I watcha lotof horror movies, whether it’s Halloween or not. It’s my genre of choice so I’m extremely guilty of watching and re-watching favorites likeScream,The Mist,Poltergeist,The Descent,A Nightmare on Elm StreetandThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre, just to name a select few. Any movie with bumps in the night, creatures and/or serial killers can be branded a Halloween-appropriate film, but because my days are filled with blood and guts year-round, on the holiday, I like to go with one of the best Halloween-themed films out there,Michael Dougherty’sTrick ‘r Treat.
Trick ‘r Treatis a horror anthology with five core stories. There’s the situation with Emma (Leslie Bibb) and her Halloween-loving husband, what goes down after the school principal (Dylan Baker) gets a visit from a candy stealer, Laurie’s (Anna Paquin) effort to lose her virginity, Mr. Kreeg’s (Brian Cox) encounter with Sam (Quinn Lord) and, my personal favorite, what happens when Macy (Britt McKillip), Schrader (Jean-Luc Bilodeau), Sara (Isabelle Deluce) and Chip (Alberto Ghisi) attempt to play a prank on Rhonda (Samm Todd) using the legend of the Halloween school bus massacre.
All of the individual stories are fantastic, but one of the things that makesTrick ‘r Treatsuch a standout horror anthology is how well they’re woven together. Anthology films like theV/H/Sseries and theABCs of Deathfilms are good fun, butTrick ‘r Treat’s strong connective tissue puts it on another level entirely and also, in my opinion, makes it far more enticing to re-watch.
And I don’t even mean re-watch as in putting it on once every Halloween; I mean sitting through multiple viewings a month, a week or even in one day for that matter. Even though I own the DVD, ever since FEARnet started hosting that 24-hourTrick ‘r Treatmarathon back in 2011, I leave my TV on the entire day and wind up watching it more times than I care to admit. (Sadly that won’t be the case this year because FEARnet is long gone now.)
You know when you’re not planning to watch a movie or just don’t have the time for one, but then catch a quick glimpse, it sucks you in and there’s nothing you can do about it? That’sTrick ‘r Treatright there! There are so many unforgettable sequences, kills and characters that even if you tune in for a moment, you’ll have to watch it through. I say “The School Bus Massacre” is my favorite segment, but even if I started watching right there, I still couldn’t bear to miss the big party scene or Sam’s fight with Kreeg.
Sam is also just a brilliant idea for a killer. In fact, if tasked to put together a list of iconic slashers, he’d absolutely make the cut right alongside legends like Freddy, Jason and Michael Myers. Sam is essentially a kid in orange pajamas with a burlap sack on his head who walks around carrying a broken lollypop and dragging a dirty bag around. That’s big screen gold right there. And action figure gold as well. I actually have the Sam Funko POP! toy sitting on my desk right now and also have that giantJames FosdikeTrick ‘r Treatposterin my apartment, too. It’s my pride and joy year round, but seeing it hanging there when Halloween’s right around the corner gets me particularly revved up for the holiday.
Trick ‘r Treatembodies everything I love about horror movies and about Halloween as well. I’ve got favorite films in all genres, but there’s just nothing quite like the thrill of being terrified or totally grossed out and having an absolute blast in the process, andTrick ‘r Treatdoes just that while tapping into loads of holiday essentials – candy, carving pumpkins, costumes, parties, urban legends, monsters and more. A Halloween night out in New York City can be tons of fun, but I’m definitely nostalgic for the days of suburban trick-or-treating, decorating houses and creepy, secluded get-togethers, andTrick ‘r Treatlets me get a little of that back. Plus, at this point,Trick ‘r Treatis just as much a Halloween staple to me as any of that stuff.
Looking for more Halloween movie ideas? Read about Adam’s favorite,Shaun of the Dead,right hereand Matt’s pick,The Nightmare Before Christmas,right here.
[Note: This feature was initially published at a prior date, but seeing as how Halloween is approaching, now felt an opportune time to re-highlight this original feature.]
