10 MORE Horror Movie Monsters That Shouldn’t Have Worked… But Did

7. Der Klown - Krampus

Krampus movie
Legendary Pictures

Michael Dougherty's dark fantasy Krampus opens with a small boy, Max Engel, losing his Christmas spirit. Max's actions incur the wrath of Santa Claus' evil twin, Krampus, urging the not-so-festive entity and his minions to pay the Engel household a visit.

Krampus is a horror-comedy above all else, so there's little reason to be sincerely scared by Krampus' lackeys despite the fact that the malevolent elves, gingerbread men, and Krampus himself are fantastically designed.

With that said, Der Klown is absolutely nerve-wracking. Resembling a jack-in-a-box, this demon initially seems like the most innocent of Krampus' subordinates, due to his adorable face and diminutive size. 

However, Der Klown has an enormous stomach and an even bigger appetite. And when the wicked jester shows its multiple rows of teeth and slowly gorges on its prey, this abomination looks anything but cute. The rest of Krampus' army is pretty silly, so viewers are left blindsided when the legitimately terrifying Der Klown makes his big reveal.

Krampus may be a force to be reckoned with, but anyone who faces Der Klown is sure to suffer a far worse fate.

Contributor

James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows