"Krampus" Soundtrack Lyrics

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"Krampus (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

Can a Christmas movie make you dread a carol? Krampus does it on purpose. The film opens with retail-bedlam scored to a cozy standard, then pivots to Douglas Pipes’ orchestral writing—menacing brass, sleigh bells as weapons, choirs that turn sacred harmonies into sirens. Songs anchor the holiday façade; score exposes the rot underneath.

The album, Krampus (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), arrived digitally on December 4, 2015 via Back Lot Music and later on CD/vinyl editions. Pipes’ cues mix wintry lullabies with percussive “hoofprints,” and the package folds in a choral “Krampus Karol of the Bells” for end titles (as reported by trade announcements and label/storefront listings).

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score?

Douglas Pipes (Monster House, Trick ’r Treat). The OST is his original score with a bonus carol arrangement.

When did the soundtrack release?

December 4, 2015 (digital, Back Lot Music); physical editions followed in 2016; a deluxe double-LP landed in 2018.

Is there a separate “songs” album?

No. The film licenses Christmas standards (Crosby, Brenda Lee, Gene Autry, etc.); only the score is issued as an album.

Who supervised the music?

Peter Afterman is credited as music supervisor; Brian Mahoney is listed as associate music supervisor in credits compilations.

What recognizable carols appear in-film?

“It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Up on the Housetop,” “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” among others.

What’s the trailer YouTube ID used here?

h6cVyoMH4QE (Universal Pictures channel).

Notes & Trivia

• Opening slow-motion melee plays against Bing Crosby’s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”—a deliberate irony the press called out.
• The end credits feature Pipes’ “Krampus Karol of the Bells,” performed with the Brea Olinda High School Singers.
• Waxwork Records later issued a 2×LP with art and expanded packaging; the film’s score integrates sleigh bells, whip cracks, and low choir for “hoof-and-chain” textures.
• Music department credits list a large orchestration/prep team; Pipes’ album suite runs ≈80 minutes in expanded listings.

Genres & Themes

Gothic orchestral + choir → Old-world dread. Latin-tinged choral lines and low brass recast nativity warmth into pagan winter.

Dark carol variations → Corruption of tradition. “Auld Lang Syne,” “O Christmas Tree,” and bell motifs are twisted to signal the family’s failing spirit.

Vintage holiday standards → Normalcy that lies. Crosby, Brenda Lee, Gene Autry: the soundtrack of comfort used as misdirection.

Tracks & Scenes

“It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” — Bing Crosby
Scene: Slow-motion opening montage of shopping chaos—greeters trampled, kids screaming, decor weaponized. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: The film’s thesis in one needle-drop: seasonal cheer as camouflage for cruelty.

“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” — Brenda Lee
Scene: Kitchen prep and awkward relative arrivals; camera tracks through forced small talk. Source-like on radios/speakers.
Why it matters: Tradition at volume 10 to drown out resentment.

“Up on the House Top (Ho Ho Ho)” — Gene Autry
Scene: Present-wrapping and uneasy bedtime; exterior wind begins to overtake the mix. Source turning non-diegetic wash.
Why it matters: The last “safe” lull before the storm breaks.

“O Come All Ye Faithful” — The Metropolitan Quartet
Scene: A brittle, old recording drifts under a dark street—lights popping out, snow swallowing sound. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Faithful—and abandoned. Perfectly cruel counterpoint.

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” — Bright Eyes
Scene: Mid-film pause: grief settles after a disappearance; close frames on faces around the fireplace. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: A modern melancholy that makes the silence heavier.

“Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” — Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
Scene: The camera pulls back to reveal… a snow globe. Non-diegetic over the final reveal.
Why it matters: Lullaby or prison? The lyric turns taunting.

“Krampus Karol of the Bells” — Douglas Pipes feat. Brea Olinda High School Singers
Scene: End credits—choir and bells with a malevolent swing. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: A corrupted classic that sends you out shivering.

Score cues (selection) — Douglas Pipes
Where they play: “A Cold Wind” bridges opening irony to dread; “Into the Storm” and “The Snow Beast” cover siege sequences; “Der Klown,” “Elfen,” and “Season’s Eatings” score the toy-and-minion assaults; “The Shadow of St. Nicholas” and “When the Christmas Spirit Dies” close the moral loop.
Why it matters: Sleigh bells become shackles; choir becomes an omen. Pipes weaponizes holiday timbres.

