Review: Trick ‘r Treat
In my last post I mentioned that I was at Terror In The Aisles 2 in Chicago recently for a fun little night of horror movie loving. The highlight of the show was clearly the Midwest premiere of Trick ‘r Treat! A movie that was made in 07 and due out in 08 but due to constant delays on release never was able to make a mass market of theater screenings finally was able to be shown in all of it’s glory on the big screen. The best bonus of the night? The writer and directory Michael Dougherty was on hand for some Q&A and autograph signing. Extra bonus: They screened the short Dougherty made years ago that was the basis for the movie.
Back in the days before True Blood turned Anna Paquin into a more mainstream name all I could think of when I saw the first trailer was “oh… Rogue is going to be in a horror movie that just looks fun!” Those trailers, ancient now in my mind, never could have done this amazing horror film justice. In my mind I want to call it the Pulp Fiction of horror. I know there are a lot of movies shown out of order with big reveals at the end and at various aspects of the movie but Pulp Fiction always set that standard in my mind. Trick ‘r Treat was able to show 5 tales that would have all been great as stand alone stories but were much better when cut together to be in one form or another related to each other.
The movie itself revolves around it being Halloween and what that actually means. Everything we do on the holiday- handing out candy, dressing up, jack-olanterns, EVERYTHING has an ulterior meaning. On top of that this is the one day that Sam comes out and makes sure everyone follows the rules. Sam, whose true nature you will not see until the end of the movie, is a fun little costumed character who keeps walking around and having his way with everyone that does not respect the rules that are in place. While not necessarily the main character he is the one reoccurring character in every section of the film.
So the 5 plot’s outlined without spoilers?
- It starts with a tale of a young couple (Helo from BSG) wherein the wife has no respect for Halloween as a holiday to the point where she starts taking down decorations before it’s over.
- The second story shows a school principal who ends up having his own outlook on what should occur on Halloween.
- The third shows Anna being followed by a man dressed as a vampire. (I wonder if the True Blood casting agent saw this movie…)
- A group of children decide that they want to harass another child who has a special affinity with the holiday and how she understands it.
- Finally an old man is visited by Sam with an interesting ending.
I would go into further details on the exact plot but would hate to spoil the slightest portion of it for you as I feel anyone who watches this (and you should) needs to experience everything firsthand. The best part though is all of these events are tied together in multiple ways and you cannot help but love how things come to a close. From well thought out story telling to unique special effects to a great cast this is a horror movie that even those who wouldn’t usually watch them will be able to enjoy. It’s a shame there was not a true theatrical release as this one is a must watch. I have no doubt the DVD release will give the movie a huge cult following from horror fans across the globe. Speaking of, when this is out on DVD I suggest skipping renting it and go straight for the purchase.
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