An appreciation by Bob Ignizio
No disrespect to John Carpenter, but
it’s hard to think of a movie that better captures the spirit of
Halloween than Michael Dougherty’s superb anthology TRICK
R TREAT. At times this film has an almost childlike sense
of magic, mischief, and fun. But just like the pagan holiday it
celebrates, beneath TRICK R
TREAT’s harmless looking surface lurks death, nastiness,
and horror. A healthy dose of black humor and poetic justice
straight out of horror comics like Tales From the Crypt
ensures that the witch’s brew isn’t too bitter. It’s not so
much scary as it is fun in the same macabre and grisly way that urban
legends and campfire horror stories are. Comparisons to the eighties
horror anthology CREEPSHOW
are not entirely unfounded, but aside from the opening credits the
tone is less one of overt comic book homage and more dark fantasy.
Unlike most horror anthologies, TRICK
R TREAT has no distinct framing sequence or host
character. There’s only the mysterious trick or treater Sam (Quinn
Lord), who wears a burlap sack with button eyes for a mask. He's
always lurking somewhere in the background of each story, only taking
center stage for the final segment. What ties the film together is
that all the stories take place over the span of a few hours one
Halloween night in the town of Warren Falls, OH, though we don't see
them play out in strict chronological order. Characters featured in
one segment pop up as supporting players or cameos in others, in some
cases after we’ve already witnessed their demise. It’s kind of
like a horror PULP FICTION,
with asides about Halloween traditions replacing Tarantino’s pop
culture references.
Busy character actor Dylan Baker
probably gets the most screen time of anyone in the cast (other than
Sam) as Steven, a school principal with more than a few dark secrets.
Other familiar faces include Brian Cox as a mean old man who chases
away trick or treaters and is just begging for a come-uppance, Anna
Paquin as a shy young girl hoping to find the right guy for her
“first time”, and Battlestar Galactica’s Tahmoh Penikett
as a Halloween loving husband whose wife doesn’t share his
enthusiasm for the holiday. There’s also an assortment of fine
child actors, some of whose characters meet unpleasant ends. If
kiddie death in a movie bothers you, even one as obviously a fantasy
as this one, consider yourself warned.
For an anthology film, TRICK
R TREAT is surprisingly cohesive and consistent. No doubt
everyone will have their favorite segments, but the whole actually
adds up to more than just the sum of its parts. This film had only a
limited theatrical run, mainly at festivals, while countless mediocre
and downright bad horror films played in multiplexes everywhere.
Sadly, that's what happens to most modern horror films these days
that don't have marketable stars and/or aren't sequels or remakes.
Regardless, TRICK R TREAT
is now available to watch at home, and horror fans are well advised
to check it out lest they anger the Halloween spirits.
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