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.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368