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Krampus vs. Krampus: A Christmas Horror Story

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It’s that time of year…again. I’m not a huge fan of the holiday season. I have worked way too many holidays in retail to enjoy it anymore. Color me jaded. For those of you like me, you can numb the jolly old pain with some Yule-tide horror movies.  There are two in particular that I’m talking about today: Krampus (2015) and A Christmas Horror Story (2015).

Krampus (the mythical monster, not the movie) has been growing in popularity over the years.

There are Krampus festivals, clothing, and now movies where there really wasn’t any a few years ago. Krampus is the anti-Santa. He’s the devil on Santa’s shoulder, there to punish the wicked and carry them off in a basket, be beaten or disappear altogether. Makes getting coal seem a little better, doesn’t it?

Being a fan of the creepy, kooky, mysterious and sometimes even the ooky, I had to check these movies out myself. Comparing the two side by side, one works and one…well, doesn’t. Krampus (directed by Michael Dougherty) is about a family getting together for the holidays.

This family is unhappy and dysfunctional, so there’s a lot of arguing and bad feelings among them. Max (Emjay  Anthony) is so distraught that he tears up his letter to Santa and it blows into the sky, thereby unleashing the Kringle-demon into his neighborhood. Up until this point this movie is pretty good.

The dialogue is alright, the characters are unlikable, but I think they are supposed to be, and the effects are pretty cool. The place where this movie lost me is the way Krampus works. As I said before, he is there to punish the wicked, but the first person he takes is Beth (Stefania LaVie Owen) Max’s sister.

Besides a baby, she’s one of the most kind and innocent in the bunch. The family gets picked off one-by-one, leading to an ending that may hold an option for a sequel but leaves the audience feeling ripped off.  While the actual figure of Krampus leads to a beautifully ominous silhouette, the behavior of the beast leaves me feeling like this was my lump of coal for Christmas.

With quite the comedy star line-up of Adam Scott (Piranha 3D), Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense), and David Koechner (A Haunted House), you’d think this would be a knee-slapping good time. However, despite a few snickers here and there, the movie seemed empty with unlikeable characters and a villain that just didn’t fit the legend.

On the opposite coin is a hidden gem called A Christmas Horror Story (2015). An anthology of four Christmas stories “narrated” by William Shatner as Dangerous Dan.

These four very different stories bring you a haunted holiday from the four corners of the paranormal. I was stupid excited for this one. The stories range from a haunted school, a changeling, Krampus and zombie elves. While I hate to gloss over three of the stories (and they were amazing, each and every one with a twist ending), I really want to focus on the representation of Krampus.

While Krampus from its namesake movie is scary and shadow-y, it’s almost woodland creature-like. Let us not forget, it just punishes everyone, including babies. Krampus from A Christmas Horror Story is tall, big and white as snow.

It’s face is more recognizable as a representation of evil and he only takes the guilty. To summon Krampus, one must be filled with the opposite of Christmas spirit, an anger or lust for revenge. It’s a very clever way to represent Krampus. The fight scenes are gorgeous and Krampus carries his signature weapon, a hooked chain. The weapon alone is enough to make you soil your holiday britches.

krampus-christmas-horror-compare

 

 

All in all, I think that A Christmas Horror Story takes home the gold medal of holiday horror, and I’m including Santa’s Slay with Bill Goldberg. It has gorgeous effects, great acting, awesome writing and an insanely intimidating Christmas Devil. Therefore, in the case of Krampus v. Krampus, I rule in favor of A Christmas Horror Story. You are free to go.

Before you go, if you’re a holiday horror fan, check out why your elf on the shelf should be replaced.

Creepy Holidays everyone!

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Editorial

Yay or Nay: What’s Good and Bad in Horror This Week

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Horror Movies

Welcome to Yay or Nay a weekly mini post about what I think is good and bad news in the horror community written in bite-sized chunks. 

Yay:

Mike Flanagan talking about directing the next chapter in the Exorcist trilogy. That might mean he saw the last one and realized there were two left and if he does anything well it’s draw out a story. 

