Krampus
Universal Pictures | Release Date: December 4, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
49
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
11
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
EmpireKim NewmanDec 7, 2015
A well-above-average ho-ho-ho-horror film with a shivery sense of winter weirdland and anarchic ultra-violence, it’s also a strong candidate to become a holiday favourite thanks to a perfectly judged punchline. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comPeter SobczynskiDec 4, 2015
Despite the occasional rough patches, there are still some things about Krampus that I did like quite a bit. Although the humor is not always successful, I liked the fact that Dougherty played the material in a relatively straight manner and resisted the urge to go for a more campy approach throughout. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyDarren FranichDec 3, 2015
Full credit to director Michael Dougherty (Trick ‘r Treat) because this is great-looking movie, filled with freaky creature designs and a just-right mixture of practical effects and CGI. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayDec 4, 2015
Dougherty's effects team is top-notch, and the movie takes unexpected chances with the style and the storytelling — including a beautiful stop-motion interlude. Read full review
70
Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganDec 3, 2015
Krampus, when he eventually shows his cards, is a dark delight, but this film has more to offer than a single monster – Dougherty has a few puppet side-shows, including elves, a clown which comes right out of Poltergeist’s closet and some stuffed animals which are the satanic mirrior images of our Toy Story friends. Ho, ho, ho, indeed. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovDec 9, 2015
Dougherty appears determined to work his way through the underbelly of our most cherished seasonal festivities. Plus, it’s an extremely welcome change of pace from the “found footage” barrage of the past 10 years. Read full review
60
The GuardianBenjamin LeeDec 3, 2015
It's nowhere near as good as many of the films it so wants to be positioned next to, but it's nasty enough to leave an impression. Read full review
60
VarietyJustin ChangDec 3, 2015
Krampus isn’t especially scary, but it generates goodwill nonetheless for treating its home-invasion-for-the-holidays setup with an appreciably straight face. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Dec 4, 2015
Neither particularly frightening nor especially funny, the Yuletide horror-comedy Krampus scrapes by on the novelty of its setup. Read full review
58
HitfixDrew McWeenyDec 3, 2015
There are a number of moments where Doughtery introduces something truly interesting and then never returns to it. Yes, the movie is perhaps overstuffed with interesting ideas, but that can be just as frustrating as a film with no good ideas at all. Read full review
58
The PlaylistNick SchagerDec 3, 2015
The film's lack of terror might be more forgivable had it embraced its more humorous inclinations, but the script’s pedestrian liberals-vs.-conservatives, boors-vs.-yuppies conflicts rarely result in anything laugh-out-loud funny. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreDec 8, 2015
It’s better in conception than in execution, with all the energy hurled at the effects and murderous Krampus attacks. The actors fail to feel the fear. Read full review
50
Village VoiceChuck WilsonDec 4, 2015
Krampus, sad to say, is a disappointment. It's alternately funny and intense (don't take the wee ones), but never enough of either to form a cohesive whole. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckDec 3, 2015
While the violent sequences are very effectively staged, the results are a strange hybrid that doesn't quite work. Lacking the antic, witty humor of something like the similarly conceived Gremlins or the full-out gore of a traditional horror flick, Krampus never really finds it niche. Read full review
40
Time Out LondonTom HuddlestonDec 4, 2015
Too many obnoxious relatives, evil critters and weak gags at the expense of fat kids and foul-mouthed old ladies. Read full review
40
The New York TimesA.O. ScottDec 3, 2015
Occasionally funny, intermittently scary, but mostly hectic and sloppy, Krampus tries very hard to be a different kind of Christmas movie. Read full review
40
TheWrapRobert AbeleDec 3, 2015
Though not exactly a punishment, director Michael Dougherty’s tongue-in-cheek monster movie is hardly a celebration, either, despite initial promise that we’d be getting a niftier-than-usual package of subversive comedy and chills to shake up the usual holiday-movie sameness. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineEd GonzalezDec 3, 2015
At the center of the film is a conservative lesson that asks us to unquestioningly abide by society's capitalistic impulses. Read full review
30
TimeStephanie ZacharekDec 5, 2015
Some clever soul might have done something moderately effective with this idea, but Krampus is too dumb to be scary and too listless to be entertaining. Read full review
25
New York PostSara StewartDec 3, 2015
Seeing as Krampus is about the Alpine demon who punishes Christmas a-holes, this is a promising start — but alas, it’s all downhill from there, making a murky and humorless hash out of a pretty great piece of Read full review
20
New York Daily NewsStephen Whitty Dec 3, 2015
No one has been too naughty to be subjected to this reindeer poop. Read full review
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