In the spirit of the magic of the season (and in hopes of providing some warm respite from the usual end-of-the-year best-of deluge of stories and their attendant doldrums), IndieWire is proud to present our first-ever Holiday Week.

Olivia Hussey’s pale face in 1974’s “Black Christmas” has fueled infinite nightmares, and there’s no denying Art the Clown wore a Santa suit amid the infamously gorier “Terrifier 3.” But as director Michael Doherty’s richly imagined “Krampus” turns 10 this holiday season, the wide theatrical release from 2015 can still claim the title of scariest Christmas movie ever made.

This is the filmmaker who gave us “Trick r’ Treat,” one of the most legendary cases of reevaluation in horror to date. Doherty’s Halloween-themed anthology eventually became a seasonal staple and its villain an annual icon. A decade later, his sophomore feature — a miserable family haunting about putting aside your differences when it’s already too late— has never felt more timely. Don’t believe me? As Omi Engel (Krista Stadler) might say, “Have some faith, mein Leibling!”

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In 2015, Universal Pictures’ divisive take on Krampus, the horned monster and punisher of children who accompanies Santa in old German folklore, earned $61 million at the global box office. Yes, it featured a horde of CGI gingerbread men that were not only too cute to be scary but resembled background extras from the “Shrek” universe. And no, the jump scares weren’t *that *much better in real movie theaters, where you could at least watch “Krampus” during the day without waging war between its muddy lighting and the glare of your TV screen.

‘Krampus’ (2015)©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

But what this twisted fairytale lacks in execution it makes up for with a story that’s unshakable. The script is memorable in that sort of conceptually nauseating “Black Mirror” way, and Doherty couldn’t have known just how well the script (co-written with Todd Casey and Zach Shields) would play at the end of a difficult year marred by disconnect.

From “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” to “Home Alone” and “A Christmas Story,” most classic holiday films about American families follow the same arc. The parents get overwhelmed because of their obligations, usually relatives. So, they take it out on the kids… or the kids take it out on them. Calamity ensues. Then everyone comes together, apologizes, and opens presents.

“Krampus” starts the same, but released before the high-concept horror renaissance of 2018, it’s unencumbered by the expectation that *every *genre movie boils down to a metaphor for grief. Instead, the Engel-Jackson family is more run-of-the-mill awful — a recognizable pack of self-serving jerks more focused on the appearance of cheer than any real kindness.

‘Krampus’ (2015)©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

You’ve got dad Tom Engel (Adam Scott, giving his “Severance” outie in the *worst *way); mom Sarah (Toni Collette, pre-“Hereditary” but not far from the “I AM YOUR MOTHER!” monologue); and their two kids, Max (Emjay Anthony) and Beth (Stefania LaVie Owen), who are mostly sympathetic heroes and can’t do much about the suffocating self-importance of their home life. At least they’ve got their kind… German grandma (Krista Stadler)? Wait, maybe not.

Enter the Jacksons with the hilarious rude aunt Dorothy in tow (Conchata Ferrell). There’s uncle Howard (David Koechner, as obnoxious as he was in “The Office”); aunt Linda (Allison Tolman, meek and desperately in need of her backbone from “Fargo”); and their four kids. Baby Chrissie is neither here nor there, but Jordan (Queenie Samuel), Stevie (Lolo Owen), and Howie Jr. (Maverick Flack) are *the worst: *a trio of meat sacks you wish could shut up and just make play Fortnite.

It’s not long before they’re picking on Max who, like Charlie Brown before him, just doesn’t understand the meaning of the holiday. Beth tries to help but she’d rather be with her boyfriend (Leith Towers), having long given up hope of the nice family memories Max still wants. When his earnest letter to Santa ultimately gets destroyed by his cousins, Max unwittingly invites Krampus to host the last Christmas celebration the Engel-Jacksons will ever need.

‘Krampus’ (2015)©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

From demonic cannibal elves to a killer spin on “The Nutrcacker,” your typical American traditions get contorted into menacing “Jumanji-“like obstacles here. That’s familiar enough territory for the slasher genre, but for the hopeless victims of “Krampus,” it’s gift-wrapping for one of the bleakest endings in cinematic history. Imagine “It’s a Wonderful Life,” but George decides everyone in town hates him and he’s better off dead. (Seriously, don’t ask what happens to the baby.)

With technology driving people deeper into isolation, and political division prying families further apart than ever, the tenth year with “Krampus” may be its most important yet. A truly disturbing gift from Doherty (or maybe the Ghost of Christmas Future?) this grizzly battle between an ancient figure and a maddeningly recognizable modern clan almost hits too close for comfort. If everything goes off the rails with your family this Christmas, maybe show them this one… and pray Krampus doesn’t join you.