Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures have announced a special free screening of “Trick ‘r Treat” directed by Michael Dougherty (“Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” “Krampus”), as part of this year’s edition of Beyond Fest. The celebratory screening is scheduled to take place at the Hollywood Legion Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 1st and will serve as the kickoff to the Halloween staple’s first ever theatrical run in more than 850 movie theaters across the U.S. and Canada this October.
In addition to providing the film’s loyal fandom with a premium opportunity to see “Trick ‘r Treat” on the big screen, the festival will also host an exclusive Q&A with director Michael Dougherty following the screening as well as a few welcome but “Sam” approved treats for those who obey the rules of Halloween.
Over the course of the past 15 years, “Trick ‘r Treat” has catapulted itself into the hearts of horror fans across the globe and become a bonified holiday classic. The iconic “Sam” character and his nefarious bag of tricks has even gone on to become one of the highest-grossing IP in Halloween stores nationwide, making him the unofficial mascot of the holiday in homes across the U.S.
It is said that Halloween is the night when the dead rise to walk among us and other unspeakable things roam free. The rituals of All Hallows Eve were devised to protect us from their evil mischief, and the residents of a small-town, played by Anna Paquin (the “X-Men” films, “Flack”) Brian Cox (“Succession”), Dylan Baker (“The Resort”) and Leslie Bibb (the “Iron Man” films) are about to be taught a terrifying lesson that some traditions are best not forgotten.
The score is by composer Douglas Pipes (KRAMPUS). Read our interview here.
“The 15th Anniversary marks the second time that we’ve screened ‘Trick ‘r Treat’ at our Festival, with the first being one of the most successful screenings in our history,” said Christian Parkes, Co-founder of Beyond Fest. “We couldn’t be happier to bring the film back to the fans and to celebrate the work of this amazing cast and its filmmakers.”
Director Michael Dougherty added, “Helping Sam rise from the pumpkin patch has always been one of my greatest joys, and I couldn’t be happier to be doing it once more at Beyond Fest before finally unleashing Sam in theaters, where he was always meant to be seen. Muhahaha.”
Tickets for the Beyond Fest screening of “Trick ‘r Treat” are FREE. Guests can RSVP for seating while supplies last, exclusively at americancinematheque.com beginning on September 27th.
Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures horror thriller Trick r Treat, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Who are the real monsters? The humans or the creatures that terrorize them. It’s a classic monster movie theme that, dare I say, can’t really be approached in a new way after over 70 yrs of creature features. Sure, it’s a trope of the genre that has effectively won over my heart time and time again. And yet, it feels a little forced and hollow when it takes a backseat to explosions, destruction, and roars from gigantic titans.
In GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS, the crypto-zoological agency, Monarch, is under fire as the government wants to take over their monster-hunting activities. Meanwhile, they have been able to locate several god-sized monsters, including Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed Ghidorah. Monarch’s Dr. Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga) has developed a device known as the “Orca” which allows communication with the creatures by layering the sounds of species to create sonic-waves… or something or another. When Russell, the “Orca” and her daughter Madison (Millie Bobby Brown) are kidnapped by an eco-terrorist, Monarch recruits ex-member and Russell’s ex-husband Mark (Kyle Chandler, charming as always and delivering a level of energy not many in this film lend it) to help track and stop the terrorist plot.
Complaints surrounding the previous GODZILLA (2014) film — the first of now three films in a shared universe with KONG: SKULL ISLAND — centered around the lack of monster action. In truth, GODZILLA did play more of an ominous legend or boogeyman that people talked about instead of a character that’s in your face during the entire film. Writer and director Michael Dougherty (TRICK ‘R TREAT and KRAMPUS) aims to correct this in GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS. If the trailers didn’t make it clear already, perhaps Dougherty overshot a little when it comes to the monster/human ratio. KING OF THE MONSTERS is packed with fights between some of the most legendary Toho Co. monster creations. Die-hard fans will marvel at the opportunity to see some of these beloved creatures duke out, claw to claw, wing to wing, head to head (or head to three-heads if we’re talking about Ghidorah).
