Krampus I’m sure has its fanbase and while the movie has its moments, along with some respectable effects, I wasn’t terribly enamored finding this to be only moderately entertaining with no real standouts.
Krampus: The Naughty Cut
— Collector’s Edition —
(2015)
Genre(s): Horror, Fantasy, Comedy
Shout Factory | Unrated – 102 min. – $39.98 | December 7, 2021
Date Published: 12/27/2021 | Author: The Movieman
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Shout Factory provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
Note: The screen captures were taken from the included Blu-ray disc.
THE MOVIE — 3¼/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: While the holiday season represents the most magical time of year, ancient European folklore warns of Krampus, a horned beast who punishes naughty children at Christmastime. When dysfunctional family squabbling causes young Max (EMJAY ANTHONY) to lose his festive spirit, it unleashes the wrath of the fearsome demon. As Krampus lays siege to the Engel home, mom (TONI CALLETTE), dad (ADAM SCOTT), sister (STEFANIA LAVIE OWEN) and brother — as well as his aunt, uncle, great aunt, cousins and even his grandmother — must band together to save one another from a monstrous fate.
Review: Krampus is a movie I’ve heard of but for one reason or another avoided watching since its release back in 2015, perhaps because when it comes to horror, I’m not much of a fan of the supernatural and/or fantasy variety leaning more towards slashers like Halloween and Friday the 13th. But tis the season and with Shout Factory’s new “Collector’s Edition” release finally gave me the chance. The result kind of solidified my disinterest in the fantasy-horror genre or really anything to do with the Krampus lore (which there have been several movies, most direct-to-video, that have been released over the years, partially thanks to the popularity of this incarnation it seems. This is not to say Krampus is a bad movie or mildly entertaining as I did enjoy aspects and genially chuckled at some of the dark humor (like demonic gingerbread men) and the actual look of Krampus was somewhat disturbing. And on the plus side, with a kid being a central character, played by Emjay Anthony, wasn’t unbearable.
That being said, the horror part felt rather tame and, like most of these films, for me I never once was scared, more watching with some appreciation for the practical effects more than anything, but with regards of the attacks of Krampus’s demonic minions, never once was frightened, disgusted or any amount of emotion on any level. As for the performances, everyone does well enough although Toni Collette shined the brightest but Adam Scott brought warmth to a thinly written father character while David Koechner provided his unique style of comedy. Krampus was co-scripted and directed by Michael Dougherty whose resume includes X2: X-Men United, Superman Returns, Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla v. Kong, which he also directed. Also included was a well done Halloween horror anthology, Trick r Treat, which I liked quite a bit (and is available as a “Collector’s Edition” from Shout Factory). I will say there are some parts of Krampus that entertained and from a technical standpoint was impressive, just the story never quite worked.
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SPECIAL FEATURES – 4½/5 |
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This “Collector’s Edition” of Krampus: The Naughty Cut comes to 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray from Shout Factory and comes with a matted slip cover with the interior cover being reversible with the film’s original poster artwork. All of the features from the Universal Blu-ray has been ported over. Disc One (4K Ultra HD): Audio Commentary — Co-Writer/Director Michael Dougherty & Co-Writers Todd Casey and Zach Shields. Disc Two (Blu-ray): Interviews:
There is a good selection of new interviews here totaling nearly 90-minutes. Each one provides their thoughts on the movie including their specific roles. Nothing amazing here but really nice to get anything new. Krampus Comes Alive! (29:30) — This is a five-part behind-the-scenes featurette with on-set interviews with members of the cast and crew. Behind the Scenes at WETA Workshop: Krampus (9:54) looks at the designs of the creatures at the famous effects shop that worked on the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Deleted/Extended Scenes (17:36) — There are 14 scenes either trimmed or completely cut from the final version. Some of these does appear in this “Naughty Cut”. Gag Reel (5:15) filled with line flubs and on-set fun. Alternate Ending (1:15) is more ambiguous than the final version. Theatrical Trailer (2:30) Last up are Galleries for Theatrical Poster Art, Creature Art, Story Art, Michael Dougherty Xmas Card Art and Storyboards. |
4K VIDEO – 4½/5, BLU-RAY VIDEO – 4½/5 |
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Shout Factory releases Krampus: The Naughty Cut onto 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray where it’s presented in the original 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio and 2160p and 1080p high-definition transfers, respectively. First, the 4K transfer looks fine, if not average for the most part. Although it is sharp and nicely defined throughout, and after doing a quick comparison with the Blu-ray, I didn’t notice a significant difference. Colors on both look well balanced as did the black levels which were stark but not appearing crushed. |
AUDIO – 4¾/5 |
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Both formats come with a new Dolby Atmos track which might seem a bit overboard but there is a fair bit of action-like scenes especially in the third act as characters venture into a blizzard. Meanwhile, dialogue does come across with great clarity and there is some good depth and although I won’t say this is anything reference worthy, it is a fine upgrade over the original DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track (available on both discs as well). |
OVERALL — 3¾/5 |
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Krampus I’m sure has its fanbase and while the movie has its moments, along with some respectable effects, I wasn’t terribly enamored finding this to be only moderately entertaining with no real standouts. This “Collector’s Edition” 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray combo pack from Shout Factory does have good transfers and a nice selection of bonus features old and new. |