I trudge up to the top of a mountain covered in thick blankets of snow. The wind whips past my ears, the cold bites at my nose. I finally make it to a quaint little cottage, tucked away in the mountainside, and enter in the hopes of gathering warmth and strength. A curtain obscures our view deeper into the humble home; I try to peak around it when the matron of the house jumps out, screaming of something in another language. Among the woman’s foreign words, one stood out to us: Krampus. krampus haunt

The recent genre of Christmas horror has been gaining momentum in the haunted house industry with All Saints Lunatic Asylum’s Christmas After Dark, Reign of Terror’s Ho-Ho-Horror, Twisted Minds Productions’ Gremlins Fan Tribute and Zombie Joe’s spin on the genre, Dark Dark Ride Ride Holiday Nightmare. Throwing their hat into the ring this year is Murder House Productions, who follows up their successful Halloween haunt, Wendigo, with a Krampus haunt for one weekend in December in Thousand Oaks. This roughly 5-minute walk-through is a traditional, jump-scare-focused haunt by Aurora Persichetti and Kyle Warner which takes participants through the dark Christmas world of “half-goat, half-demon” Krampus, of Central European folklore.

MHP’s Krampus haunt takes small groups of 2-3 people through the Christmas villain’s world in a loose narrative. Beginning in a cottage on a cold mountainside, the path leads through freezing, and monster-inhabited cliffs, and into Krampus’ lair, including his dungeon for misbehaved children – but without any gore. This folksy, plot-based home haunt is a nice reminder of the meaning of Christmas (to be on the “Nice” list), but in a format horror-lovers can appreciate (the consequences of being “Naughty”) – along with a delightful dash of dark humor (Krampus gleefully tormenting a child on a heater).

From the start to the maze’s finish, MHP’s beautiful set design and accompanying technical details like sound and lighting immerse audiences in the world of Krampus: each locale feels distinct, full-realized, and expertly detailed. A favorite, Krampus’ dungeon offered some fun interactivity of climbing through a cage and passing worrisome torture devices – a stark contrast from the warm and inviting atmosphere in the cottage. The lowered temperature in the mountain ranges, along with the windy sound effects and snow projections, help transport guests to a new world. MPH’s Krampus haunt also makes the best use of its space by providing ample hiding places for scare-actors – of which there are quite a lot – offering plenty of unexpected jump-scares. The various rooms are also nicely well-lit so guests can appreciate the props and sets – and Krampus, who lurks around almost every corner!

MHP’s Krampus haunt is an exceptional addition to the Christmas season, and I hope it comes back in some form or another as I thoroughly enjoy both the subject matter and the quality execution. MHP deftly combines beautiful set design, intricate props, technical details, and many menacing versions of Krampus to make a frightfully fun home haunt for the holidays!

MHP’s Krampus haunt has concluded its one-weekend run. For more information on Murder House Productions and their upcoming events, check out their website, Instagram, and Facebook page. Check out our Event Guide for more extreme horror events throughout the year.

If you like the above article and want to find more like it, make sure to join our community. If Facebook is your favorite, follow us there and become a part of our groups for Immersive Horror fans and/or Immersive creators. We’re active on Instagram, posting evocative imagery and informative stories to promote our reviews and recollections; follow us there. You can even find us on twitter; click here to follow. For those who want to explore deeper, we have a vibrant Slack community with new event alerts and immediate ticket sale announcements; click here to join. And subscribe to our event calendar to get emails for all or specific events (look for the link right under the calendar)! Finally, we have a newsletter that comes out once a week; click here to sign up.

krampus haunt krampus haunt krampus haunt