Trick 'r Treat (2007)
Starring: Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Dylan Baker
Writer: Michael Dougherty
Director: Michael Dougherty
Synopsis:
Trick 'r Treat is 4 short stories with an additional opening and conclusion that take place on Halloween. While they all have their own thing going on, key elements are interlaced within each tale that tie them together. Much like Cat'sEye used a cat, Trick r Treat uses Sam; a trick or treater dressed in orange pajamas with his head covered by a burlap sack with button eyes. Sam is there to keep people in check, making sure the rules aren't broken. So sit back and enjoy the tales of The Principal, The School Bus Massacre Revisited, Surprise Party, and Meet Sam!
Random:
The Halloween Safety educational video that starts it all off is excellent, and the way it cuts out really sets the tone for what's coming. For the film's completely amazing title sequence, story boards were modified into comic book form, accompanied by an awesome slightly Elfman-like film score by Douglas Pipes. For realism, real pictures from Dylan Baker's youth were used for the interior of his character Principal Wilkins' house. Since candy in the movie was being displayed as poisoned or containing razor blades buried beneath chocolate bars, name brands were not allowed. Candy names were made up; one was named after a member of the crew, while some titles were just created out of wit --Holly Hos and Big Fudge Log.
Rant:
There's a couple of bad ass crane cam sequences; ****spoilers→one goes from the ground to an overhead view of Mr. Wilkins in his backyard digging a grave←spoilers**** --at one point, there's an excellent overhead view of Kreeg and Wilkins' backyards, divided by a wood fence. Another goes from Rhonda's --a character from The School Bus Massacre Revisited-- front porch and pulls all the way back and over the picket fence to show a wide shot of Jack-O-Lantern epicness. We get some cool ass far up shots at the abandoned rock quarry, too. ****spoilers→There's a couple of awesome shallow focus sequences that help hide that fact that Laurie (Anna Paquin) is being pursued by the masked vampire, while she's on the prowl for a man at the town Halloween parade←spoilers****, in the Surprise Party story. I really dig the shit out of the segue scenes; one of which takes you into the The School Bus Massacre Revisited by way of leaves blowing around in the wind --this entire back-story is shown with yellow and orange color manipulation, giving an aged effect, as well as truly putting the time of year into perspective. Another one takes you from a shot of Sam's burlap sacked head into a beautiful overhead blood orange moon. The overall look of Trick 'r Treat is the closest depiction of Halloween, as far as I'm concerned.
Interesting to note: Rhonda's yard of Jack-O-Lanterns are a mix of real and Styrofoam pumpkins, which were provided by a company called Funkins. I am buying one of these next year, for sure.
I love the hell out of the way the timeline of this movie is mapped out, and how it all comes together in the end. The robot and Buck character's -- from the film opening-- show up damn near in every story at least once, either walking by bickering to one another or bumping into a character that the story at hand is centering on. There's a scene following the comic title sequence which follows Charlie (Brett Kelly) the pumpkin smasher -- from The Principle-- while he passes all kinds of vital characters in the upcoming tales. Then you got Sam showing up all over the place. The small hints of things to come are brilliant, too, such as the dialog between the four girls --from Surprise Party-- in the dressing room towards the films beginning. Multiple viewings make this movie even more fucking magical than it already is. ****spoilers→Everything the two sisters and their friends talk about is really an underlying explanation of what they are←spoilers****.
The homages:
Henry (Tahmoh Pinikett) and Emma (Leslie Bibb) dressed as ghetto Buck Rogers and box-shaped robot Twiki. The kids walking to the rock quarry is a nod to the montage-like sequence in Halloween III, It's the Great Pumpkin, Chralie Brown and Goonies. Brian Cox made a special request for the appearance of Mr. Kreeg to look like John Carpenter, and he pretty much does. He even breathes heavily. I'm not saying Carpenter is a heavy breather, but I wouldn't be surprised, since the dude is basically a walking cigarette. Additionally, the showdown in Kreeg's house is a reference to the Peltzer home attack in Gremlins, ****spoilers→as well as paying some respect to Gage Creed and his happy slashy antics in Pet Sematary. Lastly, when Kreeg falls down the stairs rolling through a mix of candy and razor blades, a single gum drop comes bouncing down the steps --a nod to the bouncing ball scene in The Changeling, and it's actually shot by the same camera operator←spoilers****. I'm sure there are more, but that's the beauty of Trick 'r Treat; every time I watch it I see something new.
