PAGAN WARRIOR *** UK 2019 Dir: Louisa Warren. 83 mins
Krampus is back in another film causing havoc but this time turns up in the chaotic time of Vikings and Saxons. When a gang of Vikings invade a Saxon castle killing several inhabitants and taking hostage of others, King Rollo (Peter Cosgrove) with the help of some local witches calls upon the Yuletide devil Krampus for help, but it will come at a costly price in the future.
PAGAN WARRIOR is a fantasy horror that was shot in and on the grounds of the beautiful Bodiam Castle, East Sussex. For what PAGAN WARRIOR makes of the great location (which is well used throughout), the battles between the Vikings and Saxons is very lacklustre. This is mainly due to each side only having a handful of people, but this is most likely a film budget reason and can be looked upon, unless of course you are expecting THE LORD OF THE RINGS Battle Of Helms Deep type battle scenes, then you will be sorely disappointed.
Carey Thring as the menacing Vikings leader Ubbe is well cast and stands out amongst the marauding gang of Vikings. The Krampus itself despite mostly being shown in the daytime is actually quite terrifying to look at, had it been shown from the shadows more it would have added more fear to the character upon showing up on screen. PAGAN WARRIOR won’t be for everyone, but those who do watch it will see Vikings and Saxons fighting a greater threat then themselves!
Review by Peter ‘Witchfinder‘ Hopkins