Yay:

To the announcement of a new IP-based film Mickey Vs Winnie. It’s fun to read comical hot takes from people who haven’t even seen the movie yet.

Nay:

The new Faces of Death reboot gets an R rating. It’s not really fair — Gen-Z should get an unrated version like past generations so they can question their mortality the same as the rest of us did. 

Yay:

Russell Crowe is doing another possession movie. He’s quickly becoming another Nic Cage by saying yes to every script, bringing the magic back to B-movies, and more money into VOD. 

Nay:

Putting The Crow back in theaters for its 30th anniversary. Re-releasing classic movies at the cinema to celebrate a milestone is perfectly fine, but doing so when the lead actor in that film was killed on set due to neglect is a cash grab of the worst kind. 

The Crow
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The Top-Searched Free Horror/Action Movies on Tubi This Week

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The free streaming service Tubi is a great place to scroll when you’re unsure what to watch. They are not sponsored or affiliated with iHorror. Still, we really appreciate their library because it’s so robust and has many obscure horror movies so rare you can’t find them anywhere in the wild except, if you’re lucky, in a moist cardboard box at a yard sale. Other than Tubi, where else are you going to find Nightwish (1990), Spookies (1986), or The Power (1984)?

We take a look at the most searched horror titles on the platform this week, hopefully, to save you some time in your endeavor to find something free to watch on Tubi.

Interestingly at the top of the list is one of the most polarizing sequels ever made, the female-led Ghostbusters reboot from 2016. Perhaps viewers have seen the latest sequel Frozen Empire and are curious about this franchise anomaly. They will be happy to know it’s not as bad as some think and is genuinely funny in spots.

So take a look at the list below and tell us if you are interested in any of them this weekend.

1. Ghostbusters (2016)

Ghostbusters (2016)

An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.

2. Rampage

When a group of animals becomes vicious after a genetic experiment goes awry, a primatologist must find an antidote to avert a global catastrophe.

3. The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren uncover an occult conspiracy as they help a defendant argue that a demon forced him to commit murder.

4. Terrifier 2

After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County, where his next victims, a teenage girl and her brother, await.

5. Don’t Breathe

A group of teens breaks into a blind man’s home, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect crime but get more than they bargained for once inside.

6. The Conjuring 2

In one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, Lorraine and Ed Warren help a single mother of four in a house plagued by sinister spirits.

7. Child’s Play (1988)

A dying serial killer uses voodoo to transfer his soul into a Chucky doll which winds up in the hands of a boy who may be the doll’s next victim.

8. Jeepers Creepers 2

When their bus breaks down on a deserted road, a team of high school athletes discovers an opponent they cannot defeat and may not survive.

9. Jeepers Creepers

After making a horrific discovery in the basement of an old church, a pair of siblings find themselves the chosen prey of an indestructible force.

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Morticia & Wednesday Addams Join Monster High Skullector Series

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Believe it or not, Mattel’s Monster High doll brand has an immense following with both young and not-so-young collectors. 

In that same vein, the fan base for The Addams Family is also very large. Now, the two are collaborating to create a line of collectible dolls that celebrate both worlds and what they have created is a combination of fashion dolls and goth fantasy. Forget Barbie, these ladies know who they are.

The dolls are based on Morticia and Wednesday Addams from the 2019 Addams Family animated movie. 

As with any niche collectibles these aren’t cheap they bring with them a $90 price tag, but it’s an investment as a lot of these toys become more valuable over time. 

“There goes the neighborhood. Meet the Addams Family’s ghoulishly glamorous mother-daughter duo with a Monster High twist. Inspired by the animated movie and clad in spiderweb lace and skull prints, the Morticia and Wednesday Addams Skullector doll two-pack makes for a gift that’s so macabre, it’s downright pathological.”

If you want to pre-purchase this set check out The Monster High website.

Wednesday Addams Skullector doll
Wednesday Addams Skullector doll
Footwear for Wednesday Addams Skullector doll
Morticia Addams Skullector doll
Morticia Addams doll shoes
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