I'm only gonna comment on a few of the actors; with this being an anthology film, there are just too many performances to make mention of. Dylan Baker as Wilkins in The Principal is definitely a highlight. The character is multilayered, even if you can tell something's a bit off about him at all times. Baker is quite humorous and hammy when he needs to be. Brian Cox plays Mr. Kreeg, a neighborhood Grinch of Halloween in Meet Sam. This isn't my favorite character in the film, but it's for sure one of the top performances. Paquin and her pack of friends are good (and hot) in Surprise Party, as are the group of kids in The School Bus Massacre Revisited. Out of the kids, Samm Todd as Rhonda really sticks out- decked out in her witch getup tossing about her overzealous passion for Halloween and back knowledge on the holiday. She rules, and is given one of the most righteous moments in the entire film.
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- I dig the fuck out of the SFX in this flick. The bulk of it is practical, though there are a few CG enhancements. You want to see some smart use of CGI mixed with miniatures and matte paintings? Watch the side-by-side comparison of how the bus crash was done at the rock quarry, it's fucking amazing. Trick 'r Treat also has one of the best damned werewolf multi-transformation sequences I've seen in fuck... I dunno, but it's a while. The girls pull the skin of their backs apart and rip off their arm and leg flesh as if they are tearing away jacket sleeves. This sequence is enhanced in a few areas with CGI, but it's not off-putting, otherwise I wouldn't praise this moment as much as I do. I do have to bring this up... I fucking hate Marilyn Manson and was on the verge of groaning that this werewolf excellence is accompanied by the Sweet Dreams Eurythmics cover. Surprisingly, it works really well, and it's probably the only time I will show approval for Marilyn Manson. Anyway, further awesome creature effects are the exposure of what Sam looks like under that burlap sack, and it's damn memorable. Love the look and what he's made of. There's also the zombie kids revived from the urban legend school bus massacre, and they are freaky as shit! As for gore, there's a nasty broken bone, a chocolate barf scene, slashings with utility knives and bitten lollipops, and more.
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I know I mentioned that there is some Elfman-like approach in a bit of Douglas Pipes' film score, but summing it up as just that doesn't really do it justice. The music serves as a factor of remembrance of being a child on Halloween. It has the creepiness when it needs too, the make your neck hair stand up shit, but it also has a magical fairytale feel to it... as does the film. It's a really beautiful score. It's weird to watch deleted and/or extended scenes where the music isn't present. It proves how hard hitting a film score can actually be.
I was on a message board reading a comparison debate between John Carpenter's Halloween and Michael Dougherty's Trick 'r Treat. Not a debate of which film is better, but which one musters up that feeling of the season more. Of course, most people were going with Halloween. I can appreciate that off of nostalgic value alone, but then there's the whole “Halloween is an awesome fucking film” thing and that has a lot to do with it, too. But would Carp's film truly put me in that festive seasonal mood if I were to throw away the fact that I have a 25+ year relationship with it? Probably not. I still watch it every year but more so out of habit than anything else. In my opinion, Halloween III chimes in more with the season; it revolves around the holiday for a specific reason. You don't learn about any of that Michael Myers Samhain shit until part 2.
Don't misread me; I'm not hating on Carpenter's film. I'm just saying with a slight few changes his movie could have taken place on Shatner's fucking birthday, or any day. Would it have been as effective? Hah, no, but the only reason Halloween might put me in the Halloween mood is simply because I grew up watching it on Halloween. Trick 'r Treat on the other hand, arouses what the day was like as a child, as a mid teen and as it was all through my twenties. Trick or Treating, urban legends, checking your candy, smashing pumpkins, an entire town decorated, the one creepy dude that resides in every neighborhood who hates Halloween, partying your ass off, getting laid... it's all there for me, only told from the more fearful side of it. That makes it even better, because fear has always been in the back of my head when I was having a good time. Carpenter's Halloween has a lot of these elements too, but it doesn't live within them. Remember, this isn't about which film is better; it's about which one puts you more in touch with the holiday. As far as I'm concerned, Michael Dougherty's Trick 'r Treat IS Halloween.
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