Trick ‘r Treaters
As you can imagine, I fucking love Halloween. (I’m already decorating and working up ghoulish craft projects and have several parties to figure out costumes for, and it’s still almost a month away.) So every time October rolls around, it pains me to think just how few great Halloween-set horror movies there are.
Well, the end to my pain has arrived in the gory, twisted, and wonderfully wicked candybag that is Trick ‘r Treat, quite possibly the awesomest Halloween movie ever made.
All apologies to Laurie Strode, but there’s a new sheriff in town!
Anna Paquin
Smashing together a series of interrelated stories in one small Ohio town on Halloween night, Trick ‘r Treat manages to cover just about every Halloween trope (evil kids, poisoned candy, trick-or-treat terror, pranks, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, pumpkin fetishists) in 82 brisk, lollipop-colored minutes. And although the movie decidedly is NOT for kids, it has the smarts to admit that children are an integral part of the holiday … for better or for worse.
Spooky kids on a bus to hell? Sweet!
The main stories – each of which is wonderfully ghoulish on its own – involve a suburban serial killer (Happiness‘s Dylan Baker brings the creepy yet again), a gaggle of girls out to party (including True Blood’s Anna Paquin, minus the blonde hair and accent), a group of kids out to collect jack-o-lanterns for a ghostly purpose, and a town legend involving a schoolbus full of kids who died on Halloween.
While each of the stories holds up on its own merits (like the best of your Creepshows or Tales from the Crypt rightfully should), half of the fun of Trick ‘r Treat is in seeing how the various threads interconnect, which they do in very clever and unexpected ways. The result is an anthology that feels not just like a series of independent stories set on Halloween, but a complete picture of what makes this holiday so beloved, so dangerous, and so much damn fun.
Sam he am.
And I shouldn’t leave someone out here (at my own possible peril), as he also serves to connect the various tales: A little trick-or-treater in a burlap pumkin head and orange pajamas who may very well be the true spirit of Halloween. Meaning: Don’t cross the little bastard, or it’s tricks for you.
Aside from the ghoulish goings-on in the actual stories, what I loved most about Trick ‘r Treat is just how well it nails the atmosphere of a classic small-town Halloween night. There are jack-o-lanterns galore, candy rains from the sky and everywhere you turn there are costumed kids, false scares and surprises among the blowing autumn leaves. The production design and visual style of the film are pure, classic Halloween, which gives a great foundation for the twisted stories that are to follow.
Punkins!
And trust me, they are twisted. Brutal, bloody deaths and an alarming number of dead kids are just two of the things that set Trick ‘r Treat far apart from the Goosebumps! specials that have been the closest thing to real Halloween horror that we’ve seen for – oh, a few decades? (I think Lady in White was the last good Halloween horror movie, and even that feels a bit Hallmark Hall-of-Fame.)
Really, when you hear a kid shout “Charlie Brown’s an asshole!” in the first ten minutes, you know you’re not in Dolly Madison-sponsored country.
Dylan Baker and friend.
The only thing wrong with Trick ‘r Treat is that it has been dumped onto DVD, two years after it was supposed to be released theatrically by Warner Bros. I have no idea what the hell happened there (I can only imagine that the edgy subject matter and gleefully wicked tone posed some problems for marketing), but it’s a damn shame. Seriously – this is a fun, great-looking movie that has more right to be on screens every Halloween than whichever chapter of the fucking Saw franchise happens to be shat out that year.
Aside from Paquin (who, thanks to True Blood, is the biggest star in the cast) and Baker, Popular vet Leslie Bibb and Battlestar cutie Tahmoh Penikett show up in one segment, and the always-awesome Bryan Cox (L.I.E., Rushmore) plays an important role in the film’s final act. But appropriately enough, this movie – like the holiday that inspires it – belongs to the kids, and all the young actors do a great job playing out their incredibly disturbing storylines.
Tahmoh Penikett finds a trick
I had high hopes for Trick ‘r Treat (I’ve been hearing about how great it is for years now) and I’m thrilled to say that I wasn’t disappointed. As wicked as the worst witch and as much fun as the funnest funhouse, Trick ‘r Treat is an instant Halloween classic.
Order Trick ‘r Treat from Amazon!
RATING (OUT OF 5):
Trick ‘r Treat is rated R for horror violence, boobies, harm to squash, and serious disregard for the safety of children and Popular alumns. It’s also fucking awesome and is available on DVD as of October 6th.
All right, all right, just you settle down bucko. While I concur about most points made and have only just returned minutes ago from the Best Buy with my own copy, I still cannot help but think most of the accolades spewed upon it stem from a lowered bar. A good flick indeed, it ain’t comin’ nowhere to usurpin’ Halloween! Do you like my use of sassy apostrophes to convey that I mean business? Yeah, me too.
I feel like horror fans have been deprived so long, with so many films only delivering snippets of promised goods that we’ve begun to lower expectations and be satiated with anything possessing a modicum of quality.
Trick ‘r Treat is a good film. I LOVED how the stories weren’t distinct segments ala Creepshow but cleverly intertwined. It looks great, is entertaining and creepy in parts and it was nice to see Anna Paquin could actually be pretty. Oh please, her face ain’t right and the Sookie blond only brings forth the attention. Here, she is actually quite loverly.
Anyway, what?… Oh yes, unfortunately not once was I scared or truly thrilled and I suppose that is what I long for in horror. Granted, I am a cynic. Hmm, okay, put my opinion on pause and lemme go watch it again. Gah, I’m so open minded. Yay me!
