Make sure you pass out candy tonight, and leave those jack-o-lanterns lit. You never know who’s watching, and Halloween spirit may be your only defense against a gruesome end.
Over the years, I have reviewed a couple of movies that Scott had already covered, simply by accident. Creepshow was one, and Chopping Mall, too. In both instances, we were pretty simpatico with our assessments. Today I am doing the same thing on purpose, with 2007’s semi-anthology film about Halloween, Trick R’ Treat. There are a couple of reasons I wanted to do this: For one, it is a fun movie that I know will be enjoyable. It’s always nice to go out on a good note, and after subjecting my wife to A Nightmare on Elm Street 5 last week, I could use a proven commodity to keep her on board with this little hobby. Secondly, this film represents one of the few times I have disagreed with Scott, so I thought a second opinion was warranted. The original review is here, so check it out and let us know who you agree with in the comments.
The plot of Trick R’ Treat follows four strands, all taking place on Halloween night. While it is generally considered an anthology film, I’m not sure it completely fits the bill. All of the stories are intertwined, leveraging some of the same characters and playing out in parallel throughout the film. You wouldn’t call Pulp Fiction an anthology, and that’s the type of highly connected, time-hopping set of stories that writer/director Michael Dougherty is going for. From the opening shot, it’s clear that this is going to be a love letter to Halloween. The entire film is awash in the orange glow of jack-o-lanterns, and populated by costumed children and drunken revelers. There are shots of lawn decorations and sacks of candy that border on fetishistic. As befits any good horror film, there are characters that receive their karmic comeuppance, but it is telling what they get their comeuppance for. Instead of being punished for playing a cruel prank on an unpopular girl, a group of kids meet a grisly end for kicking over a jack-o-lantern and dousing its light. Another character has a horrible secret haunting him from his past, but he faces peril for the sin of skimping on Halloween candy.
Of the four stories, I appreciate the one centering around a local urban legend the best. We know what kind of movie this is, so there is never any doubt about the validity of the legend, but the telling of the tale is great. There’s another fun one that plays off of a more common urban legend, the threat of poisoned candy, and features a terrific performance by Dylan Baker. Slightly less successful is a tale of virginal Anna Paquin off to a party with her more promiscuous older sister and her friends. Still, it features a nice reversal of our expectations that I don’t want to get too specific about, but definitely makes the whole endeavor worthwhile. Probably my least favorite story centers on Bryan Cox and Sam, the round-headed ragamuffin who has become the film’s mascot in subsequent years. It is less of a story than a prolonged battle, and the slapstick and CGI both wear a little thin by the end of it. Regardless of each element’s relative strengths, however, I was never less than amused by the movie, and often found myself delighted.
I’m a big fan of Trick R’ Treat. It isn’t very scary, but it is just such perfect Halloween comfort food. I watch a ton of horror around the holiday (duh), but most of it is not really holiday-specific. In December, my family overdoses on the Griswalds and Charlie Brown and Christmas episodes of The Office, so it’s nice to have a couple movies like this and Night of the Demons to watch in October, which are equally as tied to that month’s big night.
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