From The Shadow Of Saint Nicholas: Krampus – Film Review

It’s that time of year where it becomes increasingly difficult to find new horror movies. Everyone wants to see the Oscar bait films, family-friendly variety or in the case of this year, Star Wars! Well what about those of us looking for something a little darker? I present to you, Krampus. It comes from Austro-Bavarian Alpine folklore. While Saint Nicholas is known for rewarding all the good children, Krampus comes to punish those who are bad. Its appearance is devil-like, complete with horns and cloven hooves. In most cases, it carries chains which it uses for dramatic effect. Such is the central antagonist of the film.

The film opens with the madness of holiday shopping. The title cards are done in a festive font. The depiction of the inhumane treatment of others is so true to life, it could have been filmed in any store in America. With, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” playing, the sequence could be considered social commentary. We are then introduced to the Engel family, comprised of; parents Tom & Sarah, siblings Beth & max and Grandma Omi. They are getting last minute preparations together for the arrival of other family guests.

Aunt Dorothy, Sarah’s sister Linda, her husband Howard and children; Howie Jr, Stevie, Jordan, and Baby Chrissy arrive shortly there-after. They are the typical members of anyone’s family that you have to endure celebrating Christmas. During their first dinner together, Stevie reads aloud a letter to Santa written by Max. A fight ensues and Max goes upstairs to his room upset. He decides to rip up the letter, instead of resealing it in an envelope, and throws it out the window. It gets picked up by a gust of wind that carries it into the sky.

Aggressive looking storm clouds quickly roll in and causes an unnatural blizzard. It blankets everything with several feet of snow. This results in a loss of power and hot water for the neighborhood, which seemingly turns into a ghost town as most of the Engel’s neighbors have left for winter vacation. Beth decides to go check on her boyfriend who lives a couple blocks down the street. As she does so, the sky gets darker and she sees a horned creature on the roof of a house. She flees and takes refuge under a delivery truck in the middle of the road. Stocked by the creature she turns to notice a jack in the box toy. It begins to play and slowly open up. The camera cuts away as she shrieks in terror at whatever’s inside.

Several hours later, Sarah notices that she hasn’t returned just as Max begins to get worried. Tom and Howard decide to go to her boyfriend’s house and see if she’s still there. Once there, they discover the door is open. Checking inside, the house is frosted over with snow. Presents and other items litter the floor. There are no signs of anyone as they search. In the kitchen, Howard finds a gingerbread cookie nailed to the refrigerator with a kitchen knife. They hear screams from Beth and go outside to get her. Howard gets attacked and injures his leg. Tom helps him escape. Not finding Beth anywhere near, they go back to the house to regroup.

Back at the house, everyone hears loud noises coming from the roof but choose to ignore them. Tom and Howard return as everybody panics about the whereabouts of Beth and Howard’s injury. With the storm getting worse, they bunker down for the night. Hours later, they all are asleep. The jingling of bells and laughter can be heard coming from the roof. A chain with a gingerbread cookie comes down the chimney. Howie Jr wakes up and sees the cookie. He can’t help but go and grab it. It comes alive and attacks him with the chain, wrapping him up. The rest of the family awake just as he’s taken up the chimney.

Omi only then decides to reveal that she knows what is happening. When she was a little girl her parents were going to separate during the holidays. Being upset about it, she made a wish that they would be taken care of. Well, that Christmas, Krampus came and took her parents away. He left her a bell to remind her of what happened. She’s carried the guilt of that night ever since. Tom, Sarah and Howard go to make a plan on how to get out of their predicament. Meanwhile, Stevie and Jordan go into the attic, thinking they’ve heard Beth calling them.

The girls scream out, bringing Tom, Sarah and Linda to the rescue. Howard has to contend with his own troubles as a trio of ginger bread cookies attack him with a nail gun. Back in the attic the other trio have to contend with a sinister angel, teddy bear and the jack in the box from earlier. They fight with them until the demonic toys escape into the vents. They rush downstairs to defend Max, Dorothy and Omi from the toys as they come down the vents. Howard joins them after dispatching with the cookies. They finally get the upper hand just as a group of dark elves crash through the window. They take Howard, Dorothy and Baby Chrissy.

