Who is Krampus from Red One? – The Mythological Origins of this Bad Santa

The cinema poster for Red One.

It's almost Christmas, which means that here, at the Imagining History household, we’ve already watched Red One – you know, the Christmas film blockbuster following the adventures of Santa, Callum Drift, and Jack O’Malley. Just like The Grinch (only the live-action Jim Carrey version please!), Die Hard, and Love Actually; Red One has entered the hallowed halls of ‘films we watch every festive season’ land.

If you’ve not watched Red One, a quick explainer. Callum – played by beefy charismatic man-mountain Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson – is an elf. No, sorry, he’s the leader of E.L.F security (stands for Enforcement Logistics and Fortification if you’re asking, and I know you’re not), a task force charged with the protection of Father Christmas. Unfortunately for our pal Cal, St. Nicholas goes and gets himself kidnapped, so it’s up to the heroic beefcake and cheeky naughty-list layabout Jack O'Malley (played by Chris Evans) to track down Santa and save the day.

To say any more about the plot for the film would be to enter spoiler land, but it’s probably not too much of a plot-ruiner to say that it’s the demi-god Krampus who steals the film. But who was Krampus? He’s a mythological figure, sure, but who’s myths did he turn up in?  

Krampus towers over The Rock in this scene from Red One.

Well, many years ago, if you were a naughty child in Germany or Austria, you would have more to worry about at Christmas than getting coal in your stocking. You’d have to contend with (insert scary booming voice here) the Krampus. If Santa is the good guy of Christmas, then Krampus is the baddie. He is a terrifying demon-like creature who sneaks around swatting naughty boys and girls with a stick. According to folklore, the very worst-behaved children could be kidnapped, or even EATEN by the Krampus!

Krampus never misses arm day.

Thing is, in certain traditions, Krampus teams up with Santa. On the 5^th of December, on Krampus Night, this dynamic duo visits all of the children, Santa handing out presents, and Krampus dishing out whacks with his birch rod.

What’s Santa doing whilst Krampus beats up a bunch of naughty kids? Possibly looking a bit awkward and pretending to check his phone for urgent TikTok notifications?

An illustration from the 1900s showing Santa and Krampus visiting a child.

In the myths and legends from hundreds of years ago, did Krampus resemble the horned demon look he’s rocking in Red One? Yeah, mostly. He definitely looked demonic, covered in furry hair, with one human foot and the other a goat-like hoof. He was also often clad in chains, which he would rattle in a spooky way. Either way, Red One look or original myth look, you wouldn’t want to bump into him in a dark alley… or a well-lit alley for that matter, lest he not like the look of you and dish out a beating!

Thankfully, the Krampus of Red One isn’t quite that nasty, but he can still deliver a darn mean face slap when required!

We loved Red One! Super fun, delightfully silly, and cram-packed full of interesting spins on mythological characters; we highly recommend the film for ages 12 and up!