“Krampus” situates itself between the genres of horror and slap-stick comedy, and not very well.

The strange plot of this movie began with a family stuck in funny, dysfunctional circumstances, eventually leading to the arrival of Krampus and his gang of Christmas-themed terrors.

This movie tried to be both scary and funny, but was never able to strike a balance between the two. Sporting a cast including actors from “Parks and Recreation” and Conchata Ferrell, it was hard to take this movie seriously, even when it wanted you to. The opening was a parody of the conflicts families may face when visiting during the holidays, including an uncle that loves his guns and an aunt that loves her booze.

The first 30 minutes toed the line between funny and terrible, making jokes about lame holiday cheer and Martha Stewart. The movie took a long time to incorporate its horror theme at all. When it did appear, it did so with blood and creepy laughter. Because of the movie’s tone thus far, I couldn’t decide whether to laugh or scream at the blood thirsty teddy bears, gingerbread men and jack-in-the-box clown going around eating people.

Then, to my annoyed surprised, the movie cut out to a fully animated scene showing the grandma’s dark past with her family. This animation did not fit the movie, nor did it make any sense at all being there in the first place. Between the wishy-washy horror, comedy and weird animation, I was confused beyond belief.

I will say that the one thing this movie accomplished was a perfect intro to a comedy. If you want to see this movie even a bit, the opening scene was its only saving grace. The movie begins with a sequence of shoppers rushing into a large store, brawling like the worst of Black Friday shoppers to the tune of “It’s Starting to Feel a lot Like Christmas”. I can say with certainty that this intro can put a smile on anyone’s face.

If you are into mediocre comedy-horror films that leave you wondering why you sat down to watch it all, by all means, invite your friends over to make fun of it. But if you’re not into losing an hour and a half of your already busy life this holiday season, just enjoy the plethora of already terribly made horror movies that might keep your attention past the first ten minutes.

Rating: 2/5 stars