While it didn’t reach the level of success that other well known horror movies did in their original release, Trick ‘r Treat has gained a level of cult status over the years and has been declared as an underground Halloween Classic. This anthology horror film directed by Micheal Dougherty attempts to capture the twisted and horrific nature of the holiday. The movie in many respects succeeds greatly at being a very campy but nicely put together story that engulfs itself with the spirit of the Halloween Season.
In the Small fictional town of Warren Vally, Ohio, many folks are getting into the Halloween spirit as expected. Some characters though may be taking their traditions too far as we get to explore many side stories that all that all follow the many unexpected and horrific adventures of a murderous father, a legend about a Halloween bus crash, teenage werewolf's and a murderous trick r treater who seeks to kill anyone who is not in the Halloween spirit.
The story goes all over the place and focuses on many different characters as each of them have their own separate misadventures during Halloween night. The movie’s narrative is told as an anthology with the stories being portrayed in an out of order context meaning a certain event we may be experiencing in a moment may have happened before or after another story in the movie. In any other film this would be confusing and sloppy, but thankfully, Trick ‘r Treat does the smart thing by focusing on its stories one at a time and leaving enough room for the audience to pick up on what certain characters are doing at certain times. There are plenty of creative horror elements such as the zombie like creatures that come from the Halloween School Bus Massacare or the killer trick r treater named Sam and how he ties in to all the stories being told. All the stories are a lot of fun but also very twisted and scary much like the spooky holiday the film is set in.
Characters names and personalities can be very tricky to follow as we don’t really get enough time to really understand them because of how short their misadventures are. Still, it really doesn’t matter seeing that the focus is on weird and odd characters doing weird and odd things such as a school principal who murders his own son or a reclusive shut in who hates Halloween and is visited by Sam, the killer trick r treater. They may not be deep and complex, but the characters still give excellent performances for the short time they are on screen.
When you think about Halloween centered movies, you’d most likely look to horror classics to give you your Halloween fix. The funny thing though is that while they are great, the majority of them are don’t take place around the Halloween season. This movie is complete opposite. It is littered with halloween imagery with decorations and jack o lanterns covering the neighborhood, people wearing costumes and orange, dark blue and foggy colored lighting that gives off a spooky and calming sensation of the Halloween spirit. There is a great blend of practical and CGI effects to further evolve the visuals and help to create some memorable scenes and monsters. One of the highlights of the visuals is Sam the killer trick r treater who is both creative in its design and horrifying in how he tries to kill his victims. I also like the creative transitions that use comic book text and visuals especially during the opening credits to the film.
Composer Douglas pipes is known for scoring the music for other Horror titles such as Monster House and Krampus. Much like the visuals, the music completely litters itself with horrific and spooky fun tunes that are guaranteed to get you in the Halloween mood.
It may not be perfect or groundbreaking, but Trick ‘r Treat is no doubt an underground Halloween classic that perfectly represents the spirit of the Halloween season. Every year I see this movie get more and more traction from the film community and i’m grateful to say that I completely understand why. It is a must watch for fans of the creepiest and spookiest night of the year and i can’t wait to watch this short but very good anthology film again next year.
(Final Grade: B+)