For those who haven’t grown up watching these characters on poorly dubbed VHS tapes, your patience might be tested along with your ability to withstand motion sickness without even moving. For long patches of film, you have close-ups or medium shots of giant monsters rolling around in the rain, water, or smoke, making it impossible to tell what scaly creature is hitting who. You could call this the TRANSFORMERS effect or the PACIFIC RIM effect, but either way, it becomes an indecipherable endurance test. Constant flashes of light from electrical outages and lightning strikes create a strobe effect that makes the shaky visuals event worse. For every stunning, wide shot that shows the full scale of these behemoths — something the marketing has clearly shown off in the effective trailers — there are 50-times as many shaky close-ups to the point where I gave up on the battle of who would be King by the finale.
There are a couple of moments where the connection between the humans and the monsters is actually felt both literally and figuratively. One early on is the birth of Mothra. Vera Farmiga and Millie Bobby Brown both lend the film one of the best heartfelt moments in its entirety, as they finally see the birth of something they have nurtured for so long. This is only surpassed later on by Ken Watanabe. When he decides to come face to face with Godzilla — the God he worships — it’s a moment that rings true for monster fans. We connect with them for there flaws but we also relate to them because they are ostracized and seen as outsiders. And director Michael Dougherty, who comes with a clear love of monsters and horror, treats the monsters with the level of respect given to Superman or other superheroes.
With all that happens in its bloated 2 hr and 11 min runtime, the story of monstrous superheroes never really draws general audiences in. GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS simply throws you in without much setup in order to give fans of the characters something to cheer for. In both story and execution, Dougherty has missed creating the human connection. Sacrifice becomes a central theme in the film, and what it sacrifices to give fans cool creatures and monster mayhem is a proper stage set for real emotions to fight alongside with the visuals.
Overall Score: 2.5 out of 5
GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS opens in theaters everywhere May 31st
Following the global success of “Godzilla” and “Kong: Skull Island” comes the next chapter in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ cinematic MonsterVerse: “Godzilla II: King of the Monsters,” an epic action adventure that pits Godzilla against some of the most popular monsters in pop culture history.
The film was directed by Michael Dougherty (“Krampus”), and stars Oscar nominees Vera Farmiga (“Up in the Air,” “The Conjuring” films), and Ken Watanabe (“The Last Samurai”) and Sally Hawkins (“Blue Jasmine”), both reprising their “Godzilla” roles; Kyle Chandler (“The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Manchester by the Sea”); Millie Bobby Brown (“Stranger Things”) in her feature film debut; Bradley Whitford (“Get Out”); Thomas Middleditch (HBO’s “Silicon Valley”); Charles Dance (HBO’s “Game of Thrones”); O’Shea Jackson Jr. (“Straight Outta Compton”); Aisha Hinds (“Star Trek Into Darkness”); and Golden Globe nominee Zhang Ziyi (“Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”).
The new story follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species—thought to be mere myths—rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity’s very existence hanging in the balance.
Dougherty directed from a script he wrote with Zach Shields. The film was produced by Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, Brian Rogers, Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni, with Zach Shields, Barry H. Waldman, Dan Lin, Roy Lee, Yoshimitsu Banno and Kenji Okuhira serving as executive producers, and Alexandra Mendes and Jay Ashenfelter co-producing for Legendary.
Behind the scenes, Dougherty’s creative team included director of photography Lawrence Sher, whose past credits include “War Dogs” and “Godzilla,” for which he handled additional photography; production designer Scott Chambliss (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”); editors Roger Barton (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” the “Transformers” films), Oscar nominee Richard Pearson (“United 93,” “Kong: Skull Island”), and Bob Ducsay (“Godzilla,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”); costume designer Louise Mingenbach (the “X-Men” and “Hangover” films); and Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Guillaume Rocheron (“Godzilla,” “Ghost in the Shell,” and part of the Oscar-winning team behind “Life of Pi”).
