Trick 'r Treat

 



Director - Michael Doougherty (Krampus, Deadtime Stories)
Starring - Dylan Baker (Cat Fight, The Americans), Rochelle Aytes (Shark, Bones), and Quinn Lord (R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour, The Possession)
Release Date - 2007
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Poison, Drowning, Claw, Or Knife. So Many Ways To Take A Life."
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Everyone has that one movie they have to watch every Halloween season.  For most that is John Carpenter's essential slasher Halloween.  For others they take the light hearted approach to the holiday with films like Hocus Pocus and A Nightmare before Christmas.  For me that film is Michael Dougherty's Trick 'r Treat.  I first heard about this film when I was a member of the UHM message board.  I fell in love with the trailer and I couldn't stop watching it.  The day the film was finally released on DVD I drive for three hours after midnight to every Wal-Mart I could to find it.  I absolutely adore this movie.  When Scream Factory announced that they were releasing the film on blu I had to have it.  I reached out to them and they were kind enough to send a copy my way.  Thanks guys!

     The film follows five stories that connect to each other.  One follows a school principal with a murderous appetite.  The second follows a young virgin who is going to a party with her friends and struggles to find the perfect date to be her "first."  The third follows a group of young kids who prank a young girl with a local legend that turns out to be true.  The fourth follows a hermit who is paying the cost of not celebrating the holiday before his past comes back to haunt him.  The fifth and final tale follows a woman who tries to end Halloween early only to suffer the consequences. 

     Trick 'r Treat is one of those rare Halloween horror flicks that isn't just set against Halloween but incorporates it into the story.  I watch it every year during October and randomly throughout the year just because I love the movie that much.  The acting in this one is fantastic.  Some of the characters are a little more fun than the others but the cast does a phenomenal job.  Each story for this one compliments the other and flows like one perfectly orchestrated story.  Each story is absorbed in Halloween and the lore around it before coming together to reveal and even bigger story also set around the holiday.  Each one has great pacing with very little dry spots.  The dialogue is great as well resulting in a very well rounded flick.  Finally, the film isn't what I would call gory but there is several kills that add the Halloween elements to them.  The kills are fun and the effects are fantastic.  Everything from the severed head to the lollipop death are fantastic.  Overall, Trick 'r Treat is the perfect Halloween movie and I say that with extreme confidence.  The film is fun, has a great cast, and the stories are perfect for those looking for the Halloween spirit.  Check out the awesome blu from Scream Factory!