Trick 'r Treat

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For other uses, see Trick or treat (disambiguation).
Trick 'r Treat
Trick r treat.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMichael Dougherty
Written byMichael Dougherty
Produced byBryan Singer
Starring
CinematographyGlen MacPherson
Edited byRobert Ivison
Music byDouglas Pipes
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • December 9, 2007 (2007-12-09) (Butt-Numb-A-Thon)
  • October 6, 2009 (2009-10-06) (United States)
Running time
82 minutes
CountryUnited States[1]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$12 million[2]

Trick 'r Treat is a 2007 American anthology horror comedy film written and directed by Michael Dougherty and produced by Bryan Singer. The film stars Dylan Baker, Rochelle Aytes, Anna Paquin and Brian Cox. It relates four Halloween horror stories with a common element in them, Sam; a mysterious child trick-or-treater wearing shabby orange footie pajamas with a burlap sack over his head. The character makes an appearance in each of the stories whenever one of the other characters breaks a Halloween tradition.

Despite being delayed for two years and having only a limited amount of screenings at film festivals, the film received much critical acclaim and has since garnered a strong cult following.[3] In October 2013, the filmmakers announced that a sequel, Trick 'r Treat 2, is in the works. In 2016, Michael Dougherty and Legendary Pictures teamed up with AtmosFX to create a series of digital Halloween decorations that feature Sam.[4] In 2017, a Trick 'r Treat themed "scare zone" was added to Halloween Horror Nights, an annual event held at the Universal Orlando Resort, followed by a haunted house in 2018.[5][6][7]

Plot[]

The film takes place over the course of Halloween in the fictional town of Warren Valley, Ohio. Its story is told in a nonlinear narrative, with characters crossing paths with each other throughout the film. At the center of the story is Sam, a peculiar trick-or-treater dressed in pajamas and a burlap sack, who appears to enforce the "rules" of Halloween.

Opening[]

In the opening scene, Emma and her Halloween-loving husband Henry return home after a celebratory night. Emma blows out their jack-o-lantern before midnight, which Henry advises is against tradition. While Henry takes a rest in the house, Emma begins tearing down the front lawn decorations, when she is suddenly ambushed and murdered by an unseen assailant. Henry later discovers her mutilated corpse on display with the decorations.

Principal[]

Charlie, an overweight vandal who smashes jack-o'-lanterns, is caught stealing candy from an unattended bowl left by his school principal, Steven Wilkins. Charlie begins to projectile vomit, and Wilkins reveals that he laced the candy with poison. While attempting to cover up Charlie's death, he ends up handing out more laced candy to trick-or-treaters, including Sam. Wilkins' work burying bodies in his backyard is continually interrupted by his young son Billy and his elderly neighbor, Mr. Kreeg, an angry recluse who lives next door. When Wilkins returns indoors, something can be seen attacking Kreeg through the window. Wilkins' son jumps out and scares him. Wilkins tells Billy it is time to carve the jack-o-lantern, and guides him downstairs, hiding a knife behind his back. Wilkins appears to stab Billy, but Billy is then shown to be ok, and it is revealed that the knife was plunged into Charlie's severed head, the "jack-o-lantern" they are about to carve.

Halloween School Bus Massacre[]

A group of trick-or-treaters – Macy, Sara, Chip, and Schrader – meet Rhonda, a Halloween fanatic, said to be a savant. The group travels to a local flooded quarry where Macy recalls the urban legend of the "Halloween School Bus Massacre," which claimed the lives of eight children with disabilities in a school bus on Halloween. The driver, who had been paid by their worn-out parents to dispose of them, sent the bus over the quarry edge with the children shackled inside. The children perished, and the driver was never heard from again. Macy announces they will leave eight jack-o'-lanterns by the lake as tribute to the dead children. The group then poses as the undead kids to prank a terrified Rhonda. Rhonda stays at the elevator while the group cleans up their props. Macy ends up kicking one of the lanterns into the quarry, causing the real zombie children to appear. The group flees to the elevator, begging Rhonda to let them in. However, Rhonda takes the elevator up without them, and quietly walks home as she overhears the screaming group being torn apart and eaten. She briefly encounters Sam while leaving, and the two exchange a respectful glance.

Surprise Party[]

Laurie, a self-conscious young woman, arrives in town with her sister Danielle and friends Maria and Janet. They pick up dates, save Laurie, who wants her "first time" to be special and declines their invitation for a get-together to enjoy the town festival instead. Laurie encounters a hooded serial killer, dressed as a vampire, who attacks her. At a bonfire, Laurie's friends witness the man (now severely injured) falling out of a tree and unmask him, revealed to be Wilkins. Laurie appears, having decided to join them for this occasion, and the girls transform into werewolves, devouring Wilkins and their deceased dates. Sam witnesses the feast.