Following the global success of 2014’s “Godzilla” and this year’s “Kong: Skull Island,” comes the next chapter in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ cinematic MonsterVerse: an epic action adventure that pits Godzilla against some of the most popular monsters in pop culture history.
The film, which began principal photography on June 19, is being directed by Michael Dougherty (“Krampus”), and stars Oscar nominees Vera Farmiga (“Up in the Air,” “The Conjuring” films), and Ken Watanabe (“The Last Samurai”) and Sally Hawkins (“Blue Jasmine”), both reprising their “Godzilla” roles; Kyle Chandler (“The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Manchester by the Sea”); Millie Bobby Brown (“Stranger Things”) in her feature film debut; Bradley Whitford (“Get Out”); Thomas Middleditch (HBO’s “Silicon Valley”); Charles Dance (HBO’s “Game of Thrones”); O’Shea Jackson Jr. (“Straight Outta Compton”); Aisha Hinds (“Star Trek Into Darkness”); and Golden Globe nominee Zhang Ziyi (“Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”).
The new story follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species—thought to be mere myths—rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity’s very existence hanging in the balance.
Dougherty directs from a script he wrote with Zach Shields. The film is being produced by Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, Brian Rogers and Thomas Tull, with Barry H. Waldman, Zach Shields, Yoshimitsu Banno and Kenji Okuhira serving as executive producers and Alexandra Mendes co-producing for Legendary.
Behind the scenes, Dougherty’s creative team includes director of photography Lawrence Sher, whose past credits include “War Dogs” and “Godzilla,” for which he handled additional photography; production designer Scott Chambliss (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”); editor Roger Barton (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” the “Transformers” films); costume designer Louise Migenbach (the “X-Men” and “Hangover” films); and Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Guillaume Rocheron (“Godzilla,” “Ghost in the Shell,” and part of the Oscar-winning team behind “Life of Pi ”).
Filming is taking place mainly in Atlanta, Georgia. A presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, the film is currently scheduled for release in March 2019, and will be distributed in 3D and 2D and in select IMAX theaters by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, except in Japan, where it will be distributed by Toho Co., Ltd.
Meanwhile, TAG! You’re It!
Production begins this week on location in Atlanta for the new comedy “Tag,” directed by Jeff Tomsic (Comedy Central’s “Broad City”) for New Line Cinema. The film’s starring ensemble cast is led by Ed Helms (The “Hangover” movies, “We’re the Millers”), Jake Johnson (TV’s “New Girl”), and Hannibal Buress (“Neighbors”), with Jon Hamm (“Baby Driver,” TV’s “Mad Men”) and Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner (“The Hurt Locker, “The Town”).
For one month every year, five highly competitive friends hit the ground running in a no-holds-barred game of tag they’ve been playing since the first grade—risking their necks, their jobs and their relationships to take each other down with the battle cry “You’re It!” This year, the game coincides with the wedding of their only undefeated player, which should finally make him an easy target. But he knows they’re coming…and he’s ready. Based on a true story, “Tag” shows how far some guys will go to be the last man standing.
The film also stars Annabelle Wallis (“The Mummy”), Rashida Jones (TV’s “Parks and Recreation”), Isla Fisher (“Now You See Me”) and Leslie Bibb (“Iron Man 2”).
Tomsic directs from a screenplay written by Mark Steilen (TV’s “Mozart in the Jungle”) and Rob McKittrick (“Waiting”), based on the Wall Street Journal article entitled “It Takes Planning, Caution to Avoid Being It.” The film is produced by Todd Garner, Mark Steilen and Sean Robins, with Hans Ritter serving as executive producer. The creative filmmaking team includes director of photography Larry Blanford, editor Josh Crockett, production designer David Sandefur, and costume designer Denise Wingate.
An ancient demonic avenger lays siege to an unsuspecting family in Krampus, a truly terrifying, darkly comedic tale coming to Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand on April 26, 2016, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. From Michael Dougherty (writer and director of cult horror favorite Trick ’rTreat, writer of X-Men: Apocalypse), Krampus is “a must see film” (We Got This Covered) that delivers inventively nasty laughs as it plunges viewers into a nightmarish world ruled by a legendary monster bent on total destruction, punishing those who have lost faith. Krampus on Blu-ray™, DVD, and Digital HD also comes with exclusive bonus features including an alternate ending, deleted scenes, gag reel and extended scenes.
When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max (Emjay Anthony) is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know, this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers. All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family’s home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive.
Adam Scott (“Parks and Recreation,” Black Mass,) Toni Collette (Little Miss Sunshine, The Sixth Sense”), David Koechner (Anchorman Series) and Allison Tolman (TV’s “Fargo”) star in this gleefully gory horror thriller that delivers the kind of deep, dark laughs and hair-raising scares that make for a delightfully twisted holiday classic.
BLU-RAY AND DVD BONUS FEATURES:
Alternate Ending
Deleted Scenes
Extended Scenes
Gag Reel
The Naughty Ones: Meet The Cast – At the center of this crazed story, filled with horrifying creatures and massive set pieces, are some of the funniest and most talented actors working today. This piece shines a light on the cast of Krampus as they share their experiences making this movie.
Galleries – Still Images from the set
Feature Commentary With Director/Co-Writer Michael Dougherty and Co-Writers Todd Casey & Zach Shields
BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVELY ON BLU-RAY
Krampus and His Minions – In this exclusive feature see how Krampus and his twisted underlings gave the visual-effects superstars at Peter Jackson’s New Zealand-based Weta Workshop some creative and technical challenges. Viewers will have an insider look at how Krampus and his evil minions were created and executed.
Practical Danger – Stunt Coordinator Rodney Cook walks viewers through how the film’s thrilling stunts were done live on set while facing challenges with the creatures, children and set design.
Inside the Snowglobe: Production Design – Filming almost entirely on sound stages in the middle of summer in New Zealand, the art department and special effects team had to pull out all of their tricks to create sets that were realistic, ready for stunts and practical effects, all while creating the look of a winter wonderland.
Behind the Scenes at Weta Workshop: Krampus – Go behind-the-scenes at the world famous Weta Workshop to see how they brought the amazing Krampus creatures to life.
Dougherty’s Vision – In this featurette Director Michael Dougherty, along with the film’s cast and crew, reveal how his approach informed the tone, pacing, humor and performances ofKrampus.
The film will be available on Blu-ray™ with DIGITAL HD and UltraViolet™ and DVD
Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home; featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.
DIGITAL HD with UltraViolet™ lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.
Playing in theaters now is Legendary Pictures’ comedy-horror movie, KRAMPUS. From the director of TRICK ‘r TREAT, Michael Dougherty, this darkly festive tale of a yuletide ghoul, reveals an irreverently twisted side to the holiday.
Part mischievous, part playful, the score is by composer Douglas Pipes. Read our interview with him here.
Universal Pictures has released two snarky new music videos from this must-see holiday film.
When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max (Emjay Anthony) is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know, this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers.
All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family’s home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive.
The movie also stars Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell, Stefania Lavie Owen and Krista Stadler.
Surprise—KRAMPUS is entertaining! It is certainly better than anyone might have expected. The film introduces well placed satire, and uses this to play with the audience. The purpose of KRAMPUS is to reveal the true meaning of Christmas — except with gore and monsters.
KRAMPUS is not a perfect film, but it’s satire surely is. From minute one, KRAMPUS seems less concerned with actually being scary in the sense that its trailers reveal, but more unnerving in the sense that it wants people to consider how terribly materialistic they are around this time of year. It is the type of film that will let little things like a Christmas tree catching on fire seem to hit so hard, but then turn around and leave you asking “Why is it that I actually care so much about the tree burning down?” Krampus isn’t a horror film. It is a vicious satire.
