Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

Personalized picks at your fingertips

Get the mobile app on iOS and Android

Parents' Guide to

Krampus Origins

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Cheesy, low-budget horror prequel has blood, violence.

Movie NR 2018 86 minutes
Krampus Origins Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

age 15+

KIDS UNDER 15 SHOULD NOT WATCH THIS IT DEPENDS ON THE CHILD

Too much blood My 10-year-old watched it and got nightmares for 2 weeks not good for young kids If you are not idealogical sensitive if they can't tell the difference between what's real and what's fake the people hug each other disclaimer NOT FOR YOUR RELIGIOUS PARENTS SOME SMOKING IN THE MOVIE NOT MY FAVORIT

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (2 ):

This is one of those low-budget horror movies that's almost too cheesy to be scary for most older teens. The demon itself, when it finally appears, looks like something made out of papier-mâché and has an "evil" voice reminiscent of the voices that the bad guys in Scooby-Doo cartoons affect when trying to put one over on "those meddling kids." While the acting isn't bad, the dialogue is clunky and amateurish. The story itself tries to be one of those "slow-burn" horror movies where the suspense slowly builds until the final act is all chaos and mayhem, but the burn is too slow and too dull, with the payoff of the cheesy monster being no payoff at all.

Often low-budget horror movies have some humor and self-awareness to make up for the lack of money. Krampus Origins is one of those low-budget horror movies that's unintentionally funny, especially when the special effects come into play. The campy nature makes it somewhat entertaining, but the journey to get there is a drab trip through a mostly gray orphanage, replete with clichéd character types like alcoholic priests, severe nuns, weaselly bullies and their stuttering victims, and the maid with a profound interest in mysticism and spells. Horror fans can find better thrills and chills elsewhere.

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate