The film follows a family living in a small, snow-covered town preparing for Christmas. The lead character, Ethan, is a father struggling to keep the holiday spirit alive for his young daughter, Emma, after a tragic loss in the family. However, things take a sinister turn when strange occurrences begin to plague their home—a string of missing children, eerie sounds in the night, and mysterious gifts left on their doorstep.
Soon, it becomes clear that these events are tied to the malevolent figure of Krampus, the ancient Christmas demon who punishes those who lose the spirit of the season. Ethan learns that the town has a dark history with Krampus, with many families suffering from disappearances over the years, all happening around the holidays.
The film’s lore deepens when Ethan uncovers an old legend that Krampus hunts not only the naughty children but those who have given up on hope or lost their belief in the magic of Christmas. As the holiday approaches, Krampus marks Ethan and his daughter for punishment, targeting them with his army of twisted, grotesque helpers—gnarled elves, horrifying snowmen, and reanimated toys.
The tension builds toward a climactic showdown as Ethan realizes that the only way to save his daughter and the town from Krampus’s wrath is to rediscover his own belief in the spirit of Christmas. However, the twist comes when he uncovers a dark family secret that ties his lineage directly to the Krampus curse, making his fate far more intertwined with the demon than he ever imagined.
With a balance of holiday nostalgia and supernatural horror, Krampus: The Christmas Devil delivers a terrifying take on the holiday, leaving audiences both scared and thrilled for the season.