THE BASEMENT BOOK SHELF: “The Art of Krampus” by Michael Mallory
In 2015 director Michael Dougherty released his second holiday film after the success of his Halloween film TRICK ‘R TREAT from 2007. This film was KRAMPUS and starred many well-known actors such as Adam Scott, Toni Collette and David Koechner. This film quickly developed a cult status, much like TRICK ‘R TREAT did so many years earlier. Despite re-writing the entire legend of Krampus for this film, audiences didn’t seem to mind, either because they were unaware of the actual legend or they just didn’t care.
Despite the talented cast, the creature creations were a huge part of the film. When Krampus first appears on the roof of a house, it is genuinely a terrifying moment and his overall design is very original and scary. Krampus’ sidekicks, the elves, are also very creep with masks that do not change expression, always looking creepy. The toy creations are also something you would not want to find under your tree on Christmas morning. This film has been added to my yearly rotation of films at Christmas time, right up there with ELF and IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE.
November of 2015 saw the release of Michael Mallory’s Book, “The Art of Krampus. This book is magnificent in what it covers, showcasing not only artwork used to develop the characters and scenes but also the making of the wonderful creepy characters by Weta Workshop. The artwork is absolutely amazing, much of which would look beautiful framed on your walls at Christmas, especially if you are like me.
The book, released by Insight Editions, is really well put together and made to last. It is the perfect coffee table book for the holiday season, one that you will find yourself looking at over and over again.
Don’t forget to read the other blogs in my BASEMENT BLU-RAY REVIEW series. To order your own copy of this book, just click on the image below.
~David Albaugh
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