Stream & Scream: ”Trick ‘r’ Treat” (2007) A Modern Halloween Staple
Over the years, “Trick ‘r’ Treat” has become a Halloween cult classic that has to be seen very season. Despite having a decent cast, Warner Brothers shelved the movie for two years before unceremoniously releasing it straight to DVD in 2007 due to not so great test screenings. Because it never received a proper theatrical run at launch, it missed out on mainstream box office success. In my opinion, if this movie was released in theaters, it probably would’ve become a decent hit.
Horror fans quickly discovered the movie on home media and streaming, captivated by its clever, non-linear storytelling and atmospheric tribute to Halloween folklore. It has since transitioned from an ignored studio project to an annual viewing tradition.
Interwoven stories demonstrate that some traditions are best not forgotten as the residents of a small town faces real ghosts and goblins on Halloween. Tales of terror reveal the consequences of extinguishing a Jack-o-Lantern before midnight and a grumpy hermit’s encounter with a sinister trick-or-treater.
Most audiences and critics view Michael Dougherty’s “Trick ‘r’ Treat” as a beloved modern horror cult classic. Though it suffered a delayed, quiet direct to DVD release, it grew a massive, passionate following for its seamless blend of dark humor, spooky atmosphere and clever non-linear storytelling.
This 2007 cult classic does an incredible job capturing the exact feel, aesthetics and spirit of Halloween. From the glowing Jack-o-Lanterns and leaves crunching on the ground when stepped on to costume parties, this movie easily oozes autumn nostalgia and watching it feels like a celebration of the holiday itself.
Unlike traditional anthology horror films that use a frame story to jump between unrelated vignettes, “Trick ‘r’ Treat” features four interconnected stories that are happening simultaneously in the same small town on Halloween night. I really enjoy how the characters, locations, and events over lap in clever, non-linear timelines, rewarding repeat viewings as fans spot more hidden background details and connections to the other stories.
The movie’s central figure, Sam (short for Samhain - part of Halloween folklore), is easily a breakout favorite and has also become a cult favorite character since the movie’s release. Dressed in orange footie PJ’s with a burlap sack over his head, he functions as an enforcer of
Halloween’s ancient traditions rather than a typical slash-and-dash villain. I like how the movie restrains itself from going into his backstory and all of his scenes are easily a major highlight of the movie.
The overall audience response to the 2007 movie “Trick ‘r’ Treat” is overwhelmingly enthusiastic, with the movie widely celebrated as a quintessential modern horror classic and an annual Halloween staple. While it initially faced severe distribution delays and an eventual DVD release, strong word of mouth instantly catapulted it to major cult status and achieved massive popularity.
And, for fans of the movie, a long-awaited sequel is STILL in active development with a fully completed script.
MPA: Rated R for horror violence, some sexuality/nudity and language (running time 82 minutes)
Initial release date: October 6, 2007
Streaming: HBO Max/various PVOD services (as of working on this review)
The performers under the masks playing the kids on the school bus all have real disabilities or injuries, and they apparently had a blast during the shoot. Their costumes were inspired by a mix of photos from Ralph Meatyard and Diane Arbus capturing real mentally disabled children on Halloween in their own homemade costumes.
Most of the Jack O' Lanterns were made out of either foam or ceramic. An on-set joke was that no pumpkins were harmed during the making of this movie.
Anna Paquin's character "Laurie" is named after Laurie Strode from Halloween (1978)
Characters from each story are frequently seen in the background of stories they are not involved with. This is to help piece together the chronology of the movie.
The look of Brian Cox's character is based on Halloween (1978) and The Thing (1982) director John Carpenter.
The name of the character Sam is derived from Samhain, the ancient Celtic festival of the dead from which modern-day Halloween is derived. Despite having been portrayed as such in this film and several other works, Samhain is not a deity or other personage of ancient Celtic polytheism; it is only the name of the celebration. However, the idea of being either a deity or other personage dates back to at least the late first century, largely thanks to an Irish bishop named Cormac mac Cuilennàin and his book "Sanas Cormaic" (Irish Gaelic for "Cormac's Narrative"), which had identified Samhain as such.
The film is based on Michael Dougherty's animated short film Season's Greetings (1996), which debuted the character of Sam.
The film was originally slated to be released in October 2007 for a Halloween release. Warner Bros., without explanation or reason, pulled the film from the schedule and no reschedule date was announced. One reason might have been that Saw IV (2007) was slated for release around the same time and Warner Bros. did not want to compete against it in fears of a big opening against them. Another possible reason the film was buried by the studio was that it was possible fallout from the box office disappointment of Superman Returns (2006), which was co-written by Trick 'r Treat writer/director Michael Dougherty and both produced and directed by Bryan Singer, whose production company produced this film. There was brief talk that the film would finally be released around Halloween 2008 and possibly early 2009 but neither release ever materialized. The film was finally released straight to DVD in October 2009.
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