As it is written, KRAMPUS is in fact a funny movie, and many of the lines call to mind the work of John Hughes, especially near the beginning when the family at the center of the film first meets up to “enjoy” Christmas dinner (not that they do very much). The hosts (played by Adam Scott and Toni Collette) are exhausted, and judgemental of their in-laws. The in-laws are a stock “poor trailer family” with guns and a dog, who have brought along the complaining and boozing Aunt Doris (Conchata Ferrill). The family’s troubles lead their little boy, Max (played with surprising range by Emjay Anthony) to give up on Christmas and Santa Claus. John Hughes’ name came up earlier, and that’s not a mistake. The film’s first 20 minutes are reminiscent of Hughes’ own HOME ALONE as the siblings very aggressively prod at Max’s feelings. These opening 20 minutes also bring to mind Hughes’ archetypical writing style, unfortunately. The jokes all work, but the characters aren’t particularly as interesting as they could be. Still, the actors make do, and Adam Scott and David Koechner really steal the show. They’re given the most bonding time when the horror elements start to crop up, and that is the closest the film ever gets to taking itself seriously.
As far as the horror elements go, the film’s use of practical effects is commendable. The snow creates a perfectly eerie atmosphere of dark cold and despair, and the monsters, when they get to shine, are fascinating. KRAMPUS shows up about 25 minutes in, and his first showing is wonderfully executed with his tall and foreboding presence making a large impact. None of it is really frightful though, just kind of creepy. The parts that should be fearsome are more intense, but they are well constructed and by the end the endless bombardment of creatures and horror is undoubtedly effective. Director Michael Dougherty seems to be working with the same tools that Sam Raimi might have in his early career in making ultimately goofy things terrifying, but he only partly succeeds in actually scaring the audience.
KRAMPUS is a shallow festive horror film that probably would have turned out to be a bad film if the actors and filmmakers didn’t care. Instead, it is 98 minutes of solid entertainment that manages to be chilling, and amusing.
It’s the holiday season where most are thinking egg nog, fluffy snow, decorating cookies and Santa Claus. But if director Michael Dougherty has anything to say about it with his latest film KRAMPUS, this festive time of year will include a darker Christmas legend whose shadow over pop culture is growing.
Ancient folklore warns of Krampus, a myth that has been traced back centuries throughout European cultures. Santa rewards the nice; Krampus punishes the naughty. Santa brings laughter and joy; Krampus unleashes darkness and mayhem. Santa gives presents; Krampus takes souls.
Dougherty says, “The same way that Americans send out Christmas cards, Europeans have this rich tradition of sending out Krampus cards. I was shown these beautiful illustrations of this creature called Krampus, who stole children, and images of people cowering in fear. Still, they had such a fun, mischievous quality, similar to our Halloween. I found that appealing because it made Christmas more enjoyable to know that there was this dark side to the holiday that we Americans didn’t have yet. It was lurking in the shadows waiting to be rediscovered.”
It’s not the mice, but all the creatures who are stirring, in the new film starring Adam Scott and Toni Collette.
When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max (Emjay Anthony) is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know, this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers.
All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family’s home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive.
A dark and subversive alternative to the traditional holiday tale, the horror comedy is a fun movie with a fun soundtrack by composer Douglas Pipes (TRICK ‘r TREAT). With his latest score, the KRAMPUS cues are part merry, part monster and one you’ll want to add to both your horror and holiday collections.
During our recent conversation, Pipes and I discussed his KRAMPUS score that’s filled with a whole lot of mischief, including his delightfully terrifying take on such yuletide favorites “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” “Silent Night” and “Carol of the Bells,” as well as his work on the indie film, LITTLE PARADISE and composing for Alfred Hitchcock’s silent film, THE LODGER.
WAMG: How was the Los Angeles screening and reaction to the film?
Douglas Pipes: It was great and everyone had a really fun time. It was the first time I had seen the final print in a theater.