The remaining members of the family decide to make a break for it. Omi stays behind to confront Krampus and buy some time for the rest of them. Krampus’ helpers are gaining on them fast, so Tom sacrifices himself. Max and Stevie make it to the snowplow but Linda and Sarah don’t. Max tries desperately to get the thing to start but fails to. Stevie gets yanked through the window. Max leaves the vehicle and runs into Krampus. He gives him a bell wrapped in the torn pieces of his letter. Krampus turns and leaves him alone.

Max goes and finds where Krampus and his helpers are. Krampus opens a hole to the underworld. The elves prepare to drop Stevie in. Max yells at Krampus, demanding that he trade his life for that of Stevie. He explains when he made his wish he just wanted Christmas to be like it used to be. After waiting a moment, Krampus drops Max into the pit. And he wakes up in his room. He hears his family and goes downstairs. They are opening presents. He is puzzled but doesn’t seem to know exactly why. He gets a present and opens it. It turns out to be a bauble. The scene dissolves into a snowglobe in Krampus’ hand. He places it on a shelf with hundreds of others and leaves.

Co-written and directed by Michael Dougherty, the genus behind 2009’s Trick ‘r Treat. Krampus is a fun story but falls short of joining in the ranks of his much loved cult classic. This movie should never have been PG-13. The audience this movie is made for want gore in their horror films, that constitutes an R-Rating. Lacking this, the film has no death scenes, not one. No body dies on screen. Think about that if you’re watching it for the second time. To not have gore in the film is like watching a porno without the sex scenes. I don’t know of anyone that would want to watch that.

Another thing I found interesting was the amount of self-sacrificing in the movie. There is not just 1 or 2 but a whopping 6! I’m sorry to say but as much as this family is depicted for not being that caring for one another, this number is ridiculously high. I can understand Grandma Omi’s because she’s trying to redeem herself for her own cowardice from childhood. Max’s sacrifice is also logical since he’s the one responsible for bringing Krampus to town. What doesn’t make sense; self-absorbed Howard, bitter Dorothy, negligent Tom and Sarah’s on behave of her sister’s spawn making sacrifices. It’s so out of place they all should have had swords to fall on.

Back to the genius of Michael Dougherty. This film does cleverly reference not just other classic horror films but also other holiday movies. In our first glimpse at the Engel household, a b & w version of A Christmas Carol is playing on TV. This is a nod to Halloween, in that film the children are watching a b & w version of The Thing from outer space on TV. We then have the arrival of the dimwit sister’s family. Obnoxious and loud, like they are, just as in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation where Eddie and his family show up to Clark’s house. And in no particular order; Home Alone, a fight at dinner results in a Christmas wish against the family, Gremlins, creatures destroying and killing around a Christmas tree, Black Christmas, there’s someone in the attic, The Polar Express, main character gets a bauble to remember the night’s events and A Christmas Carol gets a second reference during the ending.

All in all, the film is deserving of a place in the ranks of holiday-themed horror movies. It’s not the best of the bunch but it certainly isn’t the worst either. So, if your season is in need of slaying or your inner horror fan is fading from holiday cheer, watch Krampus. It’s a Christmas unlike the ones you used to know.

Don’t Forget the Popcorn,

-BB

A Look Back At The Blair Witch Project

16 years ago, back in 1999, the world was introduced to a new style of cinema, that little did we know, would influence and change the way horror movies would be made for decades to come. That film was The Blair Witch Project. The found footage film was not really known at this time. Yes, I hear people say Cannibal Holocaust, but that film isn’t a straight a head found footage film, so I don’t really think that counts. The other film people like to mention is The Last Broadcast. What, have you not heard of it? That’s the point I’m making. This film was so well received, that it continues to terrify new viewers, even to this very day. What made this film so unique, is that it is the only film where the entire film is placed in the hands of your actors. Unlike the found footage films made today, the actors were really running the equipment. This is something that would not happen today.

What truly made this film unique, is that it didn’t have a script. Sure, there was the story idea, but the actors were making everything up as they go along. When Mike kicks the map into the creek, this was as much of a surprise to the producers, as it was to the actors on camera. All emotion we see from any of the actors in this movie, is 100% real. Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way right now. Yes, this movie got the reputation, and the nickname The Blair Bitch Project…and I have to admit, I agreed with that sentiment when I first heard it, and really can’t argue with it today. There is an abundance of whining and bitching that take place in the film. The sad thing is, is that was how to were really behaving. Can you imagine how much more bitching was left on the cutting room floor. The mere thought sends a chill down my spine, strong enough to pucker my butt-hole.

