Krampus Christmas horror comedy a creepy surprise hit

Christmas horror comedy Krampus, about an evil anti-Santa Claus, has been a surprise hit with US movie-goers, but will British audiences warm to this darkly whimsical film?

Krampus, directed by Michael Dougherty (Trick 'r' Treat), stars Adam Scott and Toni Collette. It is based on a Finnish film (Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale), in turn inspired by an Alpine legend, about an anti-Santa Claus who punishes rather than rewards.

A dysfunctional family, with Scott and Collette as Mum and Dad, become disillusioned with the holiday season, opening the door for the cloven-hoofed Krampus and his evil minions to wreak havoc on their snow-bound community.

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Reviews for the film have been mixed, but the "bizarre" PG-13 rated film (15 certificate in UK) struck "a creepy chord" with holiday moviegoers in the US, says The Wrap, surprising the movie business with its No 1 box-office opening in the US last Friday.

Many US critics had predicted an uninspiring run for the film, which was released in the traditionally quiet post-Thanksgiving period.

By opening during this "dead time", Krampus "will probably be confined to box-office leftovers", said Frank Scheck in the Hollywood Reporter. He was also uncertain about the broad appeal of the film.

Despite its PG-13 rating, the movie is "surprisingly intense" and "strongly emphasises the horror elements", said Scheck. He called the film a "strange hybrid that doesn't quite work", adding that it lacks the "antic, witty humour" of something like Gremlins, or the "full-out gore of a traditional horror flick".

Others have praised the film as a refreshing change from the usual Christmas fare.

Mark Kermode in The Guardian writes that this "bump-in-the-night-before Christmas horror is a much-needed antidote to the seasonal glut of cinematic sentimentality".

Kermode says the film may prove "too tonally uneven for the mainstream palate" but those who "fancy a bit of hellfire on their Christmas pudding will find this a welcome respite from the seasonal diet of intestine-clogging goo".

Geoffrey Macnab in The Independent says Krampus is "by a considerable distance the best of this week's Christmas movies", but admits, "that isn't saying much".

Macnab adds that the 15 certificate may scare off some families, but Krampus, he says, is "a Christmas film with an enjoyably barbed edge".

Kevin Maher in The Times is not a fan, calling Krampus a "dumb Hollywood version" of the "charming" original Finnish film.

The family in Krampus is made up of "mostly repellent characters", says Maher, so when the evil Santa monster eventually comes calling, "we're positively cheering him on, begging him to finish them off and end the entire sorry mess".