Krampus is just one of a whole array of Christmas bad guys in Europe with pagan origins. There’s also Frau Perchta, a witch who slits the bellies of Bavarian bad kids and stuffs their corpses ...

Though the legend of Perchta dates back centuries, she is still celebrated in parts of Germany and Austria today, like at Salzburg's annual Krampus and Perchten Parades, where masked marauders ...

Krampus is rumored to punish children who have been naughty on the evening of Dec. 5, also known as Krampusnacht, by whipping them, eating them or dragging them to hell.

It’d be shocking in any movie, especially a PG-13 horror comedy. No cute points for Der Klown. None. Absolutely not. Perchta Perchta comes for Toni Collette and that’s simply inexcusable.

Each Krampus suit can cost up to $3,000, he said. Perhaps that's why the Krampus crew is increasingly sought after to make appearances and be available for photo shoots.

The Krampus tradition only goes back to the late 19th century, but its roots can be traced to the 12th century Epiphany character Frau Perchta, who similarly went door to door checking to see how ...