Director: Michael Dougherty
Cast: Dylan Baker, Rochelle Aytes, Anna Paquin, Brian Cox
Screenplay: Michael Dougherty
82 mins. Rated R for horror violence, some sexuality/nudity and language.

I had this tendency to buy movies a lot in college, especially during tense times. Hell, I guess I still do that. In 2009, I remember perusing the aisles of Best Buy (back in my day, they sold DVDs there!) and coming across a copy of Trick ‘r Treat, little known at that time, but freshly on home video after being shelved by Warner Bros. I purchased it, took it home, put it on the shelf…and never watched it. After awhile, it became this thing that I would watch so many horror movies in October, and I’d always wait until Halloween to watch Trick ‘r Treat. Then, something would come up, and I’d miss it. It felt weird on November 1st, so I just said I’ll wait until next year. Well, this year, I decided enough is enough, so I’m watching it the first week of October. It’s my damn movie, I’ll do what I want, and you know what? It’s pretty damn great.

It’s October 31st, All Hallows Eve, Samhain. This is a night of tricks and treats, of magic and evil, of traditions and superstitions. Before us this evening are several tales: a principal teaches his student about the dangers of not checking ones candy, several kids visit the site of a horrible Halloween school bus massacre, a group of attractive 20-somethings try to find dates for their woodsy Halloween party, and a curmudgeon defends his home from a demonic entity in a burlap mask.

At a brisk run time (82 minutes!), Trick ‘r Treat jams a lot into its narrative, and if you’re looking for Halloween season vibes, this anthology is jam-packed with endless autumnal vibes. Jack-o-lanterns galore, an unending supply of crackling leaves, and costumed youths parading about make for an excellent environment for spooky tales. Writer/Director Michael Dougherty (Godzilla: King of the Monsters) is clearly having fun with the notion of Halloween tales, and he’s chosen such Americana-esque imagery to focus on, allowing an almost universal reaction to the world he’s capturing.

Dougherty’s film boasts a stacked cast of capable performers, including X-Men performers (Dougherty scripted X2) Anna Paquin (The Irishman) as one of the young women looking for a Halloween date and Brian Cox (Fantastic Mr. Fox) as the grumpy Mr. Kreeg. He also cast Dylan Baker (Spider-Man 2) as Principal Steven based on his disturbing performance in Happiness. All three are highlights make the most of their short screen time and elevate the fairly rudimentary stories.

On the subject of the individual stories, I do believe that his script is a little light and simple. Trick ‘r Treat survives and thrives due to its energy and spirit, but the stories are a little too by-the-numbers, with more often than not being easily predictable. I’d argue that most anthologies that work do so by having stories with clever stingers, and these were a little simplistic. I also think a re-edit where each story is presented fully rather than jumping around would aid the overall pacing of the stories (as it stands, Mr. Kreeg’s fight with Sam is the only story to be presented in total).

Trick ‘r Treat is a lot of fun, and it runs so quick that it feels like a movie you could watch over and over again this time of year. I regret waiting on it so long, as I feel like it’s the perfect late-night movie for when the clock has ticked past 11:59pm on Halloween, the trick-or-treaters have all gone home, and all that’s left is to relax and drift to sleep with one last spooky tale.

4/5
-Kyle A. Goethe

• For my review of Michael Dougherty’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, click here.
• For more 31 Days of Horror, click here.