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Krampus (2015)
Krampus (2015)
2015 | Comedy, Horror
Krampus is an absolute gem of a Christmas movie. It manages to pack in a bit of festive spirit, whilst simultaneously being a fun-as-hell horror ride, and has enough strikingly creepy imagery, ensuring it satisfies horror fans, and potentially a slightly younger audience at the same time.

The first third is sort of a comedy, as the characters are introduced against the familiar backdrop of having the dreaded experience of extended family over for the holidays. The cast are all great - Adam Scott, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell and Krista Stacker all carve out personas with their own unique traits, and all do it in a relatble manner. The shining star is of course Toni Collette, who just manages to be fantastic in everything she's in, even a silly comedy horror like Krampus. The kid actors are great as well, especially Emjay Anthony as lead character Max.

When the horror starts to unfold, it's executed in a sort of gateway-horror style. It's fun enough to appeal to a younger audience as mentioned, but still has creepy moments. For instance, when the titular Krampus is first glimpsed, bounding across rooftops in a blizzard, it's a striking visual that manages to be quite haunting. The whole aesthetic is fantastic, festive one minute, dark and cold the next, with an almost Nightmare Before Christmas look to all of the monsters. Krampus himself looks horrifying when he is finally revealed in all his demonic yuletide glory. There's also an incredibly charming animated segment around the midway point that just adds even more to the overall experience.

If you're looking for an alternative Christmas movie, then you can do a lot worse than Krampus. It's hugely entertaining and memorable, and just a good time all round, and the best movie to include a scene involving murderous gingerbread men (sorry Gingerbread Man...)
  
The Municipalists
The Municipalists
Seth Fried | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller
7
8.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Watch the Friendship Bloom :)
I didn’t imagine I would like this novel much but in fact, I did. It’s a rather quick read but the adventure is quite the ride!

Henry starts off as an average, run of the mill model employee. He pretty much blends in the background and plays by the rules. Sounds uninteresting doesn’t it? He’s got a thing for trains and his past isn’t shining bright considering what happened to his parents. He’s a wallflower with a sad past and he just immerses himself into his work.

Then comes OWEN.

He changes Henry - a lot. Their friendship is laughable at first and off to a rocky start. (like most when you have an odd couple/opposites in a team) OWEN has wit and a rather unconventional way of solving things whereas Henry likes to stick with the rules. Yet it’s because of OWEN that Henry’s character develops and changes. They end up being a likable pair and they start growing on you despite the rather awkward start. OWEN does provide the comic relief in the story though, he’s a supercomputer you would not mind hanging out with.

The plot is straight to the point and there’s not much in the way of twists and turns. There are a few revelations here and there but it’s mainly about Henry and his view on the world and how it changes. That’s really the main point of the novel. There’s some action scenes and some intrigue but nothing over the top. There are going to be parts that pack a punch but it’s effective as you really do connect with both Henry and OWEN.

 It’s a quick read and an enjoyable one, I say read it for character development and watching the friendship between Henry and OWEN- and enjoy it.