When it comes to Christmas films many are packed with elements of fantasy. Reasonings for how Santa achieves his annual worldwide delivery, and keeps the North Pole hidden, introduce sci-fi leanings with increasingly futuristic ideas. Delving into imagination has long been a big part of many fictional festive films, no matter what genre. However, this year’s Alternative Christmas Film Advent Calendar switches focus to look at documentaries which follow real world Christmas stories and figures, each with their own strand of imagination, festive spirit and occasional fantasy.
The horned figure of Krampus has grown more into the mainstream around the world over the last few years. Becoming a more noticeable character, often antagonist, in a number of Christmas films, not just 2015’s Krampus. Greetings From Krampus takes things back to tradition by looking at the Austrian tradition of Krampus runs. On 5th December each year many groups gather in towns and cities to dress up and participate in parades where everyone is dressed up as an interpretation of Krampus, some more traditional than others. Throughout the season participants sometimes go to schools to talk about St Nicholas’ accomplice and indeed take part in a number of different events with their costumes.
Preparations begin early in the year with great detail being added to each part of them all in anticipation for the main run. We hear from those who have taken part for years about what it means to them and the history of the runs themselves, how they’ve grown and taken on new meanings, especially as younger people are now involved with more aggressive costumes with bloody details. How Krampus as a figure has changed and evolved in the public’s eyes and is no longer such a scary figure, and wasn’t always intended as such.
This is a documentary that sees people celebrating and embracing tradition, but also showing the differing opinions of how tradition can change and evolve over the years to take on new forms or meanings while still looking back to those original bases. Particularly in regards to a character who in a large part of the world is as frequent a visitor and large a figure as Santa, or in this case the older figure of Saint Nicholas, who leads the Krampus runs.
Through this, Greetings From Krampus makes for an interesting look at traditions and festive activities in a part of the world less seen in many festive viewings. Additionally, how interpretations elsewhere, perhaps in this case largely from Hollywood, have changed and altered elements from what is more familiar in the origin countries – with these ideas leaking into them today and mixing with the various base ideas and inspirations to create constantly evolving and growing traditions for all the participate in in some way to bring in the festive season.
Greetings From Krampus can be watched in the following places:
Amazon
To see other places where you can buy, rent or stream the film, especially where you are in the world, JustWatch should have a list of most available platforms.
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