Michael Dougherty’s Krampus has emerged from the shadows at long last, with a batch of stills offering up our first look at the writer-director’s dark Christmas comedy.
Revolving around the titular and malevolent folk legend, the film will play out around the Christmas season where the title monster haunts children who landed smack bang on the naughty list. One such child is Chef‘s Emjay Anthony, who begins to become disillusioned with all things festive after he witnesses his dysfunctional family engage in petty arguments during the most wonderful time of the year. With the Christmas spirit fading and fading fast, an eerie blizzard rolls over town, bringing the devious Krampus along with it.
Coming by way of USA Today, these images hint at the film’s decidedly dark themes, though Dougherty highlighted its playful nature, and how the chief antagonist can be considered as a shadow of Santa Claus.
“He’s not Freddy (A Nightmare on Elm Street) or Jason (Friday the 13th) or Leatherface (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), this unstoppable monster that kicks down your door and rampages and grabs you. If you study the myth, there’s something darkly playful about him. He’s having a good time doing what he does and he enjoys the cat-and-mouse aspect of it.”
With good ol’ Father Christmas nowhere to be found, Krampus will be the supernatural entity paying Anthony’s family – comprised of Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, and Fargo’s Alison Tolman – a visit later this year, and there’s already a crackle of excitement ahead of its debut. As the creative mind behind 2007’s cult hit Trick ‘r Treat, Dougherty’s latest has our attention based on his involvement alone.
And though the horror comedy has been toiling away in development for a considerable amount of time, all signs point to the writer-director delivering a bona fide cinematic treat come December.
At long last, Krampus will bring its demented take on the festive comedy to theaters on December 4.