M. Rickert

Lucky Girl, How I Became A Horror Writer

Ryan LaFerney

"What happens when the Krampus come?" "Chaos."

After her family are murdered and the family house burns to the ground, Ro finds herself at a diner during the holiday season. There she meets 4 other people, all strangers, all alone. She invites them to an impromptu Christmas dinner where they share holiday ghost stories… 

What Ro doesn’t know, all the years later when they all meet up again at the home of Grayson, that sometimes stories are more true that the imagination can comprehend. And that the monsters are real.

This novella is a nestling tale with a perfect atmosphere. And the ending of this story is indeed shocking. But this is less a creature holiday feature with Krampus at the center and more of a psychological horror tale of suspense that examines the cruelty of human nature. This is a tightly packed and elegantly told novella and yet it left me wanting more. And I'm not gonna lie, it isn't really a Krampus story per se. We don't see the horned beast terrorizing the characters and whipping them like we do in the movies. Here Krampus serves as a metaphor for Ro's chaotic life.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this novella. But it is certainly well-written and atmospheric and a bit shocking. Well worth an hour or two of your time on a cold winter afternoon.