Movie Review: Krampus (2015)

Before watching The League on FX, I had never heard of Krampus.  But after hearing Jon LaJoie's character Taco singing Krampus carols and running around the mall chasing children as the fabled devil beast, I knew we needed a movie.

The previews for this film made Krampus look like a fun horror film.  The movie is also rated PG-13 so I figured this would make for a fun daddy/daughter day on Christmas Eve.  With everything being Star Wars at the movie theaters, it wasn't hard to find a seat.  The theater was actually empty until a couple of minutes into the film.

The two of us had a great time watching Krampus.  It was a fun horror film that included some recognizable stars along with some new faces.  Prior to seeing Adam Scott cast in this film, I was wondering what direction the film would go.  I was glad to see there was a level of humor to go along with scary parts.

Krampus doesn't travel alone and his helpers made this movie even more insanely fun.  Demented clown looking beasts, psychotic ginger bread men and evil elves assisted Krampus against the family that were not in the Christmas spirit.

Emjay Anthony was the real star of this movie as he was the one who started out with the most amount of Christmas spirit.  As more family members showed up to the home, his spirit becomes broken and a great storm comes along.  This is where things go downhill for all of them.


Although not a huge cast, every member of the cast mattered in their own way for Krampus.  Michael Dougherty did well directing the film and giving screen time to each actor.  Adam Scott and Toni Collette played the parts of parents to Emjay Anthony and Stefania LaVie Owen's characters.  David Koechner and Allison Tolman's redneck-type characters brought along their children and surprise everyone with Aunt Dorothy played by Conchata Ferrell.

While I said Emjay Anthony was the star, it is because of his interactions with Krista Stadler as his grandmother.  She is well aware of Krampus as you can tell by the way she talks in trailer for the film.  She gives us backstory to Krampus which is told through an animated flashback, which seems to be the way you do flashbacks nowadays.

If you're looking for some scary holiday fun, give Krampus a shot.  I know it's not Gremlins, but it's worth checking out.  I'll give Krampus three and a half out of five pile drivers.

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Movie Review: The Lazarus Effect (2015)

David Gelb directs this film about medical students who have found a way to bring the dead back to life.  This isn't a zombie film like Re-Animator since the dead come back fully functional, or so it seems.

The Lazarus formula had been in development for quite some time when there is finally a breakthrough in their testing.  Animals were the first subjects and when it finally worked, the results came as quite a surprise.  The formula not only brings the dog Rocky back to life there seem to be some unexpected side effects.  The Lazarus formula is put to the test later in the film when an unfortunate accident puts a friend in death's way.

Dream sequences lead you into a backstory that helps put the film together and expound on the motivation behind Olivia Wilde's character Zoe.  The limited amount of people in the cast really helps this movie as, with only an hour and twenty three minutes of run time, you have just enough time to get who they are and why they are important in their respective roles.

Overall, The Lazarus Effect is an enjoyable film.  The build-up was done well and the action goes right up through to the end.  Starring Mark Duplass, Olivia Wilde, Evan Peters, Sarah Bolger and Donald Glover.  If you're in the mood for horror, this isn't a bad flick garnering 3 out of 5 Pile Drivers.

This blog came from an earlier post on Cinema Head Cheese and you can read more of my movie reviews there.

Maskerpiece Theatre is sponsored by MoviePass. See unlimited movies at a theater near you for a low monthly rate.

You can also support our show by using our Amazon banners or donating on our Support Us page.