Sam[]

Kreeg, Wilkins Halloween-hating neighbor, scares away trick-or-treaters at his door to steal their candy. As the night proceeds, Kreeg begins to encounter escalating phenomena: someone eggs his window, his lawn is inexplicably filled with jack-o-lanterns, and his hallways and ceiling are painted with bloody Halloween greetings. Kreeg is suddenly ambushed by Sam, and a lengthy brawl ensues, during which Sam loses his mask and is revealed to be a demonic-looking pumpkin-headed child. Sam's supernatural abilities cause him to continually have the upper hand, and he eventually moves in to deliver the killing blow to Kreeg. However, Sam winds up stabbing a chocolate bar that had landed in Kreeg's lap by mistake, which he takes and eats, thus making Kreeg complete the tradition of "handing out" candy on Halloween. Satisfied, Sam spares a confused Kreeg, and gives him one last glance of warning before leaving. Photographs in the fireplace reveal Kreeg to be the bus driver that killed the eight children.

Conclusion[]

Later, Kreeg begins giving out candy to children before gazing at the neighborhood. He witnesses Rhonda casually pulling her pumpkin cart along. He sees Billy handing out treats to other kids while wearing a costume resembling his father's outfit. He observes Laurie, her sister and her friends driving along the road while having a good time. He catches sight of Sam watching Emma and Henry returning home, with him going to exact punishment when Emma blows out the jack-o'-lantern. He returns inside, only to receive a knock on the door. Kreeg opens it, revealing the resurrected children waiting for him. The final shots of the film show Kreeg being dismembered, the children having gotten their vengeance.

Cast[]

Production[]

Season's Greetings[]

Season's Greetings is an animated short created by Trick 'r Treat writer and director Michael Dougherty in 1996 and was the precursor of the film.[8] The film featured Sam as a little boy dressed in orange footy pajamas with his burlap sack head covering, as he is being stalked by a stranger on Halloween night. The short was released as a DVD extra on the original release for Trick 'r Treat and was aired on FEARnet in October 2013 as part of a 24-hour Trick 'r Treat marathon on Halloween.[9]

Filming location and delays[]

Trick r' Treat was filmed on location in Vancouver, British Columbia. Originally slated for an October 5, 2007 theatrical release, it was announced in September 2007 that the film had been pushed back. After many festival screenings, it was released on home media in 2009.[2]

Release[]

Theatrical screenings[]

The first public screening took place at Harry Knowles' Butt-Numb-A-Thon film festival in Austin, Texas, on December 9, 2007.[10] Subsequent screenings included the Sitges Film Festival on October 7, 2008, the 2008 Screamfest Horror Film Festival on October 10, 2008, a free screening in New York sponsored by Fangoria on October 13, 2008, and another free screening in Los Angeles co-sponsored by Ain't It Cool News and Legendary Pictures on October 23, 2008. The film was also screened at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International, the Fantasia Festival on July 29 and 30, 2009,[11] the film festival Terror in the Aisles 2 in Chicago on August 15, 2009, and the After Dark film festival in Toronto on August 20, 2009 at The Bloor.

Home media[]

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures released the film direct-to-DVD and on Blu-ray in North America on October 6, 2009, in the UK on October 26, and in Australia on October 28. Shout! Factory released a "Collector's Edition" Blu-ray on October 9, 2018, with all extras from previous DVD/Blu-ray releases included as well as new extra content.[12]

Merchandise[]

  • Sideshow Collectibles created a 15-inch vinyl figure based on the film's scarecrow-like character Sam.
  • NECA created a 5+1⁄2-inch scale figure of Sam that has been released as part of NECA's "Cult Classics" line of movie figures; the figure includes a stand, pumpkins, "candybar", lollipop, sack, and interchangeable, uncovered head.[13]
  • Palace Press and Insight Editions published a 108-page coffee table book entitled Trick 'r Treat: Tales of Mayhem, Mystery & Mischief. It documents the making of the film, and includes storyboards, concept art, cast and crew biographies, and behind-the-scenes photographs.
  • Funko created a deluxe POP! figurine of Sam sitting on a boulder, alongside a jack-o-lantern and a burlap sack; it was released as a Spirit Halloween exclusive September 24, 2020.[14]

Spirit Halloween also released a line of "Trick 'r Treat" themed decor and props. They released a lollipop that mimics Sam's, and a Life-sized Sam animatronic that they used in their themes.

