Hidden Gems: Trick ‘r Treat

 

Alright so I’ll admit this isn’t exactly a hidden gem.  A lot of cinephiles have seen and fallen in love with this little flick but I’m including it for three reasons.  1) Outside of cinephiles it hasn’t grabbed a huge audience, 2) Without rabid horror fans like myself it likely never would have gotten the recognition it deserves and 3) This is my last article before Halloween and I wanted an excuse to write about my favorite Halloween movie.

What is it?: Trick ‘r Treat is an anthology film directed by Michael Dougherty.  Unlike usual anthology flicks though it’s not a simple grouping of standalone shorts.  Instead it follows a Pulp Fiction format by showing a bunch of different storylines happening in the same town on Halloween night.  The four basic set ups are: a murderous school principal, a group of kids playing a cruel prank on another girl, a Halloween party that’s attacked by a vampire and a cranky old man attacked by a malevolent creature for not obeying the traditions of Halloween.  All of the stories are similar in that they’re entirely based on Halloween traditions and the effect they have on people who either obey or ignore them.  The stories all intertwine at various points, sometimes just being a short aside or something in the background, giving this a true sense of an organic world in which the film takes place.  It’s pretty fucking excellent.

Why is it a “Hidden” Gem?: Trick ‘r Treat was the unfortunate victim of a studio not knowing what to do with a film and holding it back for way too long.  Unlike Paranormal Activity, a film that had to go through similar bullshit, Warner Brothers never gained faith in the film and simply dumped it onto DVD and Blu-Ray almost two years after it originally screened.  Word has it that a particular Warner Bros. executive was wary of the multiple scenes of child death throughout the film.  When it was solicited for DVD and outsold fucking Twilight in preorders, said executive lost his job.  Unfortunately the film never got a solid theatrical release and as such missed out on a larger audience because if it.

 

Why is it Worth Your Time?: As I said above, Trick ‘r Treat is my favorite Halloween themed film.  This comes from a dude who worships John Carpenter and has nothing but love for the original Halloween that’s saying something.  But you can’t deny how awesome of a Halloween film this is as it’s one of the only flicks (aside from the last Hidden Gem) that is completely focused on the traditions surrounding our favorite holiday.  We get the consequences behind not following the basic ones like leaving the decorations up all night, giving out candy and my personal favorite, always checking your candy before you eat it.  The people that don’t follow these basic rules are preyed upon by various townsfolk or by Sam, the most adorable malevolent spirit of Halloween you will ever see.  Sam is the thread that really connects all the stories.  Even the ones that seem to only be connected by a background character appearance have Sam sitting there watching the proceedings at some point.  In most cases he’s pleased but in a few instances, including the final story, he takes his vengeance on the assholes who don’t know how to respect Halloween.  His weapons of choice include a razor sharp lollipop and a chocolate bar with a razorblade inside it.  Pretty fucking glorious if you ask me.

 

The supporting cast is, interestingly enough, comprised of a bunch of people from Marvel movies.  We get Leslie Bibb from Iron Man, Dylan Baker from the Spider-Man films and Brian Cox and Anna Paquin from the X-Men flicks.  The latter is understandable since writer/director Michael Dougherty wrote X-Men 2.  The rest of the cast is pretty much made up of kids and unknowns but all of them are great, even the kids.  There really isn’t a single weak performance in this entire flick, and that makes it really effective.  Plus they die a lot.  While in most children heavy films the kids bog it down, in this they make it fun.

 

That word right there, fun, is what’s missing from a lot of horror movies these days.  Unlike the 80s, where there were just as many cheesy fun flicks as there were serious fright flicks, today most horror movies are bogged down in this super serious bullshit that only works so many times before it gets you jaded.  Trick ‘r Treat is a gleaming exception to this rule because the entire thing is a fucking blast.  True we get a ton of gore.  Decapitated heads, slashed Achilles tendons and shovel bludgeoning litter this thing.  The difference is that it’s never treated as a serious brutal occurrence and instead lets you sit there and laugh with glee as murder upon murder happens.  It’s fucking uncanny really.  Even the story about the school principal that murders children has some excellent dark comedy that will have you in stitches.

 

So seriously, if you have any love of Halloween and an appetite for some good horror thrills you need to check this out.  Luckily for you, you don’t even have to buy it if you get Fearnet.  The channel is having a 24 hour marathon of the movie this coming Halloween.  So set your DVR’s and come home from all your debauchery to see the best damn Halloween movie ever made.