Holiday horror extends beyond Halloween, and Michael Dougherty’s 2015 film, Krampus, sparked a hilarious holiday toy trend.
Dougherty is a well-known name to horror fans, as he also delivered one of the most iconic films around the Halloween holiday, Samhain, in existence. Trick ‘R Treat, the beloved anthology, was released in 2007, and gave audiences a new, cuddly villain to appreciate: Sam. The mischievous, child-like villain who is the enforcer of Halloween’s traditions has become an icon in the same stead as Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Michael Myers despite only having made an appearance in one film. Dougherty took on another holiday with roots in old-world European tradition, Krampusnacht, and brought the half-goat, half-demon Krampus to the big screen.
While critics were mixed on reception of Krampus, it has become something of a cult classic in modern years, and sparked a holiday tradition all its own. While likely intended as a joke, horror fans appreciated the humor behind the sentiment, and were keen on bringing Krampus home for the holidays in a more compact capacity.
Krampus On The Mantle Became A New Holiday Trend
Krampus’ lore originated in Central Europe, where Krampus serves as a sidekick to Saint Nicholas; it is his duty to punish naughty children, whereas St. Nick doles out rewards for good behavior. There are many other iterations of this good/evil combination surrounding various Christmas holidays in different cultures, such as Sinterklaas with the problematic “Black Peter”. However, few holiday villains are as terrifying as Krampus, hence why there have been so many different movies about the character.
In 2019, FYE launched an exclusive new toy just in time for the holidays that was licensed from Dougherty’s movie. The creepy figure is dressed up like Santa Claus and comes with his own story about attacking children, which is part of the lore. While it might seem like a strange tradition on its own, it’s really an attempt to capitalize on the Elf on a Shelf tradition, which has become not only a holiday staple for many families around Christmas, but subject of countless memes. Some of these memes even cross with horror, specifically with the Elf and Chucky from Child’s Play being compared to one another. Elf on a Shelf launched for the first time in 2005, a whole decade before Dougherty’s movie released.
Measuring 15" from hooves to horns, Krampus on a Mantle is definitely a clever hat tip to horror fans who want something unique and exciting to bring home for the holidays, and possibly use to torment their children into having good behavior, lest Krampus comes to get them.
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