The three actors we are introduced to in this film are Heather Donahue, Michael Williams, and Joshua Leonard. Truth be told, none of these actors went on to be huge Hollywood stars. Heather and Michael did a few other things here and there, but I challenge you to name a single one, without the aid of IMDB. Joshua Leonard is the one who probably has the most horror credibility amongst genre fans. He has appeared in many horror fans including a cameo appearance in Adam Green’s Hatchet, as well as the lead role in a psychological horror film called Madhouse. I wouldn’t consider myself a huge fan of his, but I give him the respect that is deserved by being able to take steps forward from this film. The other two I am really indifferent about. So instead of bashing on them for their acting abilities, I think I’m just going to move on.

The true praise of this film goes to the people behind the people with the camera. Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez are the mad scientists that cooked up this idea, and unleashed it upon the world. They have forever changed the world of horror, for better or worse. I can only imagine the meetings that took place during the pre-production stage of this film. Seeing how they tormented these poor actors, I can guarantee it was probably a pretty fun time. They shot and edited this completely on their own. The most notorious story was they purchased the camcorder from Staples for the purposes of shooting the movie, and when they wrapped, they returned it for their money back. Fuckin’ genious. There is a lot of talk about how much money truly went into the making of this movie. The number $20,000 was thrown around a lot, but the number was actually closer to $60,000 before the distributors got involved. When Artisan bought the film, the bought it for $1.1 million. They then but some money into addition post-production, and ended up spending somewhere in the neighborhood of $25 million in marketing on this film.

The marketing is the true genius of this film. There were actually people out there, my sister included, that believe this shit was real. Well why not, there was a website, and the TV said it was real…hell Sci-Fi even had a documentary on the film. Let us forget the fact that it was directed by someone who worked on the actual film. But the marketing campaign did that it was supposed to do. It intrigued viewers and put their assess into the theater seats. This small movie gross worldwide nearly $250 million. That isn’t to damn shabby for a group traipsing around the woods scaring three actors all day. Especially when one wrong move from on of the actors with the camera gear would have put an end to the whole thing.

It’s hard to put into words what this film has actually done over the years. I mean look at the fact that we are still talking about it today. Whether or not you like the “found footage” genre, this film started it, and it has never been done better. The movie spawned a so-so sequel a few years later, Book of Shadows. This was more of an actual movie, but didn’t do as well. Fans have also wanted to be taken back into the woods of Burkitsville the way they remembered. And we have been teased for years with the rumors of a third film. The rumor is still out there with talks of The Blair Witch 3 being released in 2017. I honestly don’t see that happening, but we can hope can’t we. I will say this now, if they are legitimately going to get the old crew back together to make another Blair Witch, I think it will be a couple more years down the road. It would make more sense for them to release a sequel in 2019 for the 20^th anniversary of the film. I’m just saying.

So there you have it boils and ghouls, we just took a look back at a film that many critics hated, and millions of fans adored. What did you think of this movie the first time you saw it? Comment below, or shoot us an email at themoviepit@gmail.com.

Till Next Time Kiddies…

-RJ

John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978)

For anyone who has ever been interested in diving into the hellish world of becoming a filmmaker; there is always that one film that really pushed you to wanting to purse that field. For me that film was John Carpenter’s Halloween. Now, I had always been a movie buff, and of course a horror fanatic. But I remember seeing Halloween for the first time when I was in the 2nd Grade, and knew there was nothing else I wanted to do. From the simplistic nature that the film had, and the low-budget(for the time), the fact that this film is still noted, and shown yearly in theaters; there is a reason why this film pushed me in the industry I am now entering.

