How long has it been since you’ve seen a really good, well-produced horror film? One that didn’t pride itself on being low-budget in the tradition of film school wannabes everywhere? It’s not your fault – Hollywood just doesn’t like to sink cash into that kind of investment when it knows schlock like Prom Night will draw in the high school crowds. The streak ends now, though. Trick ‘r Treat may be the most fun you’ve had in a horror film in the last decade. Forget all the horror franchise reboots, all the shakey-cam opuses and the creature-features of the week, here we have a horror film that does it right from beginning to end – all 8 of them.
Four stories of a single Hallows Eve fold weave together in a fantastic series with performances your average horror film would kill for. The night begins with an eerie introduction to one of the film’s many little horrors. A husband and wife return from a night at the local Halloween parade to find a horrific surprise waiting for them. Roll opening titles. It’s our opening sample of the film’s sense of humor and right then and there you know you’re dealing with a horror film in the vein of classics.
Story one sees a high school principal (Dylan Baker) sating a sadistic thirst as he teaches one of his students a lesson in his off hours. You probably know Dylan Baker even if you didn’t realize it. One of those terrific character actors who seems to pop up everywhere, Baker has shown up in blockbuster franchises like Spider-man and countless series of television. The man puts Trick ‘r Treat in the proper spooky groove and we’re actually disappointed when it cuts away to the next story.
The second tale of the evening tracks a group of friends as they prepare for a night of debauchery with slutty costumes and sexual anonymity. But for Laurie (Anna Paquin from the fan-favorite True Blood) that Halloween marks her “first night”. Who will the lucky man be? As she searches amongst the chaotic happenings of the ensuing parade, she finds herself the attention of a masked man whose intentions have a bloody history.
Britt McKillip (Reggie from Dead Like Me) headlines the third story which follows a group of children as they take their secluded classmate to the site of a local legend. Years ago, the town had a population of troubled children whose parents grew tired of caring for them and thus arranged to have sent over a cliff in a bus. To show respect for their souls the children descend into the quarry where they perished – only to find something waiting for them at the bottom. It may be the most detail-intensive story of the bunch and certainly has one of the more classic horror film setups.
The final story may be the most fun to watch. A scraggly Brian Cox plays a reclusive miser (Mr. Kreeg) who wants nothing more than to be left alone by all the children wandering about that evening as he watches a little bit of television. Obviously that doesn’t happen. But what he ultimately plays host to has a much more sinister agenda than simply egging his home. Call it a quasi-Christmas Carol of sorts but Kreeg soon finds the ghosts of his past on his doorstep and the whole movie comes to a full circle.
Production values are high and the cast couldn’t have been better. Really, it’s not rare to find a horror movie with an occasional name attached to it. Rarely, however, will you find one so well populated and written as Trick ‘r Treat. Director Michael Dougherty ties everything together exceptionally well and anyone who appreciates a good horror movie will find a film heads and tails above anything else that’s come along in too long a time.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
The extras start off with a little history lesson to teach the audience about all the myths and legends about Halloween and where they began. It’s interesting and really more stimulating a piece than you’d expect out of the extras for horror movies which, let’s face it, typically include a lame featurette on either the costumes or gore effects. There’s a decent commentary by Dougherty, though why he didn’t get Producer Bryan Singer to participate is beyond me – that would’ve made it ten times more interesting. Finally, there’s an analysis of the CGI used to show the kids going over the cliff into the quarry in a school bus and an animated short.
The whole thing just feels like good ol’ fashioned Halloween fun. Oh, and if I see a kid dressed up like the little demon on the cover of this Blu-ray I'm giving him an entire bucket of candy. What a simple but awesome costume.
"Trick 'r Treat" is on sale October 6, 2009 and is rated R. Horror. Written and directed by Michael Dougherty. Starring Brian Cox, Leslie Bibb, Dylan Baker, Anna Paquin.
