“It’s happening again” In Krampus: The Devil Returns (2016), it’s been five years since Jeremy Duffin’s wife was murdered. It has also been five years since his daughter was kidnapped by that pesky Christmas Devil, Krampus. Now, it is time for Jeremy (A.J. Leslie) to emerge from seclusion and assist his former precinct in the search of newly missing children, mirroring the night that has haunted him all this time. Santa (Paul Ferm) has a list. He’s checking it twice. And, frankly, he doesn’t care if you’re nice.
He and his brother, Krampus, want the brats and Donnie happens to be one of them. After being taken from his home late one night, Donnie awakens in what could be Santa’s living room surrounded by other children, and I’m not quite sure if they are dead or passed out from being tortured. This is a continued wonder, as we leave Donnie sprawled across the floor.
“Heather, if you’re alive – I’ll find you”
While the cops are on the hunt for Krampus and searching for both Donnie and Jeremy’s daughter (again), the brother of Jeremy’s deceased foe, Stuart, learns of the former police officer’s return to reality and seeks revenge for his brother’s death. An addition to the plot – that I feel – makes this movie plunge short from success.
Continuing from the slightly below average low-budget Krampus: The Christmas Devil, the attempt to follow up the already concluded scenario of cop-vs-convict past, felt like a chore to work through that left me with no allowance. It strayed from the story of Krampus and Santa’s punishing spree, toned down any level of suspense, and involved a ridiculous girl-on-girl fight scene that had you wondering how you even got to that point.
Seriously, how many times does a head need to meet with concrete flooring before the person is completely unconscious?
And, unlike Krampus: The Christmas Devil, we were able to see Krampus in his entirety, which still left a lot to be desired. It was as if someone replaced the previous mask we were teased with, with a heavier, more reptilian mask glued in its place. The look was top-heavy and as a whole, appeared incomplete. *ahem, his hands* Strangely enough, I preferred the teaser mask.
“You’re as bad as the kids you punish”
Melantha Blackthorne’s role as Stuart’s feisty lady, Natasha, and Paul Ferm’s cruel Santa, are the most entertaining parts of the whole film. Unfortunately, for the most part, I yawned. A lot. Spaced out twice. Backtracked twice. And, Voila! I unwittingly gave the movie the length of an extended Director’s Cut Edition.
Krampus: The Devil Returns – Final Thoughts
Personally, I wouldn’t call Krampus: The Devil Returns a horror as much as a thriller-crime-action-drama. Many of the scenes were dragged out, some left you abruptly like a door to the face, and I’m still not 100% sure about the ending. The overall acting was pretty hard to follow. Aside from previously mentioned Natasha and Santa’s mouthy lines, the rest of the cast was either yelling or putting little effort into their lines. In turn, this made it rather difficult to connect to these characters. In fact, I disliked them.
Krampus: The Devil Returns sadly missed the mark for this lover of low-budget independent flicks. I give it a B for effort.
Remember Kiddies: Don’t hurt puppies and don’t leave Natasha behind.
–MissToxicLocket
Directed By: Jason Hull
Written By: Jason Hull and A.J. Leslie
Starring: Rich Goteri, A.J. Leslie, Tiffani Fest, Paul Ferm, R.A. Mihailoff, Melantha Blackthorne, Ben Berlin, & Jason Hull
Krampus: The Devil Returns released worldwide via ITN Distribution