Hahaa! Yes, I was a bit emphatic – but I really loved it! (I’m watching it again tonite, actually!) And yaknow, while I love me some “Halloween”, I gotta say – while it’s an exemplary slasher movie, it’s honestly not the greatest Halloween movie. (Oddly enough.) I think “Hocus Pocus” has more Halloween spirit than “Halloween” … not a slight on the Michael and Laurie show in the least – it’s just got a different agenda and mood. “Trick ‘r’ Treat” really hit all the right notes for me in terms of being a quintessential holiday movie. I agree it’s not scary, but it’s wicked – and as my own memories of Halloween are more tingly-excited than truly scared, it really got me in the tummy.
Indeed! Film is pure modern classic. Thumbs up!
I’m buying it tomorrow. Thanks Buzz!
Just because you mentioned ‘Popular’, I’m going to see this movie.
LOVED this movie – after waiting years to see it. It’s destined to be a classic for Halloween – and horror in general.
PS – love the “serious disregard for the safety of children and Popular alumns.” Man, do I miss Popular.
This movie is beautiful and an instant holiday classic, but Halloween II is scarier. It’s a crime this did not go theatrical.
“…quite possibly the awesomest Halloween movie ever made.” Wow, Buzz, that’s a big statement. But you totally convinced me on the book titled “The Devil in the White City”, so I’ll watch this movie. It will be hard, though, to watch Anna Paquin, and not wonder about the whereabouts of Eric Northman.
Now #1 on my Netflix queue. Thanks!
When choosing between tricks or treats, remember that sometimes the tricks backfire. Top 3 Halloween Pranks Gone Wrong
Hello from Russia!
Can I quote a post in your blog with the link to you?
FInally just watched it last night. As you said, great-looking (minus a few poorly-chosen effects, like why bother with the full-blown, cheap-looking werewolves when the girls were scarier before completely transforming?) with a good cast. Also loved how all the stories inter-mingled with each other.
I agree this wasn’t exactly scary, although it did have a few moments of suspense and some minor thrills. Moreso, as you said, it just captures the spirit of Halloween.
You are right on the money, Buzz, ignore the naysayers and ignore those who offer only qualified praise – Trick ‘r Treat is brilliant (& don’t forget the animated short from 1996, and Michael Dougherty’s commentary over it, revealing the genesis of the movie). This one has haunted me since I saw it, its gay credentials (Singer & Dougherty) are up-front & center re: the twists on women’s roles (the Anna Paquin storyline) not to mention the blistering take on those deeply irritating yuppie wives whose lives are spent infantilizing and controlling their husbands (i.e the opening story), and there’s real wit in the casting – Brian Cox (oh, btw, do note, Buzz: Brian not Bryan Cox) and Dylan Baker, both with brilliantly creepy pedophile roles on their resumes, playing storylines (SPOILER ALERT!) involving tormented children…
The entire movie looks gorgeous and is laden with homages, references and quirky nods to all those movies on any smart soul’s ‘best of’ list, including The Sweet Hereafter
In fact, the movie felt like Bradbury’s ‘Something Wicked… ‘ or the Ravine/Lonely One Story from his ‘Dandelion Wine’, given a much darker palette of mood, design, lighting and atmosphere than Jack Clayton dreamed of with that awful Jonathan Pryce vehicle… and the echoes reverberate and ripple in the mind for a long time…
ps thanks for the nod you gave to my buddies’ movie Red Velvet!!!!!
xox
I really enjoyed this film, it deservingly scored 88% on the Rotten Tomatoes site by masterfully combining good old fashioned storytelling with humour, terror, and a somewhat warped sense of morality. The special effects were very convincing and discriminately used which made a refreshing change given the overkill we are regularly subjected to, thanks to the double-edged sword of C.G.I.
The Jack o’ Lantern character was brilliantly instrumental in cementing the intertwoven tales together. The acting was of a high calibre throughout and I was glued to my seat from beginning to end.
It’s a travesty that this film was poorly marketed and never reached the big screen as it is one of the best Halloween films that I have ever seen.
Watched it last night and I LOVED it! I actually did think it was scary in places. Especially the scene at the quarry… will say no more in case I spoil it for others!
It was also really fun to watch. 2 very enthusiastic thumbs up!
Wow, it’s been a year since your review? Time flies…
Your review is the reason I got it from Netflix, then I couldn’t stop watching it, so I bought a DVD so I could send Netflix’s copy back. It’s not scary, but it, to me, does a great job of capturing what makes Halloween fun. You won’t scream or jump, probably, but if you have a wicked, warped, twisted sense of humor, this movie is like the best gift ever.
I’d have to say the werewolf scene was my favorite, but I liked the pumpkin offering scene when we find out a coach was dressed as a hot dog bum f*cking a pig. I can’t help but laugh at that line.
I agree the werewolves looked cheap, but I like the different take on their transformation (they just peel the skin off). Have to say, though, that Miss Anna looked pretty wicked with her hair all Aqua Netted out and those contacts.
Great movie, so much fun. Thanks for the review.
About to watch Trick r Treat tonight. I’ll make sure to push my book report aside to make time for this movie. lol
I have wanted to see this movie since I saw your review. Well, I finally bought it and watched it tonight. Thank you! That is all I can say. I will return to my behind-the-scenes viewing now.