After centuries of fear, distrust and hatred, it would appear that Krampus, the naughty kids’ terrifying alternative to Father Christmas, is the toast of Hollywood. Kevin Smith is already working up Anti-Claus about the creature, and here comes Trick ‘R Treat’s Michael Dougherty with his own take on the subject.
Legendary has hired Dougherty for another holiday film with a horror twist, this time one written by Todd Casey and Zach Shields with the focus on the Pagan demon that punishes the wicked and – assuming they keep his mythology fully intact – snacks on naughty kids.
“The dark ancient origins of our holidays have always fascinated me,” Dougherty said in statement reported by Deadline. “I’ve been drawing twisted Christmas cards for well over a decade, so it only made sense to bring some of that morbid yuletide fun to the big screen, and Krampus was the perfect mythology to do that. Christmas has been invading Halloween for far too long. It’s time to return the favour.”
A veteran of work on X2 and Superman Returns, Dougherty is also working on a Trick sequel, proving once more that initial box office failure is no barrier to future films when the first one finds a loyal cult audience.