If there's one thing I will never understand about movie business is the policy of studios refusing to release such gems as Trick 'r Treat for years in favor of obviously lesser efforts. Unjustly shut down by Warner, Mike Dougherty's impressive feature debut follows a number of different characters during a single Halloween night. The four interweaving stories are marked by the presence of Sam, a creepy kid who wears an iconic mask and delivers his own brand of mayhem. Trick 'r Treat isn't centered on graphic violence being a recent fad. Instead, it uses skillfully built tension and gallons of black humor to scare viewers. With this approach, the movie resembles Creepshow and the greatest episodes of Tales from the Crypt. Every sinister aspect of Halloween is explored through lavishly detailed set pieces, marvelous costumes, highly stylized cinematography and wonderfully orchestrated music. Trick 'r Treat not only thrives on its Gothic production values, but is also deftly scripted giving way to trickery, pitch-black humor and unexpected twists of faith. It's visible that Daugherty superbly understands this kind of cinema as his direction never fails to be haunting. Overall, Trick 'r Treat is a truly remarkable horror film soon to be regarded as a Halloween classic.
Review of Trick 'r Treat
Trick 'r Treat
(2007)
a truly remarkable horror film soon to be regarded as a Halloween classic
25 March 2010