Review of Trick 'r Treat (2007) by Hankwmardukas — 28 Nov 2018

For the next four weeks, in honor of Halloween, I will be reviewing four special horror movies. Some you may have heard of, some you may not have. Some old, some perhaps new. That is, if the frugal head of our company Puritan Pictures, Pat Collier, will finally, for once, spring for an actual movie ticket for me. At any rate, the next few weeks here at The Puritan Post will be a mystery grab bag akin to that of trick-or-treating itself. And what better way to kick off the Halloween season with perhaps the most quintessentially Halloween flick of all time, the understated tour de force, Michael Dougherty’s Trick R’ Treat.

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Trick R’ Treat is one of the many underrated classics to come out in 2007 (For more on 2007, see Issue No. 8 of The Puritan Post). The cult classic, writer and director Michael Dougherty’s first feature, is a movie that if you’ve seen, you probably love. It centers around five interwoven storylines all set on Halloween night and basically plays like a Halloweeny Pulp Fiction. Dougherty has since gone on to create another Holiday horror classic in Krampus, but Trick R’ Treat remains his magnum opus. It is phenomenally written, sharply directed, and simply timeless. The flick sports an absolutely stellar cast including Dylan Baker, Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Leslie Bibb and the kid from Bad Santa who always asks, “Would you like me to fix you some sandwiches?”.

What I love most about Trick R’ Treat is that it is totally ruthless as a horror movie. Its moral compass is uniquely unforgiving. Characters who commit minor movie sins suffer the same perilous fate as those who perpetrate the most grave of acts. This sinister sort of ethics fits so perfectly for a film that embodies the spirt of Halloween. The now iconic horror character of Sam, who actually debuted in an animated short by Dougherty entitled “Seasons Greetings”, is the perfect horror anti-hero. Sam visually and thematically represents that aforementioned relentless morality Dougherty instills in the picture. Whether it is with the Sam character or with others, Dougherty rides a rather fine line between fantasy and reality with the flick that is another one of my favorite aspects of the movie. Early on in the film, we aren’t sure whether this movie exists in the “real world” so to speak. However, without spoiling anything, those questions are put to rest by the end.

It was recently announced that Trick R Treat 2 is in development, to be written and directed by Michael Dougherty. I had mixed emotions to hearing this news, as I feel that, if done correctly, a sequel could actually work. However, there are some movies that are meant to stand alone. Just ask the filmmakers behind the Donnie Darko sequel, S. Darko. Only time will tell if Trick R Treat 2 can hold up to its undoubtedly legendary predecessor. Perhaps in the future I will review that movie for The Puritan Post. Maybe by 2020, Collier will finally have enough money to pay for me to see new releases. I won’t get my hopes up though.