Some clever soul might have done something moderately effective with this idea, but Krampus is too dumb to be scary and too listless to be entertaining.

Otherwise, this holiday-season fright flick never leaps far enough outside of its own box; the movie flirts with going full-on monster mash, with really cutting loose, but the mayhem is too little, too late.

The legend of the Krampus, often referred to as the shadow of St. Nicholas, is a fertile one indeed, but this "Krampus" - a missed opportunity for anti-saccharine counter programming - isn't likely to create many new believers.

It’s wild that this frankly unsettling folkloric figure has been relatively unexplored in horror movies. Hardcore slasher fans might find Krampus too family-friendly – all tinkle and no bell. But [it] indulges our inarticulate craving for pagan justice…