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Trick ‘r Treat is to Halloween what Miracle on 34th Street is to Christmas; a fine-tuned showcase of everything that makes its affiliated holiday so appealing to us all. It is a labor of love spawned from a passionate appreciation for the best night of the year. While it may not be for all Halloween lovers, it’s praises as a modern Halloween classic are well deserved. If for no other reason than it is responsible for creating Halloween’s official little mascot, but we’ll get to him in a minute.
Trick ‘r Treat comes to us courtesy of writer & director Michael Dougherty, whose body of work includes Krampus, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and X-Men 2. His inspiration for the film came from two main sources: his hand-drawn animated short film he made in college titled Season’s Greetings, and his desire to create a film that would showcase his love for the near-forgotten nature of Halloween. Produced on a tight budget, Trick ‘r Treat was initially slated for a wide theatrical release in 2007. However, due to a number of potential reasons still not yet confirmed, the movie was shelved for a good two years, until it was unceremoniously released on DVD. The most popular of potential reasons for this was due to the poor financial and critical reception of Superman Returns, which Michael Dougherty co-wrote. Also, much like The Princess Bride, the studio had no idea how to market the film. Most likely due to its particular nature.
Best described as an amalgamation of Pulp Fiction and Tales from the Crypt, the film is an anthology of four spooky stories, presented in a nonlinear fashion, interlinked to one another by a few shared characters, but mostly by the little orange-clad demon; Sam.
Played by child actor Quinn Lord, Sam is named after an ancient Gaelic festival known as Samhain; a holiday commemorating the end of Fall and the beginning of Winter. Incidentally, this is the original name for Halloween. Due to the nature of the original festival, it was often common for children to go wild and pull pranks on people, earning another nickname for the holiday, The Devil’s Night. Then, in the 1950’s, trick-or-treating was invented to keep kids more or less under control. Sam is meant to be the embodiment of the ancient origins of Halloween; acting as the enforcer of classic traditions all true Halloween lovers must abide.
According to the film, the rules are as follows:
1. Always hand out candy to trick-or-treaters.
2. Always wear a costume.
3. Never blow out a Jack O’Lantern before midnight.
4. Always respect the dead.
5. Always check your candy.
6. Never take down your decorations before November 1st.
7. Never hurt the innocent.
Trick ‘r Treat also features a plethora of references to other famous horror movies and traditions. For example, one character named Laurie (Anna Paquin) is named after Laurie Strode from John Carpenter’s Halloween. Another piece of trivia is Sam’s weapon of choice, a candy bar with a razor blade inside, as a reminder of why it’s important for parents to check the candy before enjoying.
As I said in the beginning of this review, Trick ‘r Treat may not be for all fans of Halloween. My reason for saying so is due to the occasional bits of graphic violence depicted in the film. While I am not entirely opposed to graphic violence, especially when it is appropriate for the story (which it is here), I tend to prefer it when the violence is kept to a minimum. Trick ‘r Treat, on the other hand, does not go completely overboard with its bits of violence and gore, but it does kiss the edge of my preferred amount.
Trick ‘r Treat is essential watching for Halloween. It’s love for the best holiday of the year makes watching it a tradition in its own right. Even with my graphic violence warning, I encourage you to check this one out this year for your scary movie list. Just be sure to follow the traditions of Halloween, or little Sam might come knocking on your door for real, and he’ll have a special treat for you that you will not want.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.
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