How is there still confusion over the ending?

I don't get the confusion either. Especially since Michael Dougherty, you know, the guy who wrote, and directed the movie, as well as createdhis movie's universe, pretty much spells out the good ending.

Michael Dougherty Interview

"We took a page from A Christmas Carol and another page from It's a Wonderful Life," says Dougherty. "Those were two big sources of inspiration. If you really think about those two movies, they're creepy waking nightmares. In A Christmas Carol, we're talking about this broken shell of an old man who's basically terrorized by these Christmas ghosts into being a good person; they’re basically pointing a gun to his head, in essence, and saying, 'Become a good person or you'll end up like this.' And It's a Wonderful Life is very morbid, as much as it's uplifting in the end; you're talking about a movie where a guy is ready to kill himself by jumping off of a bridge until an angel comes along and says, 'You should rethink that because here's what the world would be like if you never existed.'"

Comic Synopsis

Michael Dougherty presents the official graphic novel based on his festive horror comedy, which expands the mythology of this iconic terror with an anthology of three deliciously twisted morality tales that will leave you praying you are not on the naughty list.

Comic Introduction by Michael Dougherty

Bringing Krampus to the big screen was always the main goal, but in order to introduce him to as many people as possible, my cohorts and I knew we needed to build a nest for him in comic books as well. His mythology and history was too big and too rich to be contained to one movie, and after centuries of waiting in the shadows, it only made sense to give the Christmas Devil his due.

Krampus movie commentary with Michael Dougherty

"Ah, A Christmas Carol."

"I think it was important for us to start on this too, sorta setting up what happens later in the story. Ya'know, it's famously a story of someone who goes on a pretend journey or you know, a real journey with ghosts."

"Yeah, there's deffinitly some not so subtle forshadowing by starting with A Christmas Carol. Because...I'm assuming anyone who is actually listening to our commentary has seen the film. But...I was like, 'was I going to spoil the ending?' This is very much like a modern day retelling of A Christmas Carol."

They also mention a few times that this is not a straight up horror movie and that it's a Christmas movie first. And the the old horror version, to them, was crap.


"There's a wonderful book called The Art of Krampus . Did you know that Todd?"

"Oh really? Is that available?"

"Online, at Barnes and Noble, and it goes into great detail about the design and construction of all of our creatures."

"I bet it has like amazing backrounds, paintings and concept designs."

"Yep. It's a fantastic compainion piece to Krampus the Shadow Of Saint Nicholas, which is a graphic novel. Which is also out there."

"It's not his real face. But to me it's something fun. Krampus is a michevious spirit as far as I'm concerned. He's related to Loki. So there's something fun about him wearing this sort of Santa Clause getup, to both mess with the heads of people who do see him, so that for a moment they do think he's Santa Clause. But also sort of mock the idea of Santa Clause itself."

"And because of the way that he works slowly, he doesn't just come in and grab everybody. He gives everyone time to consider what's happening."

"He likes the cat and mouse of it. He likes teaching people a lesson"

Michael Dougherty and the other two also say that everyone including Max learned their lesson and Max did something his Omi never did and that was to offer himself in everyone else's place. He had listened to her. He made a self sacrifice, and put everyone above himself, which is the spirit of Christmas.

Also, the "hero's return", which they debated among each other, one saying it was when he got attoinment and went to Krampus to make a trade, the other saying he thought it was when Max woke up.


So yeah, I don't get it either. But as the old saying goes: You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it think.


Edit: Just came across this: (Also, the art book (which is an AWESOME collector's item) talks about the snow-globes and basically said Krampus uses them to watch the people he's visited.)

I need to order the art book to 100% confirm this though.

I just watched this again finally and I thought the same as you but now I'm not sure.

-They had neighbors still and their houses were lit across the street

-The grandma/Omi never got her parents back

So I think Max apparently did something right. Or their punishment was lesser...

Its an ambiguous ending. You can argue that they are stuck in the Underworld by the Krampus, or you could argue that they were released and are just being watched by the Krampus. Both of those options are realistic, given what we saw in the movie.

The fact that there are so many discussions about this is proof that there is not a clear explanation to someone who has just seen the movie.

> The only thing that's really left up to viewer interpretation is: are they doomed to be stuck in a Christmas loop forever? Are they dead and in purgatory?

I don't really see a loop. The events of the movie begin a couple of days before Christmas and Max wakes up on Christmas Day. There is no loop.

So, for me, that's my question; does the family in the globe continue forward with their lives? Are they in a time loop that we are not shown? Will they bump into the glass dome at the end of the driveway? What about the truck drivers and the boyfriend's family?

Each question has a completely different answer depending on whether they are stuck in the globe or are back in the suburbs.

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

No idea.

It's pretty damn obvious everything really did happen to them and they're being watched by Krampus. Why some think they're trapped in some Christmas hell beats me. The snow globe was just a way to show he was lurking. Besides that it goes against Krampus and what he's trying to accomplish. Granted this interpretation of the lore is a bit different but the overall purpose the myth remains the same. He exists to teach and punish not mindlessly terrorize families for all eternally.

The only thing that's really left up to viewer interpretation is: are they doomed to be stuck in a Christmas loop forever?

The best part about this post talking down to people for not understanding, is that you are wrong. 🤣