Thousands cheer on satanic Christmas folklore figure Krampus at terrifying street parade
TERRIFYING images show the moment artists dressed up as the folklore figure Krampus at a traditional performance in Serfaus, Austria.
The "Krampus run" event, which took place in the west Austrian state of Tyrol yesterday, saw a series of around 27 artist groups parade in front of thousands of onlookers, carrying flame torches.
Krampus is a figure in Austro-Bavarian Alpine folklore - best described as 'half-goat, half-demon'.
The exact opposite of Santa Claus, legend has it that Krampus punishes children who have misbehaved - making the parade a bizarre Christmas tradition.
In the haunting pictures, performers can be seen wearing gruesome goat masks - transformed into demons with fake fur costumes.
Throughout the parade, they lunge towards the crowd - made up of adults and children alike - brandishing weapons such as pitchforks and smokebombs.
Meanwhile, other images show artists smearing on thick black body pain to complete the costumes' petrifying effects - while one shows a performer attaching stilts to his feet.
Last year, a Christmas comedy horror film - "Krampus" - based on the character was released, grossing over £1.4million at the UK box office.
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