And as a result, the very idea of a Yuletide monster mash was a high concept in-and-of-itself. Legendary and Universal offered a product that wasn’t just different from the competition in the marketplace at that time, but wholly unique in terms of almost anything offered in mainstream theatrical distribution over the last few decades. In terms of mainstream Christmas horror films, Krampus is in a league of its own. The original Black Christmas may have jump-started the modern slasher genre four years before Halloween, but it has no real box office legacy for which to dissect. So no, Christmas Evil which made $450,000 in theaters in 1980, doesn't quite fit the bill. And yes I too enjoyed the likes of Santa's Slay and Jack Frost, but we're talking mainstream movies from a mainstream studio that played in nationwide theatrical release. Silent Night, Deadly Night was the stuff of legend in its day, but the film made $2.4 million in American theaters back in 1982. Of course, that one opened on Christmas Day, so it’s not like the Weinstein Company was expecting a leggy run in the first place. We haven’t actually had Christmas-themed horror movie in wide release since the Black Christmas remake somewhat bombed back in 2006. The list of successful Christmas horror movies is basically, um… Gremlins… and uh, that’s about it. The reason Krampus was able to break out earlier this month, and thus the reason I am pointing it out, is painfully simple: It was wholly unlike anything else in the marketplace.
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