WAMG: Which genre does KRAMPUS fall into?
DP: It plays well into not just in the horror side but the heartfelt side. It’s a Christmas movie – a dark fairytale of a Christmas movie. At the core of it, its heart is firmly a Christmas movie.
WAMG: You worked with Michael Dougherty on TRICK ‘r TREAT after he heard your score for MONSTER HOUSE. Both are really clever scores that put you right into the Halloween season. Did you immediately say yes when he asked you to score KRAMPUS?
DP: The thing with Mike, he’s so good at what he does – balancing the tones of writing comedy and horror. Plus the characters and emotions are so important to him and he handles all those elements so well.
I had never heard of Krampus and after he pitched the story to me, he sent me the script and I immediately started coming up with ideas. As soon as I read something he’s written, I get so inspired that I start working right away.
WAMG: As with the cult favorite that is TRICK ‘r TREAT, I feel like audiences will discover another unexpected surprise with KRAMPUS. I always suggest TRICK ‘r TREAT to anyone looking for something new on Halloween.
DP: It’s fun to have come across it a little bit more organically and that’s part of the charm of the film. You don’t know what to expect because it hasn’t been marketed to you in a way that creates your expectations.
WAMG: I’ve read Michael Dougherty loves film scores. How was it to collaborate with him again?
DP: He does. He has such an encyclopedia-like knowledge of film scores and it’s one of the joys of working with him. He gets so involved and so excited about the scoring of the music.
WAMG: You can hear Christmas but a distorted Krampus Christmas in your music. It’s an interesting soundtrack to listen to outside of the movie. How much of the pre-visuals did you see prior to scoring?
DP: Before they left to go shoot in New Zealand, Mike and I had a meeting at Legendary Pictures where he showed me this fantastic concept art. The script gave me the tone, but the art gave me a sense of the color of the film and where they were going with it visually.
Once they started shooting, I was sent dailies to get a sense of the feeling of how it was going to unfold. It was a process I had never done before. I had never gotten involved as early as the dailies, but it was great and it gave me the opportunity, as far as the footwork, to begin exploring the sound.
WAMG: Did you see many of these scenes and then realize which instruments you’d have to go with for a Christmas sounding score?
DP: During our initial meeting, we talked about Christmas songs and how we could take everything from using Christmas songs to mangling them, so that the audience might recognize certain themes. We had these Christmas melodies playing out front as well as to the subconscious. I like to create something that is geared to have a clear root and is interwoven, especially the “Krampus Karol of the Bells.”
WAMG: “Krampus Karol of the Bells” contains some chilling lyrics and runs throughout the film. The “Creatures are Stirring” track includes a twisted version of “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” – it’s an exciting scene and cue, with some great power chords.
DP: It’s an action cue and a fantasy cue and a horror cue, besides having the Christmas theme. I was able to play around a lot on that.
As a composer you want to bring something to the film that’s so off the traditional map, but you cringe and wonder, “Is this going to work or am I going to be laughed out of the room?”
It has a good mixture – part mischievous, part playful, but it’s horrific. It’s a nice moment finding that tonal transition for what happens in the movie.
WAMG: The vocals are equally creepy, especially your “Elfen” track.
DP: There are vocals throughout the score. I rearranged “Silent Night” (in German, “Stille Nacht”) to “Silent Power” (in German, “Stille Macht”) and I think it really works.
They also say “Gruss vom Krampus,” but in the middle of “Elfen,” there’s a Christmas carol within that cue they sing in German, where the vocals have been changed around.
Weihnachten ist hier – Christmas is here Kinder sehen sich – Children watch yourselves Sie sind in Gefahr – You are in danger krampus weiß alles – Krampus knows all
WAMG: “Bells, Bones, and Chains” track, with the big orchestral motif, especially with the sound of the chains, is so ominous and so scary. The brass section is amazing.
