Review: Trick 'r Treat (2007)

At this time of year (October) there's often people asking what the best film for Halloween is ... and my answer is usually Trick 'r Treat ... it's not a well known film, but deserves to be much well known, as it's simply awesome!

First of all, it's an anthology film, telling four stories much in the same way as the old Amicus gems like The Vault of Horror, The House that Dripped Blood and Asylum.  There's a linking narrative which brackets the stories, and they're all set at Halloween.  But what Trick 'r Treat does so well is to combine the stories so that a) they're all taking place on the same night but also b) that they are intermingled with each other, so you see elements of a different story (the characters etc) while one of the stories is playing out ... it's a very clever way of bringing all the different aspects together into one satisfying whole. Director Michael Dougherty has done an amazing job with this, his first feature.

So we open with a couple, Emma (Leslie Bibb) and Henry (Tahmoh Penikett), returning from a party ... he is dressed as a Buck Rogers-like spaceman and she is dressed as a robot. They're being watched by something.  She blows out the candle in the pumpkin outside their house ... bad move as it happens as it leads to her being slaughtered and added to the Halloween decorations in the garden.

Then there's the local principal of the high school, Wilkins (Dylan Baker), who catches a lad, Charlie (Brett Kelly), destroying lanterns and stealing candy. He gets poisoned by some candy and then his head used as a gruesome pumpkin jack-o-lantern by Wilkins and his son Billy (Connor Levins). But the principal has another secret ... he likes to dress as a vampire and go out killing on this night ... wouldn't it be a shame if he came up against something bigger and stronger than himself ...

There's a group of gorgeous feisty girls, Laurie (Anna Paquin), Danielle (Lauren Lee Smith), Maria (Rochelle Aytes) and Janet (Moneca Delain), who are all out for a good time ... so they get costumes to party in and head off to pick up some boys, and then into the woods ... but what might be happening in the woods ... and why shouldn't you go down there ...

Next door to the principal is a grumpy old man, Mr. Kreeg (Brian Cox), who hates the season and hides indoors with his dog ... but he has secrets too, and Sam Hain (Quinn Lord) comes calling, wanting his candy treats ...

Finally there's a group of younger kids, Macy (Britt McKillip), Chip (Alberto Ghisi), Schrader (Jean-Luc Bilodeau), and Sara (Isabelle Deluce), along with 'Halloween traditionalist' Rhonda (Samm Todd), who head to a local sinkhole lake. Legend has it that years ago a busload of mentally disabled children was driven into the hole by the bus driver ... he survived but all the children were killed.  The youngsters descend into the sinkhole with jack-o-lanterns to summon the dead children ... and it seems their plan works!

But guess who the bus driver is?  You got it ... Mr Kreeg ... and his come-uppance will soon be with him ...

Overall it's a stylish and slick piece of filmmaking. I love how the stories interact and overlap, with characters from one seen in the backgrounds and interacting in others. The plots are smashing too and intersect neatly, allowing all the bad guys (and some innocents) to get their desserts ...

There's cracking performances from the main leads, in particular Brian Cox as Mr Kreeg ... but also kudos to little Sam: the pumpkin-headed kids romper-suit wearing wraith who moves through all the action. A great visual and very well realised.

If you're looking for a great Halloween watch, I highly recommend Trick 'r Treat.  Just keep those lanterns alight, and always have some candy to offer ...

Special Edition released 28th October from Arrow Films

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films, approved by writer-director Michael Dougherty
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary with writer-director Michael Dougherty moderated by James A. Janisse & Chelsea Rebecca from Dead Meat Podcast
• Archival audio commentary by Michael Dougherty, conceptual artist Breehn Burns, storyboard artist Simeon Wilkins and composer Douglas Pipes
• Becoming Sam, a brand new interview with actor Quinn Lord
• The Devil is in the Details, a brand new interview with production designer Mark Freeborn
• If Looks Could Kill, a brand new interview with director of photography Glen MacPherson
• Designs to Die for, a brand new interview with costume designer Trish Keating
• Bark at the Moon, a brand new interview with creature designer Patrick Tatopoulos
• Mark Freeborn Remembers Bill Terezakis, a new tribute to the late make-up effects designer
• Tales of Folklore & Fright, an archival featurette with Michael Dougherty, Breehn Burns and Simeon Wilkins
• Tales of Mischief & Mayhem: Filming Trick 'r Treat, an archival interview with Michael Dougherty on the making of the film
• Sounds of Shock & Superstition: Scoring Trick 'r Treat, an archival featurette with Michael Dougherty and Douglas Pipes
• Tales of Dread & Despair: Releasing Trick 'r Treat, an archival featurette with Michael Dougherty and Rob Galluzzo of the Shock Waves podcast, exploring the film's release and fandom
• Season's Greetings, a short film from 1996 directed by Michael Dougherty with optional director commentary
• The Lore and Legends of Halloween, an archival featurette narrated by actor Brian Cox
• School bus VFX comparison
• Deleted and alternate scenes with optional commentary by director Michael Dougherty
• FEARnet promos
• Sam O'Lantern
• Storyboard and conceptual artwork gallery
• Behind the scenes gallery
• Monster Mash comic book set in the Trick 'r Treat universe
• Trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sara Deck
• Double-sided foldout poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sara Deck
• Six postcard-sized artcards
• Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Becky Darke and Heather Wixson