Music–Story Links

The film’s grammar is simple and sharp: standards = social mask; score = truth. When characters cling to “normal” (cocoa, carols, pageantry) you hear familiar records. When they admit fear—or deny it too long—the orchestra arrives, and the bells don’t comfort anymore.

How It Was Made

Score by Douglas Pipes; album released by Back Lot Music. Music supervision by Peter Afterman (associate: Brian Mahoney). A later vinyl edition (Waxwork Records) expanded the collector footprint. According to the announcement coverage, the digital OST debuted day-and-date with the film and included a bespoke “Carol of the Bells” re-write (“Krampus Karol of the Bells”).

Reception & Quotes

Reviewers praised Pipes’ ability to twist holiday sonics without gimmickry; fans quickly adopted the corrupted-carol cue as seasonal horror canon.

“Pipes weaponizes bells and choir into something gleefully blasphemous.” album-era review

“The opening needle-drop is a mission statement—holidays as horror.” feature commentary

Additional Info

• OST: 28 tracks (digital), Back Lot Music; core suite runs ~80 minutes in expanded listings.
• Notable licensed cuts (film only): Bing Crosby “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”; Brenda Lee “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”; Gene Autry “Up on the House Top”; Metropolitan Quartet “O Come All Ye Faithful”; Bright Eyes “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”; Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.”
• Trailer Video ID used here: h6cVyoMH4QE.
• Vinyl: Waxwork Records double-LP (2018) with art inserts.

Technical Info

• Title: Krampus (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year / Type: 2015 / Film score (with one choral bonus)
• Composer: Douglas Pipes
• Label: Back Lot Music (digital); later CD; Waxwork Records (2×LP, 2018)
• Music supervision: Peter Afterman (associate: Brian Mahoney)
• Selected notable placements: “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”; “O Come All Ye Faithful”; “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”; “Up on the House Top”; “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”; “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.”

Canonical Entities & Relations

Subject	Relation	Object
Film “Krampus” (2015)	Directed by	Michael Dougherty
Film	Music by (score)	Douglas Pipes
Soundtrack album	Record label	Back Lot Music
Vinyl edition	Released by	Waxwork Records (2018, 2×LP)
Film (licensed music)	Features	Bing Crosby; Brenda Lee; Gene Autry; Metropolitan Quartet; Bright Eyes
Production (music)	Music supervision	Peter Afterman (associate: Brian Mahoney)

Sources: Apple Music/label listing (album/date/track names); Film Music Reporter announcement; Metacritic credits (music supervision); Soundtrakd scene/needle-drop rundown; press features noting the opening montage song; film page (credits, vinyl note); official trailer on YouTube.

Despite that within the soundtrack, we find only positive Christmas compositions (like Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee), the film itself is absolutely not the one you want to watch with the whole family on the eve of the approaching holiday. Firstly, it's a horror. Secondly, we don’t meet here the charming fat guy Santa, which will bring us many gifts. On the contrary, there will be a big unattractive character named Krampus. Krampus is anti-Santa (his companion) and according to Germanic mythology is the one who punishes the children who have not behaved properly throughout the year, in contrast to the good Mr. Claus, who gives gifts. Krampus can take the children to the Hell, drown them, or kill in any other way. He is portrayed as a kind of something with hooves, horns and dark hair, and represents the image of the Goat, which is known to be associated with Satan, in the most common of his guises. He is evil, brings torment and suffering and antagonistic to Santa (in the film, not Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town by Bing Crosby, but his dark compatriot – Krampus). And that is true – there must be an evil, if good exists. This character takes its roots from distant thousands of years ago, when idolatry was the only general wide religion and every person had its deities. And much later they all were replaced by unified symbols of Christianity that united many people under one belief, one way or another, and contributed to a more rapid development of the Mankind. The film shows how bad this character can be, and it is one of its most faithful representations of him in the modern world. Despite many festivals in his honor, Krampus’ character remains mostly unknown. The film corrects it. Don’t watch it with all family or your pre-holiday’s Silent Night will not be peaceful.

November, 12th 2025

Krampus profiles on IMDb, RottenTomatoes.com, Fandango

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