Krampus Director Michael Dougherty Knew They Needed To Make Their Monster A Little More American
Before director Michael Dougherty's version of "Krampus" finally made it to theaters in 2015, the idea of crafting a story around the old Austrian folktale had been circulating for years. George Romero was mulling over the possibility of at least producing a movie based on the Krampus legend at one point. In fact, this was the second time that Doughtery took on a project that Romero walked away from. The beloved horror anthology "Trick 'r Treat" was Dougherty's first film after Romero — as well as horror legends John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, and Stan Winston — exited that project as well, which we learned on Mick Garris' "Post Mortem" podcast. This eventually led to the PG-13 version of "Krampus" which audiences eventually got to see. There is a much naughtier R-rated "Krampus" cut out there, as well.
When "Krampus" first hit theaters, it didn't exactly light up the holiday box office, despite having a stellar cast featuring Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, and Allison Tolman. This Christmas horror movie has a multitude of beasts, killer gingerbread men, and dark elves which tapped into the imaginative creature designs Dougherty had previously shown in "Trick 'r Treat." However, the overall story left a lot to be desired, giving way to excessively shoddy CGI work and jokes that never quite landed the way they should. To help make "Krampus" a little more accessible to the masses, Dougherty decided it would be best to try and Americanize the mischievous monster, who was sent to torment a little boy's entire family after he accidentally summons the evil Christmas spirit.
From Austria to Ohio
In a 2015 interview with Bloody Disgusting, Michael Dougherty spoke about needing to pick and choose specific aspects from Krampus' centuries-old folklore to include in the PG-13 horror comedy. "We've definitely Americanized him a little bit, in that it takes place in an American suburb in Ohio," Dougherty admitted. "And then we added the idea that he has helpers like Santa Claus does, so, Krampus basically has the diabolical version of everything that Santa Claus has, so elves, toys, and other things." With a film intended to be family-friendly with more of an Amblin vibe, Dougherty and his creature design team had to walk a fine line with the finished look of Krampus itself, and the myriad of minions at the Yuletide demon's command.
When Krampus was revealed after busting through the chimney, Dougherty may have offered a clue about the true face of the monster that may or may not have been seen in the original film:
"We wanted to go for something that looked ancient, you know, that looked like it walked out of the dark ages, in a sense. The fur pelts, the heavy coats, the rusty chains, but we also wanted to acknowledge that everybody's interpretation of Krampus is different, so we like the idea that we never fully reveal Krampus."
There's an evil Santa Claus face that lets out a frightening scream in "Krampus," but, on second glance, it looks more like a mask of skin that's been pulled over the face of an even more despicable entity. Grinning, Dougherty said, "You see a face, but is that his real face or not? His current appearance in this film... might be a rouse on his part."
Making the legend of Krampus our own
Pointing out that what's shown in this film may not be the actual Krampus, in particular, hints at another design concept that was created for a possible sequel. Given the film's disappointing response from critics and the box office, that seems unlikely. However, after the success of Michael Dougherty's 2019 film "Godzilla: King of the Monsters," the director reported that he still wants to go back to the world of anthology horror, potentially even with a sequel to "Trick 'r Treat." A direct follow-up to Krampus may not be in the cards, but seeing the legend potentially come to life in one of the stories in "Trick 'r Treat 2" might be something worth exploring. Seeing Sam, a legendary figure who made it into the comic "Trick 'r Treat" omnibus, team up or even battle Krampus could be a fun way to bring the titular villain back for one last jolly appearance.
According to History.com, the real legend of Krampus first came over to the United States once the postcard industry began to boom in the 1890s. The postcards were generally pretty frightening, depicting Krampus hunting down naughty kids and carrying them off in chains. Cards with the words "Gruss vom Krampus" — meaning "Greetings from Krampus" — showed the monster scooping up children and shoving them in his satchel, or reeling up to whack them with a bouquet of sticks and twigs. The actual tradition of Krampus was really invented to scare kids into behaving, inspiring townsfolk to run through the streets dressed up like the fearsome creature. On the other hand, the Americanized version of this might look something like SantaCon.