It's the season to be jolly! At least until one family forgets the joy of loving and loses the Christmas spirit. And without the holiday bliss, St. Nicolas can't come. Instead, his shadow is summoned, and Krampus is not here to give -- but to take. 

This Christmas, comedian David Koechner was the first to meet Krampus, and his experience was exhilirating. 

Like many of us, Koechner hadn't heard of Krampus before doing the film with the same name, but as soon as he learned about the dark character from an acient legend, his excitement towards the project only doubled.

Koechner plays the role of Howard, a husband to Linda. On Dec. 22, Howard, Linda, and their children unites with Linda's sister Sarah and Sarah's husband Tom. Sarah and Tom's children, and Tom's German mother also came in the merry-making.

While the big family wanted to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year at first, tension between members arised. Soon, the quarell over petty things has destroyed the Christmas spirit -- and horrible events starts unfolding.

Koecher's character Howard, is a narrow-thinker. He gets pissed over the simpliest things and easily picks fights with his in-laws. While his sarcastic words and comic actions may trigger a laugh, his attitude causes everyone's temper to shoot up.

As the mood of the movie gets darker, Howard transitions from being a funny bonehead to a serious man.

Koechner's favorite scenes include the moment Howard goes out of the house by himself and is stopped by Adam Scott's character Tommy. A confrontation between the two male characters ensues and Howard calls it a John Wayne moment. 

Koechner appreciates Howard's character because it allowed him to show his versatility as an actor. He displays his trademark comic skills at the beginning, but he has to become an intense dramatic actor during the second half of the film.

"I think you have too keep growing as an actor because your audience will change, your market will change and all that. At the end of the day, it's a business and you have to be mindful of that," said Koechner to International Business Times.

While it seems that Koechner never had a shortage of job offers, the actor continues to appreciate every role given to him, citing that they allow him to provide for his five children. 

Meanwhile, the stage actor also praised director Micheal Dougherty for seamlessly stiching humor, heart, and horror.

"Krampus" opened on U.S. cinemas on Dec. 4.