Forget that creeping Santa watching while you sleep. His evil doppelgänger knows just how to disrupt any silent night. Don’t expect “Krampus” to scare your wool socks off. Think of it more like a well-polished “Gremlins” story – if the “Gremlins” had murderous gingerbread men and a very hungry jack in the box.

Max (Emjay Anthony) comes face to face with a monster in Legendary Pictures’ “Krampus,” a darkly festive tale of a yuletide ghoul that reveals an irreverently twisted side to the holiday. (photo courtesy of Universal Pictures)

Eight years after Michael Dougherty wrote and directed “Trick ’r Treat,” an immediately classic Halloween flick, he takes his love of horror to the most wonderful time of the year. But before any evil creatures try to drag people into waste-deep snow, we meet an even greater evil that rises once a year, only to be lulled back to sleep with a coupon: Christmas shoppers.

We have enough seasonal options for the good times. Charlie Brown and his sad tree. Buddy learning the truth about his non-elvish heritage. Even Jack Skellington’s identity crisis (The Nightmare Before Christmas). “Krampus” presents the unsavory moments behind the glitter and garland. So what better way to kick things off than with shoppers trampling department store workers.

Even young Max (Emjay Anthony) loses it during a Christmas play. He might be a touch old to still believe in Santa, but when a classmate tries to ruin things for others, Max has no choice but to Spartan kick the sap into a manger. He just wants Christmas to be like it was in the past, filled with cheer and love, not the war zone it is thanks to growing tensions with extended family.

Max’s parents, Sarah (Toni Collette) and Tom (Adam Scott), try to be loving, but suburban life works better at saving face than building community. And then Uncle Howard (David Koechner) and Aunt Linda (Allison Tolman) arrive with their lovely little monsters. Starting with “Anchorman,” Koechner carved out his own little hillbilly niche, and it mutates into something even more obnoxious than normal, the kind of lunatic machismo usually reserved for WWE wrestlers and Donald Trump.

The holidays can be rough, especially for a child who wants his family to reconnect. But in a moment of weakness, Max gives up, tearing up his letter to Santa and sending it into the snowy night. Oops. Somebody else got that letter and took some liberties with the contents. In place of the big guy, Max’s family meet what grandma, their Omi (Krista Stadler), calls “the shadow of Saint Nicholas” here not “to give, but to take.”

The entire film might be worthwhile for the first scene in which Krampus appears, chasing Max’s sister Beth (Stefania LaVie Owen). Subtlety always wins. In true monster-movie fashion, we don’t get a good look at the horned, hoofed thing until the end, but we do encounter minions. Life isn’t complete until you experience a gingerbread man going for the kill with a sharpened candy cane.

And then there’s all the toys that come alive. Did I forget to mention the dark elves or the creature under the snow that moves at a devilish pace? Both quite fun as well.

Adam Scott stars as Tom in Legendary Pictures’ “Krampus.” (photo courtesy of Universal Pictures)

“Krampus” is mostly a horror comedy. How could it not be when Collette is attacked by an angel tree topper and then almost choked to death by Christmas lights. (That’s not a spoiler. You all know Collette ain’t going down like that.) The presence of Koechner and Scott (“Parks and Recreation,” “Step Brothers”) drives home the clear comedic appeal.

But something unexpected comes next. In “Trick ’r Treat,” character investment was optional. But “Krampus” is oddly well acted and heartfelt. Scott easily reigns supreme. He’s adorably quirky as Leslie Knope’s significant other in “Parks,” but he doesn’t crack any jokes here. He’s a concerned father desperately trying to protect his family. An easy archetype for any monster movie, but a shocking one for a comedy actor to undertake so well.

John Carpenter once said a horror film is only as good as its ending. A bad ending means the entire film is bad. Thankfully, “Krampus” knows how to end. In place of a cheap zinger before the credits, things wrap up exactly how they should. OK, there’s a dash of laughter for garnish too.

“Krampus” is hardly the best film of the season, not even the best horror film this year, but few films are this fun. Just imagine writers Dougherty, Todd Casey and Zach Shields sitting around a table throwing out the most outlandish ideas for a Christmas horror movie. It sounds as fun as the final product. Next time, however, the Christmas tree needs to go on the offensive, shooting its needles at ungrateful tweens.