Krampus Director Teases Ideas for a Possible Sequel

Filmmaker Michael Dougherty made a name for himself among horror audiences with his Halloween-themed Trick ‘r Treat, with his 2015 film Krampus allowing him to show a darker side of Christmas traditions, which similarly blended together horror with humor. Much like how fans have been hoping for a Trick ‘r Treat sequel, they similarly hope for a Krampus follow-up, with Dougherty himself recently teasing a loose idea of what the next chapter of the adventure would be. Given that a Trick ‘r Treat sequel was confirmed 2013 yet still hasn’t moved forward, fans shouldn’t expect any concrete updates on a Krampus sequel anytime soon.

After addressing a possible Trick ‘r Treat sequel during an in-person Q&A, per Collider, Doughtery revealed, “We have an idea for a sequel on that one, too … It doesn’t necessarily center around a family as much as it might be about a group of strangers who are trapped somewhere.”

In the original movie, a dysfunctional family’s seeming abandonment of the holiday spirit results in the monstrous Krampus targeting them for the holidays, an experience that starts with a vicious snowstorm and escalates to creepy creatures attacking them, as they eventually confront the Krampus itself. In a grim twist of fate, the family awakens from the holiday nightmare on Christmas morning, only for it to dawn on them that they have been imprisoned in a repetitive cycle of Krampus’s making.

The narrative structure of Trick ‘r Treat is that of an anthology, so the idea of that movie getting another installment that features another compilation of Halloween-inspired vignettes seems more feasible than a Krampus sequel. Additionally, Trick ‘r Treat was a relatively low-budget affair and, in the years since its release, it has organically earned a passionate following, as its pint-sized Sam has become a mascot of All Hallow’s Eve, with the film celebrated at Spirit Halloween and at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights. Krampus, however, was a bit more costly with a reported production budget of $15 million and it only went on to earn $62 million worldwide, while also sitting at only 67% positive reviews on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. 

Luckily, production studio Legendary Pictures has faith in Dougherty, as they partnered with him on Trick ‘r Treat and Krampus, which paved the way for him to direct Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Stay tuned for updates on a possible Krampus sequel.

Would you like the film to get a sequel? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!