Trick 'r Treat

(2008) ****

Sweet joy, a horror film set on Halloween! That’s like celebrating your birthday on Christmas! Seriously, I love horror movies that use Halloween as a backdrop and Trick ‘r Treat takes full advantage of all the Halloween trimmings and autumnal atmosphere including resplendent foliage, home-made costumes, scarecrows, creepy jack o'lanterns, cornfields, and plenty of candy. Just look at these sumptuous images,



Trick ‘r Treat combines the look and feel of 80s horror films with the tone of 1950s E.C. Comics (which I read all summer). The opening sequence and credits are a direct nod to Creepshow and there are more than a few moments that reference Carpenter’s Halloween. The film features four interlocking stories that occur within just a few hours one Halloween night. A crotchety old man gets more than he bargained for when a creepy little boy strays into his yard; a pissed off junior high principal finally loses it; four horny teenage girls make it their goal to get their virgin friend laid; and a teenage prank goes horribly wrong. All four stories are tied together by creepy Sam,



During some of the stories you even see characters from the other stories walking by in the background. The film moves at a brisk pace and there’s never a dull moment.

Trick r’ Treat was completed in 2007 and shelved by Warner Brothers for unspecified reasons. Even the copy I watched was a bootleg. Fortunately a quick check on Amazon reveals that this gem was just released on DVD. I have a feeling that Trick ‘r Treat will become a cult classic to be trotted out annually by horror fans. No other film since the original Halloween has felt so, well, Halloween. If you love horror movies and you love to celebrate all things Halloween, you will love Trick ‘r Treat! Put that on a tee-shirt.


Anna Paquin plays "the virgin"