Sister Krampus is a 2021 American horror film about two vacationing siblings who have to defend themselves from an evil ghostly nun.
Directed by Anthony Polonia (ZillaFoot) and his father Mark Polonia (Sharkula; Camp Murder; Shark Encounters of the Third Kind; Return to Splatter Farm; Bride of the Werewolf; Ghost of Camp Blood; Bigfoot vs. Zombies; Feeders; plus many, many more) from a screenplay by the latter (credited as “Orville Buttress” in the end credits) based on a story by producer and SRS Cinema owner Ron Bonk (director of House Shark).
The Polonia Brothers Entertainment production stars Rebecca Rinehart, Marie DeLorenzo, Danielle Donahue, Yolie Canales, Jeff Kirkendall, Tim Hatch, Michael Korotitsch and Jamie Morgan.
Plot:
In 1943, during World War II, three drunken American soldiers unleash an unspeakable act of carnal violence on a local nun. Subsequently turned away from her own convent by the Mother Superior who blames the victim of this violation for sinning, the distressed nun wanders the local forest in turmoil. Krampus hears her cries and provides swift and brutal revenge against the wicked soldiers. However, violent vengeance comes with a soulful price to pay.
Decades later, two sisters visiting Austria during the Christmas holidays are unexpectedly plunged into the nightmare web of Sister Krampus, bride to the damned deity. They are aided by a wily old local village woman, and together they venture into the nearby, desolate convent intend on stopping the evil sisterly spirit once and for all…
Our review:
Anyone who is overly familiar with filmmaker Mark Polonia’s vast oeuvre will be aware that quality is not something that the micro-budget auteur strives for. Or, seemingly, even cares about. Churn ’em out quick and the bait-and-switch come-on title and nifty artwork will draw the punters in.
So, going into Sister Krampus it will be no surprise to those who have visited the cinematic Church of Polonia regularly that there are shooting locations that seem to have been chosen entirely for their proximity to where the Polonia family live (Wellsboro, Pennsylvania) rather than any attempt at authenticity. Thus, we have what purports to be an Austrian inn (clearly just a suburban American house), a community library (seemingly the same house – and one that stocks books about local Austrian history that are conveniently in English) and a bombed-out “convent” (a disused factory that also has some modern interiors with many of the fixtures and fittings intact). Of course, the American soldiers wear mismatched ‘uniforms’ that bear no resemblance to any actual WWII US military gear but hey, who cares? Minor pesky details, right?
And yet, Sister Krampus is perhaps a slightly more welcome offering than many of the delights that have preceded it. Whilst hardly manna from movie heaven we at least get some stock footage of what seems to be a genuine European Krampus festival, there’s a procession influenced by Ari Aster’s Midsommar, a zombie soldier with ok makeup supplied by Anthony Polonia and the titular character who is preferable to the pantomime sister act get-up seen in the two Bloody Nun efforts by Will Collazo Jr. Plus, there are some jaw-droppingly daft dialogue exchanges that are slightly amusing if nothing else.
Never in the realm of so-bad-it’s-good fun, the slapdash ineptitude evidenced by Sister Krampus is certainly preferable to some of the filmmaker’s recent efforts where the combo of bad acting, lazily chosen locations, plus horrible CGI make the whole experience that bit more of endurance (Noah’s Shark and Dune World are particularly painful). And, as far as really low budget Krampus knock-offs go, it’s not terminally dull.
Adrian J Smith, MOVIES & MANIA
Other reviews:
“Some microbudget filmmakers lack the technical skills to make their films look good. However, this is not the case for Mark Polonia. He can make his movies look good, despite having a low budget, and if he just added a semi-coherent plot and some decent practical effects to his films, they could be far more enjoyable to watch. He seems aware of this, but he rarely seems to care enough to give it to them.” All Horror
” …the Christmas demon does look pretty good when we see him […] While no classic, Sister Krampus is an entertaining microbudget film. It’s also better than a lot of the films out there with “Krampus” in their title regardless of their budget. If you can deal with its rough edges Sister Krampus is an acceptable way to kill an hour and a half.” Voices from the Balcony
Trailer:
Cast and characters (in credits order):
Rebecca Rinehart … Mary
Marie DeLorenzo … Judy
Danielle Donahue … Sister Benedict/Sister Krampus
Yolie Canales … Ezmirelda
Jeff Kirkendall … Roger
Tim Hatch … Joe
Michael Korotitsch … Pennington
Jamie Morgan … Mother Superior
Filming locations:
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Technical details:
1 hour 67 minutes
