Monster of the Day #1261

Updated on December 22, 2015 By Ken Begg 26 Comments

My friends and I actually watched this as our Christmas movie a few years ago and…wow. Still, Dan Haggerty’s best Christmas-themed horror film, certainly.

This still makes the monster look MUCH better than he does in the film, however.

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  • Gamera977

    Oh gosh, it’s not another Krampus movie??? There are some Christmas traditions I’m glad stayed in the ‘old world’…

  • it’s not a Krampus movie. Sadly. It’s a Gremlins retread. At least I think its a retread; I can’t get past the opening scene.

    Which is strange, considering some of the flicks I’ve seen over the years…

  • Gamera977

    Thanks! Now that I think about it, I think all the Krampus films have been pretty recent, a few years ago should have tipped me off.

  • bgbear_rnh

    This Grinch did not have to steal Christmas. Everyone just ran away and abandoned their Christmas.

  • Eric Hinkle

    Not that it did. Among my Pennsylvania Dutch ancestors there was ‘der Belznickle’. The night before Christmas the family gets visited by a man wearing a costume (mask, clothes stuffed with rags or hay to resemble a fat Santa, and wearing a bonnet) who in the presence of the older relations asks the kids if they’ve been naughty or nice. They naturally say ‘nice’ at which point he drops a few small toys, some candy and fruit, etc., down in front of them. The kids go for the goodies — and der Belznickle reaches under their clothes, pulls out a bullwhip, and starts snapping it over their heads while howling like a banshee. The kids either ran for their lives or went into hysterics, to the vast glee of the adults.

    After that, everyone is calmed back down and the visitor, actually a neighbor, takes off the mask and sits down for a quick meal with the family before going home to see who plays ‘der Belznickle’ for his kids.

  • Beckoning Chasm

    Never seen this, but thanks to it I know what “Kermit Syndrome” is.

  • Rock Baker

    Yeah, I was starting to wonder if it were actually something new adopted by the anti-Christmas crowd, but I heard a throw-away reference to it in an old episode of The Scarlet Pimpernel the other night. I still don’t know what it actually is, nor do I really care, as it’s not really connected with the modern Christmas celebration.

  • bgbear_rnh

    The need a Christmas movie with a “B-list” Santa. The guy who delivers cheaper toys to the poor kids.

    It would have to be set in the 60s or earlier. Today, judging from all the charities I hear of, “poor” kids must make out pretty good during the holidays.

  • bgbear_rnh

    Punishing bad kids is understandable but, taking a kidney to finance the presents for good children is a bit much.

  • Basically Krampus is the anti-St. Nicholas. He punishes the misbehaving children. Or rewards suffering parents, as he’s said to carry the ones he visits off to eternal suffering. Which no doubt involves watching our featured film over and over again.

  • Rock Baker

    Ah!

    Just what is this film, anyway? It doesn’t ring any bells (no pun intended) with me.

  • I believe it’s Elves.

  • Eric Hinkle

    Krampus is nothing new. He seems to date back to at least the 18th century or so.

  • The Rev.

    It is indeed. As Rock said about yesterday’s movie, I really need to get around to seeing this. ‘Tis the season, after all, and I’m not doing another seasonal slasher binge like last year (save the one I wanted to watch and couldn’t find at the time, but have since stumbled upon).

  • I’ve tried watching it twice, and both times I failed to get through the first scene. Just found it dull. It might pick up (after a fashion), but as other movies call I haven’t gotten back to it.

    Hopefully you’ll have better luck with your viewing.

  • Gamera977

    Gee, I had a sheltered childhood, Christmas horror to me was finding out I’d gotten a bunch of clothes instead of ‘fun’ presents…

  • Gamera977

    Well, I think I commented last year in ‘The Lemon Drop Kid’ one of the street corner Santas being played by none other than the great Tor Johnson. Though now to think about it Tor wrestling with the Krampus or Grinch would be a pretty awesome film.

  • Eric Hinkle

    A pro wrestler versus Krampus? Sounds like an El Santo movie!

  • Eric Hinkle

    Well, Mom was born about 1931 or so, and she said most ids where she lived were a little scared of Santa. He didn’t bring coal for the bad kids, he brought a wooden switch.

  • Gamera977

    Oh yeah, though maybe El Santo vs. Pitch the demon from the Mexican Santa Claus movie. Heck St. Nick has Merlin working for him why not El Santo too?

  • Gamera977

    I do remember getting those awful paddle ball toys a few times and knowing once the elastic band breaks and you lose the ball the paddle would be re-purposed. Aka, my butt cheeks would be taking the place of the paddle ball…

  • Rock Baker

    Well, like I said, there was reference to it/him in an episode of The Scarlet Pimpernel, so obviously it wasn’t unheard of in the 1950’s. One could argue the figure was largely forgotten about since until only recently, though. And again I suspect it was resurrected by secularists almost exclusively to taint the Christmas season.

  • Eric Hinkle

    Given the sort of a hero El Santo is, I rather suspect that in Mexico Santa works for him instead.

  • Gamera977

    Could be. I’ve wondered though if the recent attention is mostly coming from these strange people who seem to get really, really, obsessed with Halloween. The idea that the US now spends more money of Halloween decorations than Christmas boggles my mind.

  • The Rev.

    Not their fault Halloween is better! :)

  • Ken_Begg

    To be fair, people often have years or even decades worth of Christmas decorations already stored away, while Halloween is still in a growth mode.