Modern townsfolk form a medieval lynch mob and hang a local practitioner of folk magic who they suspect of messing with their kids. As is always the case in that scenario the witch is innocent and utters a malediction with her dying breath, which makes a mean German lady show up 25 years later to perform the necessary murders and child abductions upon the cursed bloodlines of the guilty. Happens at Christmas so she can
use ornaments and cookie cutters on 'em.

Krampus doesn't have a mom and the thing on the DVD cover isn't in the movie. The story actually concerns one Frau Perchta, a sort of Germanic she-Santa who will disembowell you and fill your belly cavity with straw for violating any of a long list of trivial holiday traditions. Like god help you if you spun any flax on Christmas. The only pedicide here occurs in newspaper clippings however as one certainly can't expect kids to be harmed in a movie about a child-murdering witch.

So what we have here is a young woman in unconvincing old crone makeup performing a few awkwardly staged murders of adults using christmas props and themes. Like instead of chestnuts she roasts girlfriend meat and force feeds it to the guy even though his mouth is closed the whole time 'cause the actor is holding in the stuff he's supposed to spit out in revulsion. Not trying to nitpick that specifically but the fact that nobody thought of using a cut there is pretty much how the movie rolls. It's not enough to cite low budget; style is free.

For extra coal in our Christmas horror stocking we're treated to scene after scene of tear jerking family drama complete with tinkly piano and orchestral swells at the especially poignant bits. Horror movies shouldn't have that.

However, to play Krampus advocate for a minute it must be said that all of this tenderness was suddenly obliterated by a dark twist ending that felt like a tiny somewhat better movie stuck on the end, complete with a actual not shitty horror scenes. Even the normally invincible embattled single mom was left gurgling to death right in front of a child, and accidentally killed by the freshly reconciled ex for bonus points. Sorry spoiler but it's not like you were going to watch this. Anyway although I enjoyed very little of the movie I guess all's well that ends well.