Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus, Kris Kringle – however you refer to him – the jolly Christmas gift-giver has become synonymous with the winter festive holidays and has appeared in more holiday-related movies than any other character. In fact, it was reported, at one point, that Santa Claus is second only to the Devil as the most portrayed character in film.
There’s another, much darker Christmas character, though, who has long been overshadowed by his comforting counterpart. Rooted in Central and Eastern Alpine folklore, Krampus is typically described as a horned anthropomorphic demonic creature whose purpose is to punish poorly behaved children.
Twisting the warmth of Christmas into something dark and predatory, Krampus is the perfect holiday antagonist, and here we look at every film that features the cruel creature — from microbudget slashers to family-friendly action adventures.
After the Lord of Darkness summons the evil Christmas Kampus from the depths of hell, it transpires that Bigfoot is the only living creature able to put an end to Krampus’ reign of terror. At under 70 minutes, it still feels tediously long with very little action taking place until the final showdown, while the rest of the movie is spent focusing on the creatures just, kind of, wandering around.
Unfortunately, it’s really tough to find any redeemable aspects of Krampus Vs. Bigfoot. Much of the movie is computer-generated, but the CGI is indescribably poor – reminiscent of an early ‘90s video game. And while other movies with similarly bizarre premises, like Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus or Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, can often be considered “so bad they’re good,” Krampus Vs. Bigfoot is just plain bad and takes itself far too seriously.
14
‘Mother Krampus’ AKA ’12 Deaths of Christmas’ (2017)
Despite being a pretty unengaging movie, the main reason Mother Krampus features so far down this list is due to the fact that it has very little to do with Krampus or its mythology. Using the word “Krampus” more as a marketing tactic, it is, instead, based on the German legend of Frau Perchta. The story revolves around a small town that is terrorised during the twelve days of Christmas when the vengeful witch Frau Perchta returns to abduct children as part of an old curse.
This microbudget horror might appease the needs of some Christmas-horror completionists, but Krampus purists will likely feel cheated or misled seeing as it leans far more into witch myth than demon lore. It’s also worth noting that the scares are few and far between, with critics and viewers agreeing that there is very little enjoyment to be had from watching Mother Krampus.
13
‘Krampus: The Christmas Devil’ (2015)
Krampus: The Christmas Devil follows a local cop named Jeremy Duffin who must find and destroy a yuletide demon who kills naughty children before the creature steals his daughter. Duffin learns that it was, in fact, Krampus who was also responsible for his abduction as a child and, while dealing with his own trauma, discovers the beast actually works for Santa and is employed to teach bad kids a lesson.
Scoring just 14% on Rotten Tomatoes, Krampus: The Christmas Devil is a (very) small step up from Krampus Vs. Bigfoot, in that there is, at least, some semblance of a plot and some interesting ideas. Unfortunately, the movie is let down by wooden acting, an extremely low budget and poor sound editing — with it being so bad, at times, that the dialogue is inaudible over the background noise.
12
‘Krampus: The Return’ (2017)
A man haunted by a childhood encounter with Krampus is forced to face the creature again when the festive demon mysteriously returns to disrupt his adult life. While there is certainly plenty to find fault with Krampus: The Return, the idea of Krampus returning to punish someone years after a childhood trauma is, undoubtedly, an intriguing premise.
Far from a top-tier movie, it offers plenty of unintentional comedy through its over-the-top acting, confusing dialogue and hilariously stiff Krampus scenes. If you are looking for a Christmas horror b-movie that plays with some interesting ideas but executes them on a microbudget in a manner that revels in “so-bad-it’s-good” joy, this one might be for you.
11
‘Krampus 2: The Devil Returns’
The Devil Returns serves as a sequel to Krampus: The Christmas Devil and sees former police officer Jeremy Duffin reluctantly agreeing, once again, to try and hunt down Krampus, this time with the help of his hulking woodsman friend Monk. To its credit, The Devil Returns features some genuinely surprising twists.
It’s gritty, dark, and occasionally distasteful, and viewers are advised not to go into the experience expecting any kind of Hollywood sheen, but if you can get past the amateurish effects, wooden acting, awkward dialogue and sluggish direction, there are a few genuine scares, making it a step up from the original, albeit only slightly.
10
‘Granny Krampus’ (2024)
Granny Krampus finds an estranged family at the mercy of a dark entity when they’re brought together for a Christmas reunion at the old family home. It is worth noting that it is not connected to Mother Krampus in any way. They have different directors, different production teams, different lore and exist in different story universes.
Granny Krampus leans more into psychological and supernatural horror than creature feature gore. This works in its favor, allowing it to overcome budget constraints by focusing heavily on suspense and atmosphere with a story based around family trauma, buried history and the sins of older generations.
9
‘Krampus: The Reckoning’ (2015)
Krampus: The Reckoning revolves around a child psychologist who is attempting to unravel the link between a mysterious young girl and the mythological creature known as Krampus. The plot is a little muddled, but there are some interesting ideas buried somewhere in there, including an allegory for child abuse.
There are some interesting characters, a couple surprise twists and some genuinely emotional moments. The movie’s biggest disappointment comes in the shape of Krampus, himself, who appears in the form of an awfully designed computer-generated monstrosity, immediately dissipating any sense of fear that may have been generated through the movie’s brooding atmosphere.
8
‘Krampus Unleashed’ (2016)
In Krampus Unleashed, director Robert Conway’s second Krampus-based movie after Krampus: The Reckoning, a dysfunctional Southern family find themselves at the mercy of the mythological creature. Despite lasting just 75 minutes, it still feels drawn out, but when the action hits and Krampus attacks, viewers are treated to some impressively grisly practical gore effects.
Although it suffers from many a missed opportunity — mostly due to the paper-thin character development of its family of eccentric victims and lack of genuine scares – fans of old-school creature features might find some joy in its unapologetic B-movie aesthetics and satisfying practical effects.
7
‘Krampus Origins’ (2018)
Krampus Origins tells the story of an ancient artifact that finds its way to a small town orphanage during World War 1. The orphans accidentally summon the Krampus, using the artifact, and are forced to battle this ancient evil with their teacher. Directed by Robert Conway, of Krampus: The Reckoning and Krampus Unleashed fame, Origins moves away from the adult themes and graphic violence of his older work and delivers a PG:13 fantasy movie that’s surprisingly entertaining.
Aside from a few questionable digital effects, Krampus Origins is a well-directed, well-shot, fun horror movie that draws just as much inspiration from the likes of Harry Potter and The Goonies as it does from the classic creature features of the ‘80s.
6
‘Finding Santa’ AKA ‘Get Santa’ (2016)
Finding Santa sees Christmas-loving orphan Julius transported into a festive wonderland only to discover Santa has gone missing, and the evil Krampus has taken power. As the title suggests, it falls into the hands of Julius to find Santa, help him overcome Krampus and save Christmas.
This beautifully crafted stop-motion Christmas film feels warm, magical, and full of heart. With its charming handmade animation, imaginative world, and uplifting message about believing in yourself, it’s a delightful and memorable festive adventure for all ages – a refreshing change from the majority of blood-soaked horror flicks found elsewhere in this list.
