While growing up, the dog days of summer brought most kids down as the new school year snuck up on our lazy days. Living in the Midwest, local mom & pop shops would start hanging skeletons and jack o’ lanterns in their windows just before labor day. A sense of enchantment would wash over like in the opening pages of Ray Bradbury’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes” when you know that summer’s end marks the arrival of the most fun holiday of all; Halloween.
Watching John Carpenter’s classic film, Halloween, for the first time is a memory that will never be forgotten. What followed that first viewing was a night with my sister at her friend Rochelle’s house and them locking me in the attic where there were no lights. That haunting image of ‘The Shape’ lurking about forever imprinted my nightmares & dreamscapes. That was the quintessential film for the holiday.
Until now…
Michael Dougherty has transcended the horror film genre with his Trick R’ Treat. By interweaving four tales of terror that overlap one another, embracing Halloween myths and urban legends, he has successfully rivaled Carpenter’s Halloween.
Blasphemy some will curse and say, but I speak the truth. Convincing a beautiful girl named Cathryn that going to the premiere in Hollywood would be a fun time, swearing that the film won’t be terrifying, after the opening sequence, I thought for sure she was going to drag me out of the theatre and call me a liar. By the time the end credits rolled, the entire auditorium erupted in applause and left the studio executives scratching their heads. After all, this film was set to premiere October 5, 2007. Over a year ago Warner Bros opted to postpone the release, they couldn’t figure out the marketing. This isn’t SAW, Hostel or even Resident Evil, it’s a refreshing boost to the genre that as of late has had audiences yawning.
With a cast ranging from Dylan Baker (Happiness, Spider-Man) to Leslie Bibb (Midnight Meat Train, Talladega Nights) to Anna Paquin (X-Men, True Blood), this film embraces all of our child hood memories of this incredible holiday. Follow the rules, and you will survive.
Dougherty captures the flavor of middle America where families still set out every October 31 with their kids in tow. Roaming the jack o’ lantern strewn streets rather than the sheltered shopping malls and knocking on the doors where the saying trick r’ treat really means something. I felt like a kid again watching this film. Wondering where his characters would lead us all the while his menacing antagonist, Sam, lurked in the shadows and watched the actors breathe life into the film and tired horror genre.
To focus on one certain aspect of this film is unfair. It’s an intricate mix of a story that embodies many themes where other films focus only on one. Anna Paquin’s narrative is a brilliant twist on the concept of female empowerment. The cantankerous character that Brian Cox plays speaks volumes of the idea that past mistakes will haunt you forever. The school bus massacre sequence is a thought-provoking tale about doing unto others as you’d have done unto you and Leslie Bibb’s bookend is a tongue-in-cheek homage to our parents and their rules of the holiday – “don’t do this, don’t do that…be careful…” Overall, the film fires on all cylinders and will satisfy those looking for thrills, chills and a bit of humor interjected throughout.
Trick R’ Treat will hopefully find its way to the big screen if the crowd reaction was any indication of the potentially broad appeal. A genre film at its finest that is unlike anything else we’ve seen. It’s a taut-nail biter of a film that will leave you spinning for a couple days. For those who can’t wait, I suggest picking up the uber-impressive hardcover book Trick R’ Treat – The Movie Book which has a great forward by Bryan Singer, mini-books within that includes original concept artwork, “Sam” masks, pumpkin stencils, script through production notes and a plethora of other fascinating details. You can find the coffee table book at any Barnes & Noble or if they’re not sold out, you may score an autographed copy from Burbank’s Dark Delicacies (www.darkdel.com).
“Tis now the very witching time of night, when churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out – contagion to this world.” – William Shakespeare
Happy Halloween!
– Jack Reher
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
