Can you feel it in the air? That creeping sense of ghoulish mischief? It howls in the wind. Whispers in the dark. Reaches up through the soil to rise again. It’s Halloween. The scariest—and therefore greatest—night of the year. Mere hours from now, the sun will set behind withered trees. Kid’s will roam the streets dressed in costumes that reflect their inner spirit. All before settling in with a favorite horror film and a big bowl of candy. Christmas wishes it was this fun.
Considered the night when the gap between the living and the dead grows thinnest, Halloween has inspired more scary movies than any other holiday. Night of the Demons. Creepshow. John Carpenter’s Halloween, of course. Hell, add Ernest Scared Stupid to the list (that troll still unnerves me to my core). But there’s one I’d argue captures the essence of the night better than any…Michael Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat.
What’s Trick ‘r Treat About?
Set in a small town and taking place over the course of Halloween night, Dougherty’s film weaves together various interconnecting tales of the macabre. We meet a murderous neighbor; Zombie children; A pack of werewolves on the prowl; And a delightful little menace dubbed Sam, the supernatural embodiment of the Halloween spirit. Throughout it all, unfortunate characters are taught the meaning of the holiday…and what happens when you don’t respect the rules.
A Horror Film that Captures the Gleeful Mischief of Halloween
Originally slated to release in October of 2007, Warner Bros. pulled Trick ‘r Treat from the schedule, only to unceremoniously dump it straight to DVD in 2009. Oh, how hindsight makes fools of us all. Since then, Dougherty’s film has spawned a massive cult following, propping Sam up to horror icon status. Walk into my house, and you’ll find a collection of Trick ‘r Treat merch with its own prominently displayed section. My wife and I love Halloween. So much so that we married each other on October 31st of 2019. Dougherty’s film stole our black hearts because it understands what horror fans adore about the holiday.
Every inch of every frame oozes macabre mischief. While other horror films focus in on the terror of Halloween, Trick ‘r Treat explores the devilish fun…while still conjuring some good scares and heaps of practical gore. It glows like the candle inside of a grinning Jack-o’-lantern. Screams like that group of trick or treaters running down the street. With each segment, Dougherty infuses dark humor so twisted it inspires the occasional cackle. The filmmaker even bookends the film with a comic book style, evoking films like Creepshow and that sense of wicked, childish glee.
As Dread’s own Chad Collins wrote in his ranking of the film’s most disturbing deaths (of which there are plenty), “it’s a treat worth revisiting time and time again”.
Trick ‘r Treat has a little something for everyone in its burlap sack full of candy-coated horror. Twisted, packed with monsters and endlessly entertaining, Dougherty’s film is one that expresses why we celebrate Halloween. And in that, it also asks that we respect the traditions of the holiday. Stream it on HBO Max tonight, and remember to always check your candy.
Have a safe and happy Halloween!
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