Crashing through the storm, with all the elves on their way, jumping through the roofs, cackling all the way, all the bells will ring, bringing Christmas fright, what fun it is when Krampus torments Max’s family tonight. Oh jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, oh what fun, it is to to watch K-dog play, hey, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, oh what fun it is to watch K-dog play, HEY!

So I just saw “Krampus,” and holy cow, it was a rip-roaring good time. Now, Krampus is a Christmas demon who is celebrated in some parts of Europe and who spends his free time torturing children who were naughty, stuffing them into wicker baskets and generally being an all around jerk to them, but in this movie directed by Michael Dougherty, the K-dog’s an unstoppable steamroller of black comedy and practical effects so awe-inspiringly scary, that it makes “Gremlins” look like “Sharknado” in terms of practical effects.

When Max Enger (played by Emjay Anthony) gets disillusioned with the Christmas spirit due to his extended family dropping by for a Christmas visit(and making fun of the fact that he still believes in Coca Cola mascot, Santa Claus), he unwittingly summons the K-dog who sics his whole workshop on the family. Everything from animated gingerbread cookies, to lizard tongued cherub decorations, to jack in the box clowns that act like snakes to toy robots that have SKYNET running on them to dark elves to… Snowmen? I dunno.

This movie also contains references to several other forms of pop culture, like a reference to “Calvin and Hobbes” (for Max’s noodle incident”), “Gremlins” (the fact that the “presents” came to life and made a mess out of the attic) and even John Carpenter’s “The Fog” or Frank Darabont’s “The Mist” (with the freak snowstorm that follows the K-dog like the paparazzi).

If you’re looking for something that can make you laugh and scare the living daylights out of your children, then “Krampus” is right up your alley.

I give it 4 1/2 stars out of five. Yeah, it’s that good. The only cop-out were the opening minutes, which were sluggish, but hey,  “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot LIke Christmas” by Bing Crosby is in the background.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and don’t let Krampus’ minions get you…