about Christ. Christmas originally translated from Old English as Christ Mass. Mass is a religious ceremony. So Christmas literally translates to a ceremony of Christ.

Christmas is a religious holiday, a religious sacrament to God. But many people who aren’t religious celebrate Christmas and participate in the festivities. So how can they feel that spirit without abandoning what they believe? This is where KRAMPUS comes in. In the movie, it quickly becomes apparent that because these people had forgotten the meaning of Christmas they are doomed. Scott suggests that this “materialistic Christmas” is only an American problem. But it’s a people problem, all people from all walks of life.

However, the characters learn that if they work together, forget their differences, embrace family, and love each other; they can survive. I won’t promise you that this movie ends happily ever after. But the message of kindness, forgiveness and love still stands supreme. Is it a simple message? Yes, it’s not difficult to figure out what the filmmaker is trying to say. But maybe that’s something we need right now. Maybe, just maybe we need a little bit of simple in these ever increasing, complicated times.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!

About Author

Adam Mast

Adam Mast has been a lifelong film enthusiast dating back to age 6 when his parents took him to see a little movie called JAWS at a drive-in theater in Northern California. This would lead him to several writing stints for various publications and outlets. Mast would also have a hand in several film projects of various shapes and sizes. In 2014, Mast would join forces with colleague John Pugh to create Cinemast.net as a means discuss film from a fan and analytical perspective. Together, Mast and Pugh would also create the 501 (C)(3) nonprofit, Film and Media Alliance of Southern Utah (FMASU) in 2017. FMASU’s mission is to encourage, inspire and educate filmmaking talent and to preserve film history. Adam currently resides in southern Utah with his amazing wife, Tonja, and their four wonderful children.

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