Congratulations fair reader, we’re to day 31 of our 31 days of horror, and we’re finishing it up with the now classic horror film, Trick ‘r Treat!
Trick ‘r Treat!
Movie Details:
- Release Date: 2007
- “Run”time: 1 hour and 22 minutes
- Where to watch it: Streaming
- Directed by: Michael Dougherty
- Written by: Michael Dougherty
- Starring:
- Anna Paquin
- Brian Cox
- Dylan Baker
Synopsis: It’s a halloweeeeeeeeen movie!
Open Stab Wounds (out of 10): 10
Review:
Holy hell!
We did it, everyone! Kevin and I successfully made our way through 31 days of Halloween horror! Splitting up the article writing duties was really handy, especially when there were movies I didn’t even watch (life, uh, finds a way).
Now we’re here at the finale and we’re doing something a little different. We’re both going to post articles about the last movie. This is because we wanted 31 to be a special one that we both like a lot.
So, without further ado, here is my write-up portion about the now horror classic film, Trick ‘r Treat!
BRANDON’S THOUGHTS:
In the mid-2000’s, I’d heard about a Halloween-themed anthology horror movie that was making its way through some festivals getting rave reviews. It wasn’t getting a theatrical release very many places, but critics were digging it. I forget how I first managed to watch it… I might’ve bought the DVD just as soon as I could. Regardless of how or when I watched it, I remember falling in love with Trick ‘r Treat.
The movie has five different stories that are interlocked in one or more ways. All the stories take place on the same evening at various points in time. Some characters briefly cameo as background characters. Maybe you see shambling zombie kids, a kid running away with a pumpkin in a shopping cart, or a character, blurry in the background, stalking a young woman. Other cameo characters may interact for a line or two. Eventually we see the greater context of those moments later in the film. The dialogue spoken by characters early in the film have double meaning that is only revealed when the audience finds out the truth later.
Trick ‘r Treat, perhaps more than any other horror anthology I can recall seeing, benefits from multiple rewatches. As a viewer, when the revelations happened, I wanted to start the film over again to catch all the little bits of foreshadowing sprinkled throughout the character and dialogue moments. There’s also an aspect of arranging the timelines of all the activities in your head. Again, all these stories are happening in the same night and sometimes at the exact same time.
Unlike movies like Southbound (which I also liked a lot), Trick ‘r Treat is grounded in what feels like our reality. Sure, there are ghouls and ghosts and werewolves, but they are treated as true supernatural entities. The backdrop of the movie is about ordinary people dealing with extraordinary things.
Another thing I love about Trick ‘r Treat is that it never feels overly bleak or mean-spirited. Even the characters that we know are evil, we find ourselves with some semblance of sympathy. As the icon of the movie, Sam, is terrorizing Brian Cox, we still sympathize a little bit when Cox says, “you’ve gotta be fn’ kidding me”.
I do have minor critiques: the incorporation of Marilyn Manson feels out of place with the rest of the movie that doesn’t rely on licensed music. The scene they use his music on makes the whole thing a bit more cringey and melodramatic than it must be. But overall, this is such a minor critique of an overall wonderful movie
On the character of Sam: it’s strange to think of a time when this film and that character was so unknown. After seeing the film, I made a homemade Sam costume with a bike helmet, burlap, and sewed my own Sam head. I went to a Halloween party, and nobody knew who I was.
Now?
Sam is heavily featured in every Spirit Halloween across the nation. He’s become a part of this cultural zeitgeist with Jack Torrance and Freddy Krueger: even if you’ve never seen Trick ‘r Treat, you’ll recognize Sam.
Ok, this is a long one, so I’ll finish it up. For me, Trick ‘r Treat is light-hearted, fun, and funny. It’s so great, in fact, that it’s part of my rare collection of movies that I never need a sequel for. It perfectly captures the fun, spooky spirit of the Halloween season. Trick ‘r Treat is as closely tied to my Halloween season as The Simpsons Treehouse of Horrors are. It’s an annual watching tradition since that first viewing for the Cruz family.
Trick ‘r Treat rocks.
KEVIN’S THOUGHTS:
There are just some films that you instantly know are going to be fantastic. From the opening scene I knew this was going to become one of those annual tradition type movies. Each segment is well acted, well told, and keeps you glued to the screen. The overall narrative of keeping to tradition is wonderfully wrapped up with each segment and the strings connecting the whole film together.
I think my favorite story is the Halloween School Bus Massacre. There is just something about horror created through tragedy… also, those kids were creepy as hell! This story is tied so well to the conclusion as well. I think it also did the best job at showing if you follow the traditions, you will stay safe.
Brandon and I have talked about this film and we both love it. I’m pretty sure we’ve both watched it numerous times since it came out and know we will watch it many more times. This one is absolutely on my list of recommendations for anybody looking for an annual halloween movie. If you’ve not seen it, I think you probably should… or else Sam might come looking for you!
Thanks for reading and watching along with us! Be sure to keep up with all 31 days of our Halloween Horror Film coverage!
Oh, and make sure to follow Brandon on Twitter @BarnyardCruz and Kevin @Solucid!