6 Demonic Krampus Christmas Movies Ranked
you better watch out!
The legend of Krampus dates back centuries, but it’s only been within the last decade that Santa’s monstrous helper/adversary has truly gained a foothold in the annals of Christmas horror films. Krampus Christmas movies received a major boost with the success of Krampus (2015). There was a veritable explosion of these movies in the 2010s, many of them gory low budget cheapies.
In Austria, Krampus – typically depicted as a furry bipedal goat monster – is said to help Saint Nick with his gift giving adventures. While the saint rewards good kids with gifts, Krampus punishes naughty children by spanking or beating them.
Across Europe, the goat monster’s brethren include Belsnickel, Knecht Ruprecht, and the ultra controversial Zwarte Piet (Black Pete). Black Pete, who infamously appeared on an episode of The Office, would be a great subject for a horror film. I know of only one that features this character – the Dutch movie Sint, which I have not yet seen. I’ll try to catch it soon if I can – I’ve heard good things!
But I digress. Let’s get back to Krampus, who has no shortage of scare flicks dedicated to him. Here are six demonic Krampus Christmas movies ranked.
To my surprise, I didn’t hate any of these movies. Most are the typical obscure fare that’s abundant on platforms like Tubi. All of these films have their share of positive qualities, but some are certainly better than others. Let’s take a look at this slay ride!
6. Krampus Origins (2018)
It’s 1918. A group of American World War I soldiers find a mysterious spell book and are later killed in a shootout. Months later, the book ends up at a Catholic orphanage in the United States. A plucky young new teacher, Adelia (Anna Harr), was married to one of the soldiers.
The spells from the book summon Krampus. Eventually. It takes an hour for the goat demon to show up. When he finally does, Krampus looks and sounds like a character from a cheesy ’90s videogame.
Krampus Origins deserves credit for trying something different than typical Krampus Christmas movies. The time period is unique and the orphanage characters, including the strict mother superior, are less stereotypical than usual.
Still, this is a painfully low budget effort that lags significantly in the middle. It’s a long wait for an underwhelming and unintentionally funny version of Krampus.
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5. Krampus: The return (2022)
After her brother apparently takes his own life, a young woman journeys to her childhood home. She’s accompanied by her boyfriend and friends. What she doesn’t know is that her partner is cheating on her with her best friend.
Krampus, who is actually responsible for the brother’s death, shows up to kill everyone else. This one has plenty of blood and gore. Krampus looks like a costume from Spirit Halloween, but at least it’s an improvement from his appearance in Krampus Origins.
Krampus: The Return concludes with a silly twist ending that makes no sense whatsoever. Before that, though, the performances and action were enough to keep me reasonably entertained.
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4. Krampus unleashed (2016)
A group of Old West treasure hunters accidentally trigger the return of Krampus and are brutally dismembered by the demon. In the present day, a dysfunctional family gathers together in a small Arizona town for a Christmas celebration.
Krampus awakens again and goes on a rampage. Two cops and the family’s neighbors also become involved. The survivors must look to the distant past to find a way to destroy the demon.
This is a typical storyline for Krampus Christmas movies. I honestly expected this movie to be terrible. It’s not great by any means, but it was way more fun than I expected.
Krampus Unleashed has better special effects than most low budget slasher flicks and a self aware sense of humor. It’s filled with over the top gore, with some gratuitous nudity thrown in to boot.
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3. mother Krampus (2017)
Mother Krampus is misleadingly titled. This is not a Krampus movie. The villain is a witch who’s based on the legend of Frau Perchta. In 1921, a group of vigilantes hang a woman they believe is responsible for several child murders. In 1992, the witch returns to take revenge and go on another bloody spree.
The main protagonists are a mother and daughter who are planning to spend their first Christmas together after the husband left for another woman. Awkwardly, the dad shows up with his new girl, who is younger and hotter than the wife. Chaos and social awkwardness ensues.
This movie should have been called something else but, if you can put expectations aside, Mother Krampus is a surprisingly effective film. Like many of the other films on this list, this movie is teeming with blood and guts. It climaxes with a bleak and shocking ending.
Mother Krampus was popular enough to get a sequel, Mother Krampus 2, which I have not had the chance to watch yet.
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2. a Christmas horror story (2015)
I’ve already covered this anthology in a couple of other posts, so I’ll keep this sort. Krampus is the star of one of the most memorable segments. It’s about a family being hunted by the demon while traveling on Christmas Eve.
After crashing their car, the family takes refuge inside a church. They’re hoping for salvation, but Krampus is not in a merciful mood.
Later, Krampus has a one on one battle with Santa Claus at the movie’s climax. He’s sharing the spotlight with several other Christmas monsters this time, but still manages to make a big impact.
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1. Krampus (2015)
This is the movie that triggered Krampus’s entry into mainstream Western pop culture. The Engels, who live in the suburbs, invite their rural relatives, the Jacksons, over for Christmas. The two families don’t get along, and the atmosphere gets tense, especially after young Max (Emjay Anthony) accidentally triggers the return of Krampus.
The family, including mother Sarah (Toni Collette), dad Tom (Adam Scott), and Max’s uncle Howard (David Koechner), are forced to put their differences aside to defeat the goat demon. Krampus brings reinforcements, including deadly gingerbread men, a menacing jack-in-the-box, and evil elves.
A major theme in Krampus (2015) is the cultural divide between urban and rural Americans, a topic that has become even more relevant in the years since this movie was released. Of course, Krampus doesn’t give a damn where people are from or what their political leaning are.
He’s determined to snuff out anyone who doesn’t have the Christmas spirit. Krampus’s depiction here is similar to Sam from Trick ‘r Treat.
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