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| Release: Oct 6th, 2009 Rating: R Run time: 82 min Starring: Dylan Baker, Anna Paquin Director: Michael Dougherty Official Trailer: Trick ‘r Treat |
As we inch ever so closer to Halloween, my collection of Halloween themed movies is dwindling. Next in the pile, was a real gem of a Halloween treat, Trick ‘r Treat, an anthology movie, that sat on shelves for several years, having been filmed in 2007 and only released in 2009. It’s a movie that doesn’t get the acclaim it deserves. If you haven’t heard of Trick ‘r Treat and the little evil known as Sam, your life isn’t complete. Let me fix that problem, by having you grab some candy (I swear, no razor blades or rat poison) and forcing you to read on…
Short nitty-gritty plot description from IMDb is as follows: Five interwoven stories that occur on the same block, on the same night.
A couple finds what happens when they blow a jack o’ lantern out before
midnight, a high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer,
a college virgin might have met the right guy for her, a group of mean
teens play a prank that they take too far, and a hermit is visited by a
special trick or treater.
Tatlock’s Quick ‘n Dirty Recap: Trick ‘r Treat follows the lovely idea of an anthology, with even the beginning animation storyboards, filling me wonderful Creepshow nostalgia. The movie has five stories, that are told out of order, with each story being connected, having characters appearing in the backgrounds. It’s a lot of fun to watch the movie a few times and pick up when each story is taking place, by listening to sound cues, or watching the background for different characters. I don’t really want to spoil too much more about the story, as the IMDb synopsis above, does a good enough job at telling what the movie is about.
Tatlock’s Opinion: It’s a damn shame this movie didn’t do better. It’s the kind of film that deserves to be watched every Halloween. I know there are some channels that show the movie this time of the year, which is great and the movie is a cult status film now, but that still really doesn’t help with us getting another sequel made and enjoying a bunch more of Sam, the devilish little trick or treater.
The movie does a lot right, giving us some wonderful Halloween stories, some dark humor and a dash of mean spirit. Most of the five stories will stand out as favorites. True Blood alum, Anna Paquin, who’s tale involves beautiful women, vampires and certain other creatures, that I can’t talk about, lest I spoil the movie, is certainly one that I’ll remember for awhile, thanks to a wonderful scene, that had me smiling ear to ear when I first saw it. In fact, even though I know it’s going to happen again, I still keep smiling.
I have to say though, my favorite story of the bunch, deals with a grumpy old man, played by Brian Cox and the aforementioned Sam, who decides to pick the old man’s house as the perfect place to go trick or treating. Sam’s idea of trick or treating is a lot different than other kids, deadly different. Also, add on the fact that his costume actually covers up the scary parts, this story easily comes out on top.
Any complaints? Hardly any. Although not a fault of the movie per-say, more of a personal complaint that shouldn’t affect your viewing pleasure, there was one part in a story, that involves a character’s death that was unjustified. I know the point of the story is to show you that you shouldn’t be mean to certain people, but this person clearly was nice enough to be spared their life. Also, I do have to say, I wish two of the four stories were lengthened out a little more. The beginning story was done and over with in a few minutes, which equates to a quick opener, but is counted as one of the five stories. I feel like I was cheated out of my five tales, if one is over so quickly. The other involves the high school principal, whose story was also short, but at least his character is connected to another story, which, once again, I won’t spoil.
Verdict: Trick ‘r Treat involves twists, turns, monsters and creepy tales of tragic accidents. Each one grabs the Halloween spirit by the devil’s tail and goes the whole 666 yards. A few stories are a little shorter than I like, but at least none of them overstay their welcome.
Rating:
For the Sam lovers out there, enjoy these awesome short videos: