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The Devil of Christmas (2016) movie poster

Timeline

The Devil of Christmas (2016) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2016 · 30 mins · English
Directed by
Graeme Harper
Starring
Derek Jacobi, Reece Shearsmith, Jessica Raine, Steve Pemberton, Cavan Clerkin, Rula Lenska

In Austria, during Krampusnacht in December 1977, the Devonshire family arrives at a secluded alpine chalet for a winter holiday. While staying at the chalet, the family learns about a frightening local legend from the caretaker, Klaus: Krampus, the Devil of Christmas, who punishes those who misbehave. A director later reflects on the unsettling events surrounding the original film documenting this tradition.

Comedy Horror Cast, crew & box office
On this page (4)
  1. 1 Events in order (14)
  2. 2 Timeline questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Every angle

14 events in order · contains spoilers

The Devil of Christmas Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of The Devil of Christmas (2016) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Opening slate and setting

    The film opens with a video-tape clock slate announcing The Devil of Christmas, dropping us into a December 1977 Austrian Alpine chalet. Julian, Kathy, Celia, Klaus, Toby and the other adults settle in as a strangely unsettling Krampus painting watches from the wall. The meta setup hints that the film itself will blur the line between movie and reality.

    When
    December 1977
    Where
    Austrian Alpine chalet

  2. Director's audio commentary intrudes

    The episode introduces Dennis Fulcher, the director, speaking to an unseen partner as if in an audio commentary. The footage is rewound so Dennis can flag a continuity error, and his running commentary braids into the story. This meta touch turns the chalet into a stage where filmmaking choices become part of the tension.

    When
    December 1977
    Where
    Chalet set

  3. Klaus's Krampus tale unsettles Kathy

    Klaus recounts the Krampus legend in a way that unsettles Kathy, casting a shadow over the holiday narrative. The eerie story plants a sense of danger alongside the festive mood. The other adults react with varying caution and skepticism.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Chalet living room

  4. Toby prepares for Krampus

    Before bed, Toby dutifully leaves his boots for the Krampus, while Kathy empties a bottle of tablets, signaling quiet strain in the house. The small rituals heighten tension as the adults debate what’s real and what’s superstition. The scene underscores the fragility of the family dynamics.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Toby's room / hallway

  5. Morning clues of the Krampus visit

    The next morning, Toby's boots are found stuffed with switches, a sign (in Klaus's telling) that the Krampus has visited a naughty child. Celia distrusts Kathy, noting she is not Toby's mother, while Julian brushes off the concern. The family grapples with the unsettling physical signs around them.

    When
    Morning
    Where
    Chalet

  6. Dinner and bedtime concerns

    During dinner, Toby cheerfully claims a wonderful day with Klaus, signaling normalcy. As Toby heads to bed, Kathy worries that he may have been sleepwalking, a fear Julian and Celia dismiss. The scene heightens the sense that something is off beneath the apparent holiday cheer.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Dining room

  7. Night visit of the Krampus

    That night, Toby and Celia drift out of bed, and the eerie figure of the Krampus looms again in the dim light. The house feels watched as the boundary between story and reality blurs. The sequence deepens the mounting dread.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Toby/Celia's room

  8. New scratches and the decision to leave

    The following day brings fresh scratches on Toby’s body, prompting Celia to decide she and the child should leave. The family fractures under the strain and fear that has taken hold in the chalet. The act of leaving underscores the fragility of their ties.

    When
    Day
    Where
    Chalet

  9. Kathy marked by scratches; mystery deepens

    Julian discovers scratches on Kathy’s back and finds her boots stuffed with switches. A search reveals Kathy downstairs, and Celia calls to confirm she and Toby are safely home. The clues heighten the sense that something sinister operates beneath the surface.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Chalet interior

  10. Kathy abducted by the Krampus

    The Krampus appears again to snatch Kathy, and Julian collapses, clutching his heart while reaching for his medication. Kathy holds up his empty pill bottle, a cruel cue to his impending death. The violence erupts from both supernatural myth and human treachery.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Chalet

  11. Revelation: Krampus is Klaus, then Simon

    The shocking revelation follows: the Krampus is not supernatural but Klaus in disguise, who then discards a fake moustache to reveal himself as Simon, Kathy’s lover. Fulcher frames this as a hinge in the story, shifting from folklore to human treachery. The characters confront the truth behind the terrifying events.

    When
    Revelation moment
    Where
    Chalet

  12. On-set sequence before the final act

    With a final scene promised, the actors prepare. Kathy lies on a bed as Champagne is poured, and Simon, still half in costume, joins her and binds her to the bed. Simon claims to be Krampus, and the scene ends with Kathy’s scream as the Krampus-like figure cackles. The boundary between fiction and fear thickens.

    When
    On-set sequence
    Where
    On-set / chalet set

  13. Stagehands prepare for a non-scripted sequence

    The production continues as two stagehands lay plastic sheeting beneath Kathy for a sequence not written in the script. Another actor dresses as the Krampus, and Kathy is roughly gagged by a stagehand as the new Krampus advances with a machete. Dennis notes that the audience is witnessing genuine fear, blurring reality and cinema.

    When
    During production
    Where
    Chalet set

  14. The snuff-film twist surfaces

    Dennis explains that The Devil of Christmas was a snuff film in which the fear and violence were real, not staged for a movie. Kathy remains unaware that cameras still roll as the last acts unfold. The interrogation ends abruptly when the interviewer terminates police involvement, leaving the truth unresolved.

    When
    End
    Where
    Set / production area

Last updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:46

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Timeline questions answered

The Devil of Christmas Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of The Devil of Christmas (2016): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does the Krampus target Kathy?

Kathy is targeted because she is having an affair with Simon (who is disguised as Klaus). The scratches on her back and the switches placed in her boots are staged by Simon to frame her as the Krampus responsible for harming Toby, giving him a motive to "punish" her.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes hint at Simon's interest in Kathy through his lingering glances and the intimate way he recounts the Krampus legend specifically to unsettle her.

  • kathy
  • krampus
  • simon affair
  • targeted
Q2

Who is Klaus really?

Klaus is actually Simon, Kathy's lover, wearing a fake moustache and an Austrian accent. He orchestrates the entire Krampus plot as part of the snuff film scheme, using the legend as cover for the real violence.

Foreshadowing: Klaus shows unusual familiarity with Kathy and seems overly invested in the family's dynamics, which becomes clear once his disguise falls away.

  • klaus
  • simon
  • krampus disguise
  • reveal
Q3

Why does Julian collapse and what does the empty pill bottle mean?

Julian suffers a heart attack during the Krampus attack. The empty pill bottle that Kathy holds up reveals she has been slowly poisoning him by withholding his medication, ensuring he cannot intervene or call for help while Simon carries out the plan.

Foreshadowing: Kathy empties a bottle of tablets earlier in the film, a quiet sign of the strain and treachery building in the household.

  • julian
  • heart attack
  • pill bottle
  • poisoning
Q4

How did the scratches appear on Toby and Kathy?

Simon, disguised as Klaus, secretly scratches Toby to make it look like Kathy has harmed the child, then scratches Kathy to frame her as the Krampus. This creates the false narrative needed to justify her "punishment" by the legend.

Foreshadowing: The scratches mysteriously appear after nighttime Krampus sightings, when only Simon had access to the sleeping family.

  • scratches
  • toby
  • kathy
  • framing
Q5

Why does Celia decide to leave with Toby?

Celia decides to leave after finding fresh scratches on Toby's body, interpreting them as signs that someone in the household is harming him. Her distrust of Kathy (who is not Toby's biological mother) intensifies her urgency to protect the child.

Foreshadowing: Celia's suspicion of Kathy has been building since she notes that Kathy is not Toby's real mother and questions her actions throughout the stay.

  • celia
  • toby
  • leaving
  • protection
Q6

What is the shocking truth about The Devil of Christmas?

Dennis Fulcher reveals that The Devil of Christmas was actually a snuff film, not a horror movie. The final sequence where Kathy is killed was real - the cast believed they were filming a movie scene, but the cameras kept rolling as Kathy faced genuine terror and death.

Foreshadowing: The meta-commentary becomes increasingly unsettling as Dennis notes the actors' real fear, and the plastic sheeting laid beneath Kathy for an unscripted sequence hints at something darker.

  • snuff film
  • revelation
  • dennis fulcher
  • killed
Q7

What happens in the final on-set scene?

During what the cast believes is a normal scene, stagehands place plastic sheeting under Kathy while she lies on a bed. Simon, still partly in costume, binds her. Another actor in the Krampus costume gags her with a rough cloth as a third approaches with a machete. Kathy screams in genuine terror as the tape cuts - this was her real death being filmed.

Foreshadowing: Dennis describes Kathy understanding what's happening and notes the audience is witnessing genuine fear, marking the moment the fictional horror becomes real violence.

  • kathy death
  • machete
  • on-set
  • killed
Q8

Why does Dennis Fulcher's commentary feel so disturbing?

Dennis Fulcher provides running commentary as if doing a standard audio commentary track, but his remarks gradually reveal the horrifying truth - that the fear and violence being captured are real, not performed. His casual observations about continuity errors and actors' mistakes mask the fact that a snuff film is being made.

Foreshadowing: His ability to rewind footage and flag specific moments becomes sinister once viewers realize he has full knowledge that genuine harm is occurring.

  • dennis fulcher
  • commentary
  • director
  • meta

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Devil of Christmas, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes The Devil of Christmas tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Meta-horror films with deceptive narratives like The Devil of Christmas

Movies where the story of the film's creation is more terrifying than the film itself. If you liked the layered deception and behind-the-scenes terror of The Devil of Christmas, explore these other movies where the filmmaking process itself becomes the source of horror. These films often reveal a dark truth that recontextualizes everything you've just watched.

  • meta
  • deceptive
  • unsettling
  • psychedelic horror
  • behind the scenes
  • psychological thriller
  • Tone: dark, deceptive, unsettling
  • Pacing: variable, building to a climax
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These narratives typically present one story, only to pull back the curtain and reveal a more sinister reality. The structure is often dual-layered, with a fictional narrative framed by a commentary or behind-the-scenes look that exposes the horror as real, leading to a bleak and shocking conclusion.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here for their shared use of meta-narrative to build dread and deliver a gut-punch reveal. They create a specific kind of intellectual and emotional horror by making the audience complicit in watching something they later learn is authentically terrible.

The Devil of Christmas movie poster

The Devil of Christmas

2016
A Classic Horror Story movie poster

A Classic Horror Story

2021
Grotesque movie poster

Grotesque

1988
The Last Broadcast movie poster

The Last Broadcast

1998
The Forest of Love movie poster

The Forest of Love

2019
Closed for the Season movie poster

Closed for the Season

2010
Homicidal movie poster

Homicidal

1961
The Hole movie poster

The Hole

2001

Bleak folk horror stories about betrayal like The Devil of Christmas

Stories where ancient legends expose the cruel darkness within people. Fans of The Devil of Christmas who appreciated its use of the Krampus legend to explore themes of family betrayal and human cruelty will find similar chilling tales here. These movies often feature isolated settings and a pervasive sense of inescapable doom.

  • folk horror
  • oppressive
  • bleak
  • family betrayal
  • isolated setting
  • cruel
  • Tone: dark, oppressive, bleak
  • Pacing: steady, ominous build
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a group, often a family, arriving in a place steeped in local folklore. The legendary threat initially seems external, but it ultimately serves to expose deep-seated betrayal, psychological manipulation, or a sinister plan among the characters themselves, leading to a hopeless ending.

Why they belong together: These films are united by their fusion of folk horror aesthetics with intense psychological drama and themes of betrayal. The shared experience is one of escalating dread, where the true monster is not the mythological creature but the darkness it uncovers in human nature.

Ghostwood movie poster

Ghostwood

2006
Dark Harvest movie poster

Dark Harvest

2023
Lord of Tears movie poster

Lord of Tears

2013
The Feast movie poster

The Feast

2021
Night of Dark Shadows movie poster

Night of Dark Shadows

1971
Darkest Night movie poster

Darkest Night

2012
Nothing Left to Fear movie poster

Nothing Left to Fear

2013
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark movie poster

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

1973

Every angle

The Devil of Christmas (2016) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The Devil of Christmas in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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