Horror Movie Review: Granny Krampus (2024)

When you’ve written as many festive horror films with ‘Krampus’ involved as I have, it’s hard to get too excited by another. Especially with one called Granny Krampus. Open mind or not, expectations were low, which is probably why I came out away from this film mildly impressed. It’s not a good film, but it’s not a terrible film either.

Written by Christopher Jolley and directed Jack E. Bell, there’s a serviceable attempt to make Granny Krampus a more meaningful film. One with layers of horror, one with tension, and one with the occasional fright. Sometimes it works, plenty of times it doesn’t, resulting in an overall middling film that takes itself just a bit too seriously.

It’s Christmas and you know what that means… reuniting with estranged family members and pretending that everything is just fine. Which is totally normal for most people’s Christmas, but most don’t have a past linked to Frau Perchta, the Christmas witch aka Granny Krampus. She’s here and here to punish the naughty and it could be related to the towns Freddy Krueger-ing of a woman years before.

Starring Jodie Bennet, Mark Rush, and Poppy Castleton, Granny Krampus does a good job of creating characters and giving them all believable motivations to be in this situation. It’s Christmas after all, and people really do have a habit of forgiving so much at this time of the year. The word is human, and most feel like a person you could meet in real life, which is testament to the good acting of all.

The one that doesn’t quite feel real is the villain of the film, and while you might think that’s a spoiler, the film really doesn’t try to hide her sinister motivations. Almost every line of dialogue is weighted with dark intent and her behaviour is far from normal. So, it’s not really a surprise that she is involved in the reappearance of Granny Krampus. The big question is why. Which would be fine, if it was an interesting question and one that was answered effectively. Unfortunately, it’s not, and the amount of talking involved to spell out something so unremarkable, is beyond frustrating.

If all the talking wasn’t enough, the lack of action makes everything so much worse. There’s simply no excuse for a film like this to be as dull as it is, and no amount of good character work can save that. Nor can a supernatural villain that is treated with a certain amount of reverence here, at least until the end, where she is shown in all her glory, and she doesn’t look good. It’s another misstep, as throughout she is shot from sinister angles, never fully in frame, and never showing her face. Until the end, which just wasn’t needed.

While all these complaints are serious and do harm the overall film’s standing, it should also be noted that the whole package is put together well enough to not be a waste of time. The story is competently told, the characters are solid, the acting is good, there are enough sinister moments to perk the mind up, and it does have a Christmassy feel. Considering how many terrible Krampus films there are, all of this makes Granny Krampus one of the better ones!