Written And Directed by Michael Dougherty
Steven (to Charlie): "Wait. There's another tradition. Always check your candy."
This movie is one of maybe anthology themed Halloween movies that I will be looking at over the next month and it's one that I think I like a lot more than others might. It was a massive flop but has gained a bit of a cult following since it's release.
Broken up into several but connecting stories, this movie's main antagonist was a boy named Sam (Quinn Lord). He's the link of every story, either as an observer or instigator of doom and for a kid who doesn't say a word, he's a quietly sinister presence every time he popped up on screen.
I'm going to talk about these segments in terms of what interested me the most to the least. Starting off, you've got a principal named Steven Wilkins (Dylan Baker) who decided to punish pumpkin smashing Charlie (Brett Kelly) by killing him. Yeah, Steve's a man with a few skeletons in his yards
When he wasn't getting rid of the body and incurring the wrath of his cantankerous neighbour Kreeg (Brian Cox), he also had an unusual bonding time with his son, Billy (Connor Levins). Oh and he's a vampire to boot. Yup, Steven had some multudes but wasn't half as clever as he thought he was.
Steven's own downfall came funnily enough from a group of young women which included Laurie (Anna Paquin), Danielle (Lauren Lee Smith), Maria (Rochelle Aytes) and Janet (Monica Delain). At first I thought they were fodder for a serial killer, so the twist of them being a pack of werewolves certainly added a bite to proceedings. Didn't exactly end well for Steven either.
Then we have to circle back to the neighbour. Kreeg was a grouchy old man with a dog named Spike and haunted by his involvement as a former school bus driver. Yes, some children died and the consequences of Kreeg's involvement truly came back to get him when Sam made a house call. This also continued another involving a new group of teenagers being left for dead by social reject Rhonda (Sammy Todd).
Funnily, it's the first story that turned out to be the least interesting. It's not actually a bad story, I just found the other ones much stronger by comparisons. Anyways, there's a thing disrespecting Halloween customs and not doing that and suburban wife Emma (Leslie Bibb) paid the price while clueless husband Henry (Tahmoh Penikett) was oblivious to it all. All in all, all of these stories nicely slotted into each other.
- The names of the stories were Opening, Principal, Halloween School Bus Massacre, Surprise Party, Sam and Conclusion.
- There have been attempts to get a sequel off the ground but as of now, it's a standalone movie.
- Another American movie that correctly pronounced the word "Samhain". Yes, that is a thing for me.
- Chronology: Set in the sleepy town of Warren Valley, Ohio.
I really dug Trick 'r Treat. I went in with moderate expectations and found myself pleasantly surprised. Each of the stories held my attention and they all tied into each other nicely. I'm glad it's gotten a reappraisal since it's release.
Rating: 7 out of 10
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