5 Scary Christmas Monsters

With Krampus being released in UK cinemas today, we thought it would be a great time to take a look at other creepy Christmas Monsters from folklore, that are used to scare kids into being nice. Quite honestly some of them have got us scared!

Krampus

The Krampus is a scary, furry, horned figure who is used as a tool to encourage good behaviour in children. It is believed that Krampus punishes children who have misbehaved by giving out sticks and coal, whereas Saint Nicholas rewards well-behaved ones with gifts. The Krampus has also been described as carrying around a chain behind him, that he would hurl at children that were in his way. He is believed to be the anti-Santa or his evil twin, though his origins are unknown, but one thing is certain; you certainly wouldn't want to be on this guy's list!

Jólakötturinn

Jólakötturinn is known as the Icelandic Yule Cat or Christmas Cat, and unlike regular, domestic cats, he's not very nice. In fact, he will probably eat you! In Iceland, in order to get people to work hard, they used to reward them with new clothes. The lazy family members wouldn't receive anything, so to encourage them to work, they were told the tale of Jólakötturinn. According to the tale, he could tell who the children were by the number of clothes they had, and that he would then proceed to eat the lazy children! If a killer giant cat doesn't motivate you to do chores, I don't know what will.

Frau Perchta

Frau Perchta is a witch who hands out both rewards and punishments from December 25 through January 6. She is more well known for her gruesome punishments to the misbehaving rather than being nice; apparently she will rip out the internal organs of the sinful and replace them with garbage, how lovely.

Belsnickel

Belsnickel comes to children sometime before Christmas, wearing old tattered clothing. Belsnickel carries a switch to frighten children, and candy to reward them for good behaviour. The switch is only used to warn children they still have time to be good before Christmas. Then, if the children are polite about the way they've been told, they get rewarded with sweets. So remember to be polite kids!

Yule Lads

They make look as innocent as the seven dwarves, but we can ensure you they're not. These Icelandic trolls stole things and caused trouble around Christmas time, and like the Yule cat it's used to scare children into behaving. There are 13 of these Yule Lads altogether, each with a name and their own distinctive personality.

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, and there is no better way to celebrate this joyous season than to have the whole family gather round and watch a festive a film together! With that in mind, we have a few suggestions that we strongly recommend to get you in the Christmas spirit:

Be warned: spoilers may lie ahead.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

In this adaptation of the cherished children's tale by Dr. Seuss, the bitter,green Grinch (played brilliantly by Jim Carrey) comes up with a plan to take Christmas (which he absolutely despises) away from the cheery and festive inhabitants of Whoville (who he equally loathes). His plan may be foiled, however, when he bumps into cute Cindy Lou, who tries to melt his dark and black heart and change his devilish plans to ruin the festive season.

Elf (2003)

This beloved festive comedy is a favourite among many families, and for good reason! This film follows Buddy the elf (Will Ferrell), a human raised by elves, and his experiences with modern-day New York and human culture, whilst on the search for his birth father. The whole family will be chuckling away whilst they watch Buddy struggle with human life.

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

This film is well and truly the definition of a Christmas classic! It's entertaining and message driven, with a truly remarkable performance from James Stewart as George Bailey, a man who is contemplating suicide. By the end has a fresh, new outlook on life, as his neighbours all pitch in and help him get his life back on track. If you're not sobbing into your mince pie by the end of this film, there's something wrong with you!

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Michael Caine, Gonzo the Great and Kermit the Frog – now these probably weren't what Charles Dickens had in mind when he was writing A Christmas Carol, but that is one of the many reasons to love this warm-hearted take on the classic story. Despite the presence of Muppets, it is to be believed to be one of the more faithful versions of the original tale, and is of course our favourite!

Die Hard (1988)

All John McClane (Bruce Willis) was hoping for was a a quiet and relaxing Christmas, but Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) has other ideas, when he holds the staff (including John's wife) of the Nakatomi headquarters hostage. With no immediate police help, John is forced to take matters into his own hands and try to save his wife from the evil German terrorist. This against-the-odds action is hailed to be one of the greatest Christmas films ever, and for good reason too!

Home Alone (1990)

After mischievous Kevin McCallister (Macauley Culkin) get's into an argument with his family, he's sent to his room. The next morning, the whole family leave for their trip to Paris, but accidentally leave without Kevin! He wakes up to an empty house, all by himself, and soon begins living an eight year old's dream. This dreams is short-lived, however, as he soon realises that two burglars are going to attempt to rob his house on Christmas eve. Left to defend the house on his own, Kevin sets up a host of make shift booby traps around the house to try and stop them..

What are YOUR favourite Christmas movies? Let us know on Twitter!