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My Crew for a New Jonny Quest Cartoon

Executive Producer: Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci

Composer: Frederik Wiedmann

Head Writer: Todd Casey

Voice Director: Collette Sunderman

Head Character Designer: Shane Glines

Supervising Director: Matt Youngberg

Krampus (2015)

It’s easy for the Holiday spirit to get lost in the shuffle around Christmas time. Maybe you dread your family's get-together, you lament the rampant commercialism or you've just found out Santa Claus isn’t real. Here’s something that will bring you smiles and screams in the best way: Krampus! More than just a horror-comedy set around December 25th, it’s a for-real, full-on Christmas movie. Complete with a message that will warm your heart… when you’re not spooked.

Max (Emjay Anthony) is usually bright and cheerful around the holidays but this year, his family has finally gone too far. Mom (Toni Collette) and Dad (Adam Scott) are always fighting, the cousins and their parents (Allison Tolman, David Koechner) are insolent and rude. Aunt Dorothy (Conchata Ferrell) still drinks too much. Grandma Omi (Krista Sadler) is all right, but sometimes you wish someone would just come and teach them a lesson. Krampus, an ancient demonic spirit who punishes those who have lost faith in the holiday is poised to fulfill his wish.

Krampus balances its horror and comedy perfectly. The opening scene is so ridiculous your gut bursts. In the back of your mind, however, you recognize how accurate it is. This film is much more than what it initially appears to be. Characters that seem cartoonish get fleshed out. Simple relationships are expanded upon as time passes. By the end, you'll care about the people involved… which makes the scary moments that much more effective. There are plenty of laughs in Krampus and good chills as well. The Krampus has become more mainstream since but even so, this offers us a new mythology, new things to go bump in the night before.

The blend of scares and chuckles gives Krampus great rewatch value, as do the excellent special effects and creature designs. They compell you to closely pay attention so you can catch all the little details of the awesome-looking Krampus and its terrifying minions.

My favorite thing about Krampus is that it isn’t cynical. I love pictures like Die Hard or Tales from the Crypt, but I deep down, they're stories set at Christmas. They don't capture the spirit of the celebration. Krampus actually does. More than simply featuring “the shadow of St. Nicholas”, this picture has heart. It has something to say about that yearly get-together, the gift exchange, the carols, that spirit of goodwill. This brings me to my one criticism: the ending. It's a bit too ambiguous. I see it as happy, completing the “positive” message/lesson explored throughout and believe that ultimately, this is a “hopeful” movie. Others will interpret it differently. There is merit in that ambiguity, as I think it says something about those who do not see it as a "happy" ending. Nonetheless, I would've liked it a little tighter.

Krampus is a lot of fun. It’s a holiday horror-comedy that offers a lot. It might even warm your heart when it isn’t impressing you with its awesome creatures and inventive laughs. (On Blu-ray, December 23, 2016)