Review by Josh Felty
As a child of the 1980's, I grew up on a steady diet of horror, comedy, and adventure movies. The first movie I ever saw (and got thoroughly scared at) was the first Ghostbusters, at the tender age of three; I have the distinct recollection of hiding my eyes when Stay Puft and the demonic dogs appeared onscreen. It wasn't until years later that I truly appreciated the Murray/Akyroyd/Ramis romp, mostly because I watched it every single day. The same thing happened with The Goonies, Halloween, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and a slew of other personal classics. It's hard to explain, but there are some cinematic wonders that stick with you and hit all the right pressure points. This movie is one of those that if it were released on VHS back in 1988, the tape would have fallen apart in our VCR.
The film consists of four meticulously intertwined stories, all centered around the Halloween-happy small town in Ohio. This place goes all out for the ancient holiday: parades, a street-party, and plenty of (you guessed it) trick-r-treating. But underneath everything, the most sinister nightmares abound. Real nightmares, some familiar, all played out with a suspenseful edge and impeccable dark comedy; imagine if Spielberg's style turned darker sometime after E.T. (with maybe Tarantino's non-linear style and John Carpenter's aesthetic thrown in) and you'd have a close approximation to the beauty of the way everything about this one plays out.
I was reminded of the many Saturday nights watching Nickelodeon's "Are You Afraid of the Dark"; only this is how that show would have turned out if that show weren't on cable. Things aren't broken up into neat little chapters here; every character has a cameo in almost every scene, a very impressive choice I feel. There's also a welcome vibe with the comic-inspired vignettes that pull everything together (which is no surprise, since this was written/directed by Michael Dougherty of X-Men: United, one of my favorite comic-book hero inspired movies).
First off, there's Sam, the ever-present pajama-wearing child character with a disturbing burlap sack mask. The reason I say disturbing is because children in horror movies, especially children with evil little giggles and sinister intentions, are very much so. If you don't believe me, watch "The Children." Sam has his own part of the story, which includes a curmudgeonly old man, Mr. Kreeg (played by the infamous Brian Cox). Kreeg is the Ebenezer Scrooge of All Hallow's Eve, and you'll find out why in the end. There's also a quartet of sexy college girls dressed as classic fairy-tale females, most notably Anna Paquin of "True Blood" fame in a Little Red Riding Hood costume. Laurie and her friends are simply breathtaking on all levels. Let's just say you'll be thoroughly surprised and exhilarated with the "Surprise Party" segment. That's all I'm gonna say.
Another segment includes a school principal, Mr. Wilkins, and his very sadistic urges, expertly portrayed by the ever-unsettling Dylan Baker. I loved the exchange between Mr. Wilkins and his little boy, which honestly had me in stitches by the end of the backyard scene. Baker always plays dark, unhinged characters and it is always nice to see him in full form. From Mr. Wilkins' front porch, we are introduced to four kids on a jack o' lantern collecting mission. On their journey, they pick up an idiot-savant girl named Rhonda who really doesn't know what's in store as they make way for an abandoned rock quarry with its own supernatural urban legend attached to it. And of course, the dominant female of the group, Macy, tells it with such epic flourish over a simply exquisite flashback. Again, kids on a school bus in Halloween costumes, faces concealed; the definition of "effing disturbing in a good way".
I'm not gonna give away anymore of Trick 'r Treat; I feel as though perhaps I've given away far too much. Just go watch it, good people. It's a Christmas card for all horror movie fans with plenty of blood, dark humor, and ; but more than that, it's an ode to everyone who ever had their parents rifle through their plastic jack o' lantern for the proverbial razor blades in the candy.
We all know about that clever ploy.
I wouldn't be going out on a limb in saying that Trick 'r Treat could be considered a remake of sorts, in the sense that it takes very conventional horror stories and turns them on their ear, spinning them in a fresh and exciting new direction. And that's what any good story does. I've really stepped down from my "remakes suck" soapbox; good flicks are good and bad ones are...well, we won't talk about the bad ones. Though even bad movies can have redeeming qualities and memories attached to them.
Trick 'r Treat is indelibly an essential Halloween movie; I would suggest you to watch it all year round, but particularly when the veil between the living and the dead is at its most thin. It has quickly become one my favorite movies of the year. If you don't at least step away from it with great appreciation, then you may wanna check your pulse. While I wouldn't recommend this for all age groups (it may keep the littlest ones up all night), I will say this is an ideal pick for more experienced trick 'r treaters and up, especially for the Halloween Scrooges and those, like myself, who miss trouncing door-to-door behind a hockey mask...collecting candy, of course.