DP: We recorded with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and had a huge brass section. It was six horns, five trombones, two trumpets and tubas, and we asked them to play as loud as they could. The entire score was recorded in New Zealand along with The Tudor Consort Choristers of Wellington Cathedral of St. Paul, and the final “Krampus Karol of the Bells” was recorded in the US with the Brea Olinda High School Singers. That was the very last thing we did.
WAMG: There are some grand, larger than life cues such as “The Shadow of Saint Nicholas” and “Sacrifice.” When did you decide that the film needed these big orchestral moments?
DP: For me, the film musically goes through four arcs. It starts of as a family comedy, then a dark fantasy tale, then transitions into a straight horror film, and then a serious drama where the family is just trying to survive. The score comes full circle by the end. We embarked on a big budget film and wrote to match it.
WAMG: Tell me about LITTLE PARADISE and scoring for that indie film?
DP: One of my good friends, Natan Moss, directed this indie comedy and it just came out on iTunes recently. It’s really funny and an indie film in the truest sense of the word. It stars really talented LA actors and it’s not built on huge names, so it has all the challenges an indie film has of getting the word out and for me the score was fantastic and a complete u-turn from everything else I’ve done.
It’s a 70’s caper-style score with lots of horns and was a ton fun to record. 70’s score had a tighter, focused sound and that’s what I was shooting for on LITTLE PARADISE.
WAMG: What was it like to compose the score for the 1927 silent film THE LODGER?
DP: That was fantastic. It was commissioned by a group in Dallas, through a composer friend of mine, Brian Satterwhite, and he has scored a lot of these silent films for this Dallas Chamber Symphony. He set up a commission for me to do THE LODGER and they gave me the instrumentation where I had six weeks to work on the score, and a little more to orchestrate it.
It’s a uniquely rewarding experience – it’s a concert piece and even though it’s performed live in front of an audience, it is still a film score. It has to follow the tone of the movie, however with one hand in the past while approaching it as if it were scored in the last few decades. It’s not entirely supposed to sound as if it was composed at the time, but there are certainly some elements of the score that are meant to throwback to that period.
Make sure this album is on your list this holiday season. The KRAMPUS – THE ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK will release digitally on December 4, 2015, on Back Lot Music.
The album features the original music created by composer Douglas Pipes (MONSTER HOUSE, TRICK ‘R TREAT), pre-orders available now on iTunes. A CD is forthcoming, while Waxwork Records will distribute the soundtrack on vinyl, pre-orders available starting December 4th at www.waxworkrecords.com. The digital album also features a bonus track of the popular tune “Carol of the Bells,” rewritten and appropriately retitled “Krampus Karol of the Bells.”
When creating the score, Pipes wanted to remain true to the spirit of Christmas. “We used melodies of Christmas carols, sometimes just fragments, sometimes altered, as well as traditional Christmas instruments throughout,” said Pipes. He knew it was going into dark fantasy-horror territory, but to make the score unique Pipes created a theme for KRAMPUS that could work as a simple folk melody and a grand fantasy tale, while evoking a sense that it could be some lost European Christmas melody. “The greatest challenge for the score was moving through Christmas themes and comedy, into a dark fantasy tale, punctuated by aggressive horror music, without losing the thread of any of these styles – all the while keeping the Christmas spirit present.”
Douglas Pipes is a film composer based in Los Angeles, whose feature films include the Academy Award-nominated Sony animated feature MONSTER HOUSE and Warner Bros/Legendary Films cult hit TRICK ‘R TREAT. Awards include “Compositor Revelacion” at the 3rd International Film Music Conference in Ubeda, Spain, and “Best Animation” at the Royal Television Society in the United Kingdom. Nominations include “Discovery of the Year” at the 2006 World Soundtrack Awards in Ghent, Belgium, “Best Music” at the 2007 Saturn Awards, and “Best Horror Score” and “Best New Composer” from the International International Film Music Critics Association (2006 and 2009).
