There’s the C word and the F word, and this time of year that means Christmas and Family. For Tom and Sarah Engel, their children Max and Beth and grandma Omi, the holiday season is about to get a whole lot more stressful. Sarah’s sister Linda; her brash husband Howard; their litter of annoying children and dog; plus the surprise guest of honor, crotchety Aunt Dorothy, all come to celebrate the season and judge their hosts. Max just wants Christmas to be a happy time like it used to be, but when he is humiliated by his cousins at the table, his spirit is broken and he renounces all things Christmas. This is where things take a nasty turn as Santa’s evil doppelgänger Krampus arrives in a blizzard that turns the town into a frozen wasteland with his hellish minions to spread terror and fear to the faithless.

Michael Dougherty (Godzilla: King of the Monsters) found early success as a screenwriter with films including X2: X-Men United and Superman Returns. As a director, he made a big splash with his feature debut Trick ‘r Treat, a Halloween anthology that became an instant perennial favorite for horror fans. Dougherty has a talent for making holiday-themed movies his own as he proves with his sophomore effort, Krampus, a horror/comedy hybrid set at Christmas. Taking inspiration from such ‘80s genre films as Gremlins and Poltergeist, co-writers Dougherty, Zach Shields (Godzilla vs. Kong) and Todd Casey (Star vs. the Forces of Evil) introduce us to a dark piece of European folklore about the spooky side of the holiday laced with a friendly dose of black humor.

At the heart of this tale is a typical modern family trying to get along while navigating the harrowing tradition of spending time together for the holidays. Rather than simply defining their characters by trotting out dull clichés and stereotypes, the writers wisely allow room for each to grow and have depth. Tom and Sarah are more liberal-minded and better positioned financially than their blue collar conservative in-laws, which is the first point of friction, but this is not a dividing wedge. Despite their idealistic differences, when an actual threat is introduced, the family immediately sets aside any petty differences and unites to defend the house and children. Brother-in-law Howard has no problem admitting he was wrong about his dismissive views of Tom, just as Tom doesn’t think twice about picking up one of Howard’s many guns when in danger.

The star of the show however is Krampus, the half man, half goat creature that is the anti-Santa Claus. We get our first glimpse of him on a rooftop across the street as he chases Beth down, but close-ups are limited to his hooves and cloak. During the night, Omi insists the fire be kept hot and tells the story of how Krampus destroyed her village when she was a child – depicted in glorious stop-motion animation. We are introduced to Krampus’ minions, including imposing snowman sentries and a bagful of demonic toys that spring to life. These creatures happily claim adults and children alike and prove difficult to fight. Later, we meet an army of diabolically mischievous elves that pose an even bigger threat. Finally, Krampus makes his grand entrance and it is well worth the wait as he is truly terrifying.

The ensemble cast is led by Toni Collette (Hereditary) and Adam Scott (Piranha 3D) as Tom and Sarah Engel, a likeable, well-meaning couple trying their best to keep the holidays merry. The two actors share great comic timing without winking at the audience. Scott’s best scenes are opposite David Koechner (Final Destination 5) as Howard, who constantly harasses Tom and lacks any form of social filter. Watching the two bond in a crisis and grow to respect each other is a welcome addition. There are no jerks in the film that you hope will meet a gruesome end. Even grumpy Aunt Dorothy, played by the late Conchata Ferrell (Edward Scissorhands), is endearing, possibly because she gets the best one-liners. As for the kids, they are all pretty solid, the standout being Emjay Anthony (Bad Moms) as Max, the young hero whose loss of Christmas spirit sets the whole nightmare in motion. He holds his own against the more seasoned adults and handles his more emotional scenes quite well. The most interesting character is Omi (Krista Stadlee, Maikäfer flieg), who as an elderly lady is something of an outsider within her own family. She possesses the information everyone needs to survive Krampus if they will only listen.

In addition to having an excellent script, a fantastic cast and a solid director, Krampus also benefits from gorgeous production design by Jules Cook (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and cinematography by Jules O’Loughlin (The Hitman’s Bodyguard), who help bring Dougherty’s vision to life. Composer Douglas Pipes (Monster House) keeps things moving with a score that captures the tone of both a traditional holiday film and a more sinister genre tale. The folks at WETA Digital do a great job with the special effects – both practical and digital – bringing Krampus and his evil helpers to life.

When released theatrically in 2015, it carried a PG-13 rating, but not for excessive violence or language really – there is one F bomb and very little blood. Now, the film makes its 4K UHD debut as a Collector’s Edition labeled: Krampus The Naughty Cut. This is unfortunately a total marketing ploy that is misleading and disappointing. This version runs four minutes longer than the theatrical cut, but there is nothing naughty to be found in these scene extensions, just character beats and maybe a few frames of violence that are over before you notice. The previous Blu-ray release included seventeen minutes of deleted scenes (also included here) and some of those have been added back into the main feature. On the whole, they add little to the viewing experience and do not merit the subtitle promising something “Naughty”. Outside of the title, this is a great disc filled with all sorts of new goodies you’ll want to check out this holiday season.