Michael Dougherty’s directorial debut, Trick ‘r Treat, never really got a wide theatrical release, and perhaps its under-dog status helped the film flourish into a modern cult classic, especially among horror aficionados. Now that his first effort is finally being recognized (and has a sequel in development), Dougherty re-enters the world of holiday horror/comedy with the Christmas-themed Krampus.

Centering on a particularly dysfunctional family, the film stars Adam Scott (Step Brothers) and Toni Collette (Little Miss Sunshine) as a married couple hosting the annual festivities at their home on Christmas Eve. When their young son Max (Emjay Anthony) grows disillusioned with the chaos surrounding what used to be an occasion to celebrate, he inadvertently awakes a mythical creature known as the Krampus who makes it his mission to punish naughty citizens each year.

While the premise of Dougherty’s film draws upon a fascinating real-life piece of Christmas folklore, Krampus itself quickly devolves from a promising dark comedy/morality tale into a prosaic slasher-esque survival film. One of the central issues is that none of the characters — with perhaps the exception of Max — are particularly sympathetic, and therefore any of the mayhem that the titular creatures and his legion of “helpers” inflict on them lacks any dramatic tension.

Conversely, none of them are so bad that audiences can rally behind their fall to the dark forces crowding into their sleepy suburban neighborhood. If this had been the case, then perhaps Krampus would have proven to be a successful satire about the pressures that society inflicts on consumers to “get into the Christmas spirit” or face the wrath of some unseen menace. As it stands, the characters played by Scott, Collette and the rest of the cast are only bland caricatures that fail to inspire much feeling one way or another.

Even worse, Krampus offers little in the way of actual scares or clever reversals to what horror fans would expect from a film of this kind. Sure, there are a few wacky creatures scattered throughout, but at this point, demonic clowns and ravenous teddy bears aren’t nearly enough to save the film. Poltergeist — the 1982 original, mind you — still has the market cornered on terrifying toys, and the rambunctious critters of Krampus aren’t even that much fun to watch. It’s almost as if the film can’t decide if it is going for laughs or scares and instead ends up lulling its audience into submission. Even the final twist serves as a letdown, leaving audiences with a resounding “huh?” as they stumble out of the theater trying to figure out what the point of it all really was.

Despite the film’s overall disappointment, Dougherty demonstrates a confidence behind the camera and a very real grasp of atmosphere. Trick ‘r Treat proved that he can deliver the goods when he has a clear vision in place. Perhaps Krampus was simply an attempt to duplicate the tone of his first film, but whatever the case, there’s likely still hope that a proper Trick ‘r Treat sequel can get Dougherty’s directorial career back on track. Let’s just call Krampus the unfortunate sophomore slump it is and move on.

Rating: 2 out of 5

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