Director Micheal Dougherty’s shrewd anthology of intermittent Halloween tales is one of the best movie experiences of 2009. Trick ‘r Treat, a film that went through a tiring process to be released, is finally available to the public due to its DVD release two weeks ago.
What’s surprising to note is that this movie was completed two years ago, but it was constantly kept on the shelf of Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures. Plans for a theatrical run were pushed farther and farther back until the film began gathering dust; only a few screenings across the country ever took place.
The lucky few that had the opportunity to see Trick ‘r Treat had unanimous praise, and, by word of mouth, there sparked high demand for this clandestine film’s circulation. It’s not until now that distribution has finally happened, but it’s unfortunate that it had to be straight to DVD.
Trick ‘r Treat combines the nostalgia of Are you Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps with the classicality of Halloween, The Evil Dead, and Creep Show to create an extremely fun and intellectual film that deals with the mythos of Halloween. Just like the characters that must honor the holiday’s traditions, the movie itself pays respect to the great films that inspired it. What is produced is clever storytelling, great camerawork, and a great atmosphere that depicts the beauty and spookiness that encapsulates the month of October.
To carve out the plot of Trick ‘r Treat would be a great disservice to your first experience. The film intertwines four stories, and while they seem disjointed at first, they come together subtly and unexpectedly. None of these particular arcs are necessarily scary, but they explore the darkness of humanity with truly haunting mannerisms.
Some say this is the next coming of great horror, but I slightly disagree. The film’s lack of terror and gore deter it from being a masterpiece, but it’s an undeniably amazing movie to add to that specific genre, definitely surpassing most modern day horror flicks. It will attain great status in the future, but it isn’t quite the next Halloween. Yet, I don’t think the latter was in Dougherty’s intention.
10 out of 10
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