For those of you who don’t know; On Halloween 1963, the small town of Haddonfield is shocked when six-year-old Michael Myers returns from trick-or-treating and for some unknown reason stabs his older sister to death with a big kitchen knife and is found by his parents staring into space with the bloody knife in his hand. Sent to a mental institution, Michael spends the next 15 years just sitting, still staring into space despite the best efforts of his Doctor, Dr. Samuel Loomis. Now, on October 30th 1978, something triggers Michael off and during a storm manages to steal a car from Dr. Loomis and Nurse Marion (who was coming to take Michael to court to keep him locked up) and goes back to Haddonfield where he steals a white mask. There, Laurie Stode, Micheal’s younger sister, finds that Michael is stalking her during the day (at school, at her home etc – but she doesn’t know who he is.) As Dr. Loomis arrives and with the sheriff frantically looks for Michael he doesn’t know that Laurie is baby-sitting Lindsey and Tommy and that Laurie’s friends Annie, Lynda and Bob are disappearing one by one.

As I said, this film has a very simplistic storyline; but it is a premise that everyone could identify with. Every town has their own story of the one person that went crazy, and now they are locked up in a padded room somewhere. But what would happen if that person escaped, and went back to the only place they knew? That is the question John Carpenter answered, and put fear in the nation. In all actuality, this film wasn’t a big success initially. It was slammed by critics, and the box office numbers were sub-par at best. But after one review hit the market, and by the power of word of mouth, the numbers started to grow. And before too long, people were lining up around the blocks to see this film. That was something that didn’t happen for horror films. At this time, you went to the drive-in to see this kind of horror flick. But the success only got bigger, and a generation of fans was born.

For writer/director John Carpenter, this film was the huge success he need to put his name on the map. Before Halloween, Carpenter had only done a handful of shorts, and two features; Dark Star and Assault on Precinct 13. Surprisingly, those two films were vastly different than Halloween, or to the horror genre that he would inevitably becoming a staple in. To this day, John Carpenter is one of my favorite directors. There is nothing he releases that I don’t see or own. It’s just too bad that he hasn’t released too much as of late; but when he does, you can know that I will be there to see it.

It is a little sad to see Carpenter, sort of, divorce himself from the franchise he started; but to a point, I can understand. Nobody wants to be typecast, and be only known for one thing. So the fact that when he was asked to be apart of a few of the sequels, and he declined; I can respect that. Because even if he wants to separate himself from it; even he can’t deny that he was responsible for one of the biggest horror icons in history. One of the new “modern” Universal Monsters if you; in the character of Michael Myers.

Michael Myers is the character you fear coming to your house every Halloween. The expressionless shape, that can take you out at a moments notice. In this first film, he really didn’t have any motives for his actions. He was just that psychotic killer that killed for one and only reason…because he liked to kill. He was good at it. But, we all know, you can’t do that for too long, and in the later films we learn that Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is actually his sister; and the films trend down the line that Michael just isn’t a “family man” and wants all of his family to die. I was honestly fine with all that. It made for interesting story-lines, and some fun sequels. But then they killed off his entire bloodline, and the franchise hit a roadblock. That roadblock would be the reason for the Rob Zombie remake…but that will be a post for an entirely different day.

But this creation, from the mind of John Carpenter and Debra Hill, has spawned many loyal fans, and a mess of imitations. I’ve heard people argue that Jason Vorhees is “way better” than Michael Myers. I’m not going to bite. I love Jason as well. But at least give credit where credit is due. If the was no Michael Myers, there damn sure wouldn’t be a Jason; or even a Freddy for that matter. Now, Halloween wasn’t the first slasher film by any means. Hell, Psycho and Black Christmas came out years before this. But this film solidified the genre, and is truly the reason for the huge slasher boom in the 1980’s. And that is really saying something. The fact that this “little” film, that no one thought would do anything, inspired so many filmmakers to flood the market with imitations, is really a mark in favor of John Carpenter and everyone else attached to this film.

Yes, I am a Halloween fanboy, and proud of that fact. I just love the film and try to get as many people as I possibly can to watch it…if they haven’t of course. This film was one that I held a little tradition with. Every Friday night I would pop up some popcorn, kick back and throw this movie in. I have seen this movie hundreds upon hundreds of times, and it never gets old. That is the staple of a great, iconic film. So do yourself a favor. If you have been living under a rock for nearly 40 years…get out from under that rock, and watch this film. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea…but even the most hardcore haters can admit that it is responsible for so many other films that people love.

-Till Next Time Kiddies…