Not Your Average Holiday Photo
Every holiday season, Salem fills with lights, wreaths, winter shoppers, and the familiar glow of Christmas nostalgia.
At Vampfangs, we like our holiday traditions a little darker.
Each year, Krampus returns to our Salem shop for photos, mischief, and theatrical holiday chaos. Guests come in for the kind of seasonal photo you will not find at the mall: no bright red suit, no forced cheer, no polished North Pole fantasy.
Just horns, chains, fur, hooves, switches, and one old-world Christmas creature waiting in the shadows.
Rooted in Alpine folklore, Krampus is often described as the darker companion to Saint Nicholas. While Saint Nicholas rewards the good, Krampus is there for the naughty. He carries chains, wears fur, and is often shown with a bundle of birch sticks known as a switch.
In other words, he is the part of Christmas that reminds everyone to behave.
That makes him a natural fit for Salem, and an even better fit for Vampfangs. A little gothic, a little theatrical, a little dangerous, and just festive enough to count as Christmas.
The Original Krampus of Salem
Vampfangs has been doing Krampus since the beginning of our Salem store in 2018. With the exception of one missed year during Covid, he has returned every holiday season since.
When we first brought Krampus into the shop, he was not yet something you saw throughout Salem. Since then, several other Krampus appearances have popped up around the city, but ours remains the original, and we are often told, the best.
From the beginning, our version was never about throwing on a latex mask and standing still for a quick photo. Krampus at Vampfangs is built through theatrical makeup, costume, character work, and live interaction.
That difference matters.
Krampus is performed by Vampfangs co-owner Benjamin Addam, whose face is transformed with makeup rather than hidden behind a full mask. The eyes move. The face reacts. The expression changes. He can make eye contact, smile, scowl, tease, and emote in a way that a mask simply cannot.
Vampfangs co-owner Alexis Pharae is also part of the tradition, working behind the camera and helping guide the experience as guests arrive for their photos. That interaction before, during, and after the picture is part of what makes the moment feel personal.
Guests are not just posing beside a monster. They are interacting with a character who feels alive.
That is especially interesting with children.
With a mask, the answer is easier. They know it is a monster. They may still be scared, but the category is clear. Our Krampus is different. The human features are still there. The eyes move. The face reacts. The expression changes. There is something recognizable beneath the horns, fur, chains, and hooves, but there is also something that clearly does not belong to the ordinary world.
That uncertainty is part of the magic.
Is he a person? A creature? A Christmas monster? Something from a story?
Krampus is human enough to interact with, strange enough to question, and theatrical enough to feel like he stepped out of folklore and into the shop.
A Salem Tradition That Keeps Growing
What started as a strange, festive photo moment quickly became something guests looked forward to year after year. Krampus may be the creature in front of the camera, but the tradition has always been a full shop experience, shaped by the guests, the photos, the reactions, and the team behind the lens.
Krampus usually arrives around Black Friday weekend and continues making appearances through mid to late December, leading into Christmas. For many guests, it has become part of their Salem holiday season.
Some families come back every year. Some use the photo as their Christmas card. Others drive from several states away, making Krampus part of a larger holiday trip to Salem.
That is one of the best parts of doing this. We get to watch people return, see familiar faces, and become part of the memories they are creating together.
For some local families, Krampus has become part of their children’s childhood. One family first came when their daughter was still an infant, small enough for Krampus to hold in the photo. Years later, she still comes back.
Those are the moments that make the tradition feel bigger than a photo.
Photos with Santa get saved for decades. They end up in family albums, on refrigerators, in old boxes, and eventually in the hands of the next generation. People look back and say, “Look at Grandma when she was little.”
We love that Krampus at Vampfangs gets to become part of that same kind of tradition, just with more horns, chains, and hooves.
Every photo becomes a small piece of immortality. A strange little artifact from a specific moment in someone’s life. A child growing up. A family returning year after year. A couple making their Christmas card a little more unholy. A group of friends deciding that this is the holiday photo worth keeping.
That is very much in the spirit of Vampfangs.
Naughty Lists, Pets, and Local Characters
Of course, Krampus is not just for kids.
While plenty of families come in for the tradition, many adults show up ready to admit they may have earned a place on the naughty list. Some want the photo. Some bring offerings to the horned beast. Some want the full Krampus experience. Some come in specifically because they have been naughty and are willing to accept a little theatrical punishment.
Krampus is happy to oblige.
Over the years, that has led to some unforgettable moments. One season, a mother and her adult daughter came in for photos, and the mother decided she wanted to go over Krampus’ knee for a spanking.
That is the beauty of the tradition. It can be funny, strange, family-friendly, mildly inappropriate, and completely Salem all at once.
Krampus also has a way of attracting other strange company. Over the years, the shop has seen visits from familiar local characters, including Borah the Witch, the Grinch, and plenty of guests who arrive already dressed for the occasion.
He also gets to pose with a lot of pets.
Dogs, cats, and other companions have become part of the tradition, adding another layer of chaos to an already unusual holiday photo. Some pets are curious. Some are suspicious. Some seem completely unfazed, which might be the most Salem reaction of all.
Not every photo is polished. Sometimes they are funny, chaotic, awkward, dramatic, or completely ridiculous.
And somehow, that makes them better.
Krampus After Dark
Krampus does not stay inside the shop.
Each year, he also makes an appearance at the December Vampire Lounge, bringing the character into a darker, more adult version of the Vampfangs world.
During the day, Krampus is part of the Salem holiday tradition. Families bring their kids, pets get pulled into the chaos, and people leave with a seasonal memory that feels nothing like a mall Santa picture.
At night, the energy changes.
At Vampire Lounge, Krampus becomes part of the atmosphere. He moves through the room with the same horns, chains, fur, hooves, and old-world menace, surrounded by music, cocktails, gothic fashion, and creatures of the night.
It is still playful. It is still theatrical. But in the lounge setting, Krampus feels right at home.
After all, some holiday spirits are better suited for the shadows.
How to Meet Krampus at Vampfangs
Krampus usually begins appearing at Vampfangs around Black Friday weekend and continues through mid to late December, leading into Christmas.
In-store photos are typically free with a purchase, making it an easy way to turn a holiday shopping trip in Salem into something a little more memorable. Whether you are bringing the family, the dog, your friends, or just your own guilty conscience, Krampus is ready.
Because dates, times, and details can change from year to year, the best way to stay updated is to follow Vampfangs on Instagram. That is where we post the current schedule, photo details, December appearances, and any special Krampus updates for the season.
Come for the holiday shopping.
Stay for the horns, chains, hooves, and questionable life choices.
And if you have been naughty, Krampus already knows.