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.

[7] Dougherty made his feature directorial debut with the horror anthology film Trick 'r Treat, starring Anna Paquin, Dylan Baker, and Brian Cox.

[10] Trick ‘r Treat has since become a perennial favorite that has spawned a growing line of toys, comics, theme park attractions, and Halloween decor, and a sequel is in development with Legendary Pictures.

In April 2020, HBO was announced to be developing a Hellraiser television series that would serve as "an elevated continuation and expansion" of its mythology, with Mark Verheiden and Dougherty writing and David Gordon Green directing several episodes.

[17] Dougherty and Shields provided rewrites for Godzilla vs. Kong,[18] Starring Brian Tyree Henry, Rebecca Hall, and Alexander Skarsgård, but only retained a "Story By" credit along with Terry Rossio.

[19] Dougherty and Shields provided "additional literary material" for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, along with James Ashcroft, Eli Kent, and Nicole Perlman.

Two of his early screenwriting credits, X-Men 2 and Superman Returns were based on the classic Marvel and DC characters, while his original feature films spawned their own graphic novels.