Pipes also works with the alt-rock band The Airborne Toxic Event, providing arrangements and orchestrations for performances with the Louisville Orchestra, Colorado Symphony and Orange County’s Pacific Symphony. Aside from KRAMPUS, recent projects include a score for Alfred Hitchcock’s THE LODGER silent film, which was commissioned by the Dallas Chamber Symphony, the indie comedy LITTLE PARADISE just released on iTunes, Amazon, and other digital formats, and the Lifetime feature films IF THERE BE THORNS AND SEEDS OF YESTERDAY.
Legendary Pictures’ KRAMPUS, a darkly festive tale of a yuletide ghoul, reveals an irreverently twisted side to the holiday.
When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max (Emjay Anthony) is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know, this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers.
All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family’s home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive. (Trailer)
Tracklisting:
01. A Cold Wind
02. Dear Santa
03. Family Reunion
04. Auld Lang Syne
05. The Wish
06. Special Delivery
07. Bells, Bones, and Chains
08. ‘Tis The Season
09. Into The Storm
10. Christmas Angels
11. The Snow Beast
12. Unholy Night
13. Oh Christmas Tree
14. Season’s Eatings
15. Omi’s Story
16. Naughty
17. All Through The House
18. Creatures Are Stirring
19. Der Klown
20. Elfen
21. Elegy
22. The Shadow of St. Nicholas
23. Sacrifice
24. When The Christmas Spirit Dies
25. Cloven
26. The Bell
27. End Credits: Gruss vom Krampus/Krampus Karol of the Bells
The horror-comedy also stars Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell, Stefania Lavie Owen and Krista Stadler.
Krampus and his mischievous underlings have been created by the combined efforts of Weta Workshop and Weta Digital, both renowned for their epic work on THE LORD OF THE RINGS and THE HOBBIT trilogies and KING KONG, among many others.
Written and directed by Michael Dougherty (Trick ’r Treat), KRAMPUS is co-written by Zach Shields and Todd Casey and produced by Legendary’s Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni, Alex Garcia and Dougherty. The film will be released by Universal Pictures.
The Krampus is the anti-Santa Claus, a wicked beast from the folklore of the Alpine countries of Europe who loves to swat children who have misbehaved at Christmas with his bundle of birch sticks and rusty chains before dragging them in baskets to the underworld. Krampus is celebrated on Krampusnacht, which takes place on the eve of St. Nicholas’ Day. In parts of Europe, party-goers masquerade as devils, wild-men, and witches to participate in Krampuslauf (Krampus Run). Intoxicated and bearing torches, costumed devils caper and carouse through the streets terrifying children and adults alike. Krampusnacht is increasingly being celebrated in other parts of Europe as well as in many American cities and should be a holiday here, like Halloween. Speaking of Halloween, one of my favorite movies on the subject of October 31st was the 2007 anthology shocker TRICK ‘R TREAT directed by Michael Dougherty so imagine my delight when I heard that Dougherty was helming a new film based on Krampusnacht. A boy who has a bad Christmas ends up summoning a Christmas demon to his family home in KRAMPUS which stars Adam Scott, Toni Collette, and David Koechner. KRAMPUS opens December 4th and I cannot wait!
There’s a new trailer for KRAMPUS that’s just been launched! Check it out:
Synopsis:
Legendary Pictures’ Krampus, a darkly festive tale of a yuletide ghoul, reveals an irreverently twisted side to the holiday. When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max (Emjay Anthony) is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know, this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers.
All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family’s home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive.
The horror-comedy also stars Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell, Stefania Lavie Owen and Krista Stadler.
Krampus and his mischievous underlings have been created by the combined efforts of Weta Workshop and Weta Digital, both renowned for their epic work on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies and King Kong, among many others.
Written and directed by Michael Dougherty (Trick ’r Treat), Krampus is co-written by Zach Shields and Todd Casey and produced by Legendary’s Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni, Alex Garcia and Dougherty. The film will be released by Universal Pictures.
