Michael Patrick Dougherty (born October 28, 1974) is an American writer, director, animator, and producer known for his work in a variety of genre films, both big and small. Beginning his career as an animator and illustrator, Dougherty’s animated work was featured on MTV, Nickelodeon, and a line of "twisted" greeting cards published by NobleWorks. He then co-wrote the blockbuster films X2 and Superman Returns before making his directorial debut with the horror comedy Trick ‘r Treat (2009). Dougherty then directed and co-wrote the holiday horror comedy Krampus (2015). Dougherty co-wrote and directed the blockbuster Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and co-wrote the story for its sequel, Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). Collectively, Dougherty's work has grossed over two billion dollars at the box office. Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Dougherty, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- October 28, 1974 (52)
- Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Writer, producer and director
- 10 on MovieCove · 27 credits in all
What are Michael Dougherty's films like?
Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 2 · Earnest 4
Light 0 · Serious 4 · Dark 2
Grounded 1 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 4
Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 4
Steady 1 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0
Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 1
Casual 2 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 0
Resolved 5 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet3
- Ambiguous2
- Cyclical1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Michael Dougherty's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Michael Dougherty's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
27 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page; 14 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all shows
Godzilla vs. Kong(2021)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
The Ghoul Log: Trick 'r Treat Sam O'Lantern (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Godzilla: King of The Monsters- The Antarctic Base (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
X-Men: Apocalypse(2016)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Krampus(2015)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Trick 'r Treat: Snowmen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Trick 'r Treat: The Day After (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Trick 'r Treat Rule #4: Always Check Your Candy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Trick 'r Treat Rule #3 - Never Blow Out a Jack O' Lantern (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Trick 'r Treat Rule #2 - Always Pass Out Treats (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Trick 'r Treat Rule #1: Wear a Costume (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Trick 'r Treat: Making Friends (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Trick 'r Treat: Back to School (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Trick 'r Treat: Father's Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Trick 'r Treat: Easter Candy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Trick 'r Treat(2007)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Superman Returns(2006)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films
Deadtime Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
X2: X-Men United(2003)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Season's Greetings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Crayons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Attack of the Monsters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Refrigerator Art: My Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 26 titles, 25 of them dated from 1994 to 2023.
Biggest box office
X2: X-Men United (2003)
Highest rated
X2: X-Men United (2003)
Most popular right now
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Michael Dougherty's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 50th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th6
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 10 titles are Mixed.
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the dialogue 44/100 and the plot and story 42/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Michael Dougherty's work okay for kids?
Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and sex & nudity lighter.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Michael Dougherty work with?
People who share at least 2 of Michael Dougherty's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Dan Harris shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Bryan SingerShared titles: Trick 'r Treat (2007), Superman Returns (2006), X2: X-Men United (2003)See all 3 shared titles with Bryan Singer
Writers
- Dan HarrisShared titles: Trick 'r Treat (2007), Superman Returns (2006), Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005), X2: X-Men United (2003)See all 4 shared titles with Dan Harris
- Zach ShieldsShared titles: Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), Krampus (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Zach Shields
Actors
- Brian CoxShared titles: Trick 'r Treat (2007), X2: X-Men United (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Brian Cox
- James MarsdenShared titles: Superman Returns (2006), X2: X-Men United (2003)See all 2 shared titles with James Marsden
Composers and cinematographers
- Douglas PipesShared titles: Krampus (2015), Trick 'r Treat (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Douglas Pipes
- John OttmanShared titles: Superman Returns (2006), X2: X-Men United (2003)See all 2 shared titles with John Ottman
- Newton Thomas SigelShared titles: Superman Returns (2006), X2: X-Men United (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Newton Thomas Sigel
Producers
- Alex GarciaShared titles: Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), Krampus (2015), Trick 'r Treat (2007)See all 3 shared titles with Alex Garcia
- Jon JashniShared titles: Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), Krampus (2015), Trick 'r Treat (2007)See all 3 shared titles with Jon Jashni
- Thomas TullShared titles: Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), Krampus (2015), Trick 'r Treat (2007)See all 3 shared titles with Thomas Tull
