I Love Horror – A horror blog devoted to the critical, analytical, and cynical assessment of the horror industry and horror films.

trick-r-treat-poster1

Director: Michael Dougherty
Year: 2007 (2009 release)
Country: Canada.

Warning: Minor spoilers included within

I knew nothing about Trick ‘r Treat before viewing it, assuming that it was either a remake of an eighties slasher flick that slipped below my radar, so my enthusiasm for viewing it was based solely on A) its tumultuous history, to B) the incredibly widespread praise it has been receiving by the few lucky enough to see it. Originally slated for an early October 2007 theatrical, it made an appearance at a festival then disappeared, finally resurfacing with an October 6th, 2009 release date. Given the hype surrounding it, it had a tall order to fill, and it did with gangbusters.

Trick ‘r Treat is an anthology composed of four stories centered around Halloween and its various traditions: a principal with a murderous streak stalks young women at a local Halloween party; a group of kids head down to a local gorge to play tricks upon a seemingly unsuspecting savant; a young virgin is stalked by a masked assailant; and an angry old man learns the true meaning of Halloween. All four are tied together with the mystery of Sam, a little child with a huge head covered by a burlap sack mask.

Going into Trick ‘r Treat, the feature horror debut by X2 and Superman Returns scribe Michael Dougherty, I knew nothing of the film and was completely unaware that it was an anthology. As a result, my thoughts on the film centered on confusion and overall apathy, until I finally wised up and realized just what the Hell was going on. My giant gap in intelligence notwithstanding, much of this confusion can be contributed to the incredibly seamless interweaving of the four stories, alluding to one another in the subtlest of way, but just enough to keep me intrigued until the monumentally epic and hilariously grim payoff.

Despite suffering from a few moments of questionable acting that makes the 1980’s-inspired slasher title appropriate, the indivudal elements of this film all come together in a way that is wholly original, creative and engaging. The eerie effects of dozens of jack o’ lanterns leering at the unfortunate victims of the spirit of Halloween is outdone only by the creepy Michael Myers-esque apppearances of Sam. As the film nears its horrifying climax, you’re given the full scope of Dougherty’s vision, ranging from the ripping-off of skin to drowned children. He plays with light and dark, keeping most of the scary creatures shrouded in darkness until the very end, resulting in a darkly-humorous ending.

Trick ‘r Treat is destined to become a cult film, playing endlessly much like A Christmas Story is during the holiday season. It is delightfully subversive, entertaining throughout and providing one hundred minutes of spooky fun, gruesome gore and, best of all, reminding us of the true meaning of Halloween.