Will There Be a Sequel to Krampus?

Filmmaker Michael Dougherty is behind two cult classic horror comedies centered around holidays, and both have fans who have waited for years on potential sequels. Following Dougherty’s 2007 Halloween anthology Trick ‘r Treat, the writer/director set his sights on Christmas with the dark tale Krampus. The movie follows Max Engel (Emjay Anthony) and his family contending with a demonic beast inspired by European folklore who has brought his vicious band of creatures to Max’s town to punish the young boy for losing the spirit of Christmas.

Though the film was released nearly 10 years ago, Dougherty has teased a possible Krampus sequel for really patient fans. During a Q&A with Collider in October 2023, the filmmaker revealed there was “an idea” being kicked around for Krampus 2.

“It doesn’t necessarily center around a family as much as it might be about a group of strangers who are trapped somewhere,” Dougherty said.

The ending of Krampus seemingly closed out the story on the Engel family, who are all systematically taken by Krampus and his evil minions and deposited into the underworld. The movie’s conclusion finds them trapped in a snow globe as part of the hybrid demon’s vast collection of people ensnared inside snow globes in Krampus’ lair.

[Related: Krampus Brings Frights for Christmas in Dread the Halls (Exclusive)]

Still, while passionate audiences would be thrilled to watch more adventures with Krampus and friends, a sequel in the near future feels unlikely. The fact that Dougherty has an idea in place is exciting news, but there’s nothing concrete regarding Krampus 2 becoming a reality.

Is a Trick ‘r Treat Sequel Likely to Happen Sooner?

Over 15 years have passed since the horror anthology became a permanent fixture of the Halloween season. Despite the long wait, fans of Dougherty’s holiday scares should anticipate a Trick ‘r Treat sequel far sooner than a follow-up to Krampus, especially since a script for the former already exists. Additionally, the filmmaker recently reassured fans not to give up on more Trick ‘r Treat stories.

“I want to do it. It’s not dead by any stretch. We have some momentum moving in the right direction for sure, but I’m also of the belief that I’m not going to compromise or make sacrifices just to make a sequel,” Dougherty said on the film’s 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray commentary track. “It has to be under the right conditions with the right resources. Otherwise, I will be content with just letting this be this weird little movie that fought its way through a lot of adversity.”

He added, “But I’m very, very happy with the script for the sequel.”

Dougherty also commented on the challenges of creating indie horror films and his feelings about the sequel’s format.

“It’s tricky, because I think we really did capture lightning in a bottle with this one, and it nearly killed me,” the filmmaker said. “What a lot of people don’t realize is that the bulk of our favorite horror movies, especially the ones that introduced new horror icons, were all independent movies. There aren’t the typical metrics that a studio can point to to make it an easy ‘yes.’ Something I was adamant about in the sequel was that it has to retain this nonlinear storytelling, [and] it has to retain that weird mix of horror and comedy.”

Krampus (2015) is available to stream on Max and Peacock. Trick ‘r Treat is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.