Comic books[]

DC Comics partner Wildstorm Comics had planned to release a four-issue adaptation of Trick 'r Treat written by Marc Andreyko and illustrated by Fiona Staples, with covers by Michael Dougherty, Breehn Burns and Ragnar.[15] The series was originally going to be released weekly in October 2007, ending on Halloween, but the series was pushed back due to the film's backlisting. The four comics were instead released as a graphic novel adaptation in October 2009.[16] Legendary Comics set the second Trick 'r Treat comic book, titled Trick 'r Treat: Days of the Dead, for an October 2015 release date,[17] and features Arts of Artist Fiona Staples and Stephen Byrne.[18] The comic was released alongside the graphic novel tie-in of Dougherty's Krampus.[19]

Reception[]

Critical reaction[]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 83% based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 7.40/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A deftly crafted tribute to Halloween legends, Trick 'r' Treat hits all the genre marks with gusto and old fashioned suspense."[20] Dread Central gave it 5 out of 5 stars, stating, "Trick 'r Treat ranks alongside John Carpenter's Halloween as traditional October viewing and I can't imagine a single horror fan that won't fall head over heels in love with it."[21] The film earned 10 out of 10 from Ryan Rotten of ShockTilYouDrop.com.[22]

IGN called it a "very well-crafted Halloween horror tribute" and "a scary blast", rating it a score of 8 out of 10.[23] Bloody Disgusting ranked the film ninth in their list of the "Top 20 Horror Films of the Decade", calling it "so good that its lack of a theatrical release borders on the criminal."[24]

Awards[]

Possible sequel[]

Michael Dougherty announced in October 2009 that he is planning a sequel,[27] but later stated that there were "no active development nor an attempt at a pitch."[28] A sequel was announced in October 2013,[29] but there was a change in Legendary's management. Dougherty has continued to express interest in a sequel but said the film stands on its own.[30]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Trick 'r Treat (2007)". British Film Institute. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Barone, Matt (2013-10-28). "The Scary-Good Afterlife of "Trick 'r Treat," The Movie That Should Be Halloween's Answer to "A Christmas Story"". Complex. Retrieved 2015-01-12.
  3. ^ "Cult-Favorite Halloween Flick Trick 'r Treat Streams on Facebook Tonight". www.wired.com. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
  4. ^ http://www.slashfilm.com/trick-r-treat-sequel-update/
  5. ^ Squires, John (August 17, 2017). "'Trick 'r Treat' Scare Zone Coming to Halloween Horror Nights!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  6. ^ Sposato, Sean (September 7, 2017). "VIDEO: Sam invades Halloween Horror Nights 2017 in new Trick 'r Treat scare zone at Universal Orlando". InsideTheMagic. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  7. ^ Pearson, Ben (May 16, 2018). "'Trick 'r Treat' Mazes Coming to Universal's Halloween Horror Nights". /Film. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  8. ^ "Cool Horror Videos: Michael Dougherty's Season's Greetings – the short that inspired Trick 'R Treat". JoBlo. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  9. ^ Lane, David. "FEARnet Airing a 24-Hour Marathon of TRICK 'R TREAT's on Halloween with Giveaways and New Content by Director Michael Dougherty". Collider. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  10. ^ Carolyn, Axelle (October 23, 2009). "The Problem with Trick 'r Treat". IGN. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  11. ^ (translator) Rupert Bottenberg. "Fantasia 2009 Schedule". Fantasiafest.com. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
  12. ^ https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/trick-r-treat-collector-s-edition
  13. ^ [1] Archived June 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "Sam Funko Pop Figure Deluxe - Trick 'r Treat - Spirithalloween.com". www.spirithalloween.com. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
  15. ^ "00's Retrospect: Bloody Disgusting's Top 20 Films of the Decade". Bloody-disgusting.com. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
  16. ^ "Trick 'r Treat: Tales of Mayhem, Mystery and Mischief by John Griffin, Insight Editions, 110 pages". Dreadcentral.com. 2009-10-18. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
  17. ^ "Legendary Comics Haunt Your Holidays With Trick 'r Treat and Krampus Graphic Novels". Dreadcentral.com. 2009-10-18. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
  18. ^ "Legendary Comics to Run "PACIFIC RIM," "TRICK R' TREAT" Sequel Tie-ins". Dreadcentral.com. 2009-10-18. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
  19. ^ 'Trick 'r Treat' and 'Krampus' Get Graphic Novel Adaptations!
  20. ^ Trick r' Treat (2007) at Rotten Tomatoes
  21. ^ "Dread Central Review of Trick r' Treat". Dreadcentral.com. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
  22. ^ Turek, Ryan (2008-10-16). "Review of Trick r' Treat". Shocktilyoudrop.com. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
  23. ^ Cindy White. "IGN.com Review of Trick r' Treat". Dvd.ign.com. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
  24. ^ "00's Retrospect: Bloody Disgusting's Top 20 Films of the Decade...Part 3". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  25. ^ 2008 Screamfest Winners Archived March 4, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ "2009 Toronto After Dark Film Festival Winners". Torontoafterdark.com. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
  27. ^ "'Trick 'r Treat' Sequel in the Pipeline?". Bloody-disgusting.com. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
  28. ^ "Michael Dougherty Talks Potential 'Trick 'r Treat' Sequel!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  29. ^ Highfill, Samantha (October 29, 2013). "'Trick 'r Treat' gets a sequel: Michael Dougherty talks what's next". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  30. ^ "Michael Dougherty Offers Latest Thoughts on 'Trick 'r Treat 2'; Is It Ever Happening? Should It Ever Happen?". 2019-10-22.

External links[]

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