Trick ‘r’ Treat (Exclusive Series) (HBO Max)

Initial release date: October 6, 2009

Studios: Warner Brothers/Warner Premiere/Legendary Pictures/Bad Hat Harry Productions

Tagline: If you don’t follow the rules tonight, you won’t live to see tomorrow

Plot: Interwoven stories demonstrate that some traditions are best not forgotten as the residents of a small town face 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.

Cast

Dylan Baker (Miss Sloane) - Steven

Rochelle Aytes (CBS’ SWAT) - Maria

Quinn Lord (Netflix’s Firefly Lane) - Sam

Lauren Lee Smith (The Shape of Water) - Danielle

Moneca Delain - Janet

Tahmoh Penikett - Henry

Brett Kelly (Bad Santa 2) - Charlie

Samm Todd - Rhonda

Britt McKillip - Macy

Anna Paquin (Netflix’s The Irishman - Laurie

Brian Cox (HBOS Succession) - Mr. Kreeg

Leslie Bibb (Netflix’s The Babysitter: Killer Queen) - Emma

Writer/director: Michael Dougherty (Krampus; Godzilla: King of the Monsters)

Rated R for horror violence, some sexuality/nudity and language (82 minutes)

The 2009 movie ‘Trick r Treat’ is a sometimes forgotten Halloween movie that ended up going the direct to DVD route. Usually, the movies that are dumped straight to DVD aren’t really the greatest. But, this particular movie is really entertaining and a lot better than you would think.

This anthology movie does a great job telling some weird twisted stories and bringing them all together. The movie delivers some good chills, suspense and even a few little laughs.

Even though ‘Trick r Treat’ flew under the radar for some time, it has actually gained quite a following over the years and has become a “cult classic.” Some of the parts in the movie can be on the campy side. And that really works for this 2009 movie. The feeling of the movie and its atmosphere almost reminds me of the campy horror movies from the 1980s.

The ending of this movie is actually the creepiest and eeriest of the anthology. This is one of those rare movies that should actually spawn a sequel - as long as it’s done right.

So, if you’re looking for some campy Halloween fun, make sure to check out this hidden gem on HBO Max. You can also rent it through YouTube, VuduFandango, Google Play, Apple TV and Amazon Prime.

Here are some interesting tidbits about ‘Trick r Treat’:

• 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.

• Characters from each story are frequently seen in the background of stories they aren’t involved with. This is to help piece together the chronology of the movie.

• The movie is based on Michael Dougherty’s animated 1996 short film ‘Season’s Greetings,’ which debuted the character of Sam.

• Originally slated to be released in October 2007 for a Halloween release. Warner Bros., without explanation or reason, pulled it from the schedule and no reschedule date was announced. One reason might have been that ‘Saw IV’ was slated for release around the same time and Warner didn’t want to compete against it in fears of a big opening against them. Another possible reason the movie was buried by the studio was that it was a possible fallout from the box office disappointment of ‘Superman Returns,’ which was co-written by Dougherty and also produced by Bryan Singer (who also produced this movie). There was brief talk that the movie would finally be released around Halloween 2008 and possibly early 2009 but neither release ever materialized. It was finally released straight to DVD in October 2009.

• The name of the character Sam is derived from Samhain, the ancient Celtic festival of the dead from which modern day Halloween is derived.

• Dougherty announced in October 2019 that he's planning a sequel, but later stated that there was “no active development nor an attempt at a pitch.”

https://youtu.be/NJ66Htmmq4M