Talk us through itThe small Ohio town of Warren Valley pulls out all the stops to have one heck of a Halloween party each year. Which is just as well really as not everything turning up for the event is strictly speaking human, not that we here at ScaryMinds are anti alternative lifestyle or anything. Well okay I might just have a problem with my Sister marrying a zombie, but I'm working on my prejudices. In four separate stories we find that you really should respect the institution of Halloween else Sam, the guardian spirit of the festival, is likely to get you. A young couple find out the hard way you shouldn't blow out the candles and fix up the yard till the day after Halloween. The local School Principle is a psychopath who has a special place in his heart for the children. A group of young people find out you shouldn't play practical jokes. An old dude has his past come back to haunt him, or at least to stop by for a snack. And the visiting hotties may not be what we think they are. We're talking psycho killers, werewolves, zombies, and a number of other Halloween favourites on the streets of Warren Valley, let's go trick or treating.
Review"Eight jack-o-lanterns, eight victims. So we're gonna place these jack-o-lanterns down by the lake as an offering to those who died." - SaraAnna Paquin carries the Down Under flag into this horror/comedy anthology and hence brings the movie to the notice of ScaryMinds, and a huge thanks to Anna for doing so. For anyone who has spent the last couple of decades meditating in a remote Himalayan village Anna is the Canadian born Kiwi actress who rose to prominence via Jane Campion's The Piano (a well deserved Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role), touched bases with the X-Men franchise as Rogue, and most recently has been starring in HBO's True Blood. Right let's bob for apples and see what razor blades might be in the sugary treats. Trick 'r Treat had been kicking around the offices of Warner Bros since 2006 with the company wondering exactly what to do with Michael Dougherty's anthology horror show centering around one Halloween evening. At various times the movie was promoted as getting a cinema release but was constantly being pushed back till finally in 2008 it was released direct to DVD. Naturally it took a while longer to arrive Down Under, but full advantage of that was taken by the R4 disc getting a swag of extra features that had been included on the R1 blu-ray release only. This is a pretty good package overall, though the discussions of Halloween included on the single disc release tend to be solidly U.S centric rather than looking at the Celtic origins. Whatever, guess we're just here for the movie kids so let's rock the boat on this bad boy. There are four interconnecting stories being told in Trick 'r Treat that are linked via character appearances, the spirit of Halloween personified by the character Sam, and by a sort of Creepshow use of a comic book device. The character aspect works as a linking device, Sam remains elusive throughout before taking direct involvement during the final story of the anthology, but the comic book angle isn't a happening thing. Either the comic was a nod and a wink to the earlier Romero/King anthology or Director Michael Dougherty had no understanding of how to use the device effectively. I'm tending towards the first explanation as Dougherty has this puppy on a short leash in all other aspects. Besides the obvious theme revolving round respecting the nuances of Halloween, always check your candy before eating, don't extinguish the pumpkin light on the night, etc, there is also a slight feeling Dougherty as a script writer is pointing out we are all anonymous on Halloween to some extent or other. While you can dress up to make belief you are something you are not, you can also hide what you are within your costume. There's a nice subtle vibe going on there if you want to check into it, or you could of course just sit back and enjoy the show. Dougherty touches bases with Stephen King's theory on the lupine, circa Danse Macabre, but doesn't run with the pack. The Director realises the Audience are here for a good time not a discourse on the human condition. Director Dougherty presents a superbly crafter movie that is definitely in the U.S surreal tradition of unreal colours and lights that doesn't at any stage head towards the cheese store or rely on sudden jump scenes or an ear splitting score to bludgeon the Audience into submission. At no stage did I fall into the movie and forget that I was watching something yet I grooved along to the various plot lines and was gainfully entertained throughout. The use of Sam as a narrative device, excellent POV to start the movie, was an enduring artifice that really worked in the context of this film. I could actually see a franchise developing here if handled correctly. 
One notable element to Dougherty's movie was the number of child casualties that mounted up through the course of Trick 'r Treat. It's always a calculated risk putting children in harm's way, get it wrong and you are going to face a barrage of protest, but the Director manages to pull it off without too much bruising. Does help that the vast majority of child characters meeting nefarious ends were obnoxious with the exception of perhaps Schrader I guess. There's even a hint of pathos going down that sort of works but isn't overly developed, Dougherty is digging his fork into a number of different pastas here, but the kids in the big yellow bus pull at the heartstrings in a genuinely solid piece of horror cinema. Actually you could have developed a whole movie around this aspect. Perhaps the only aspect that the movie falls down on is providing the actually scares to get us jumping and reeling. While the final story has some zing happening the rest of the stories are pretty much standard fare with more laughter involved than attempts at getting the audience jumping out of their seats. There's more of an attempt at horror comedy happening here than anything else, and if I had to be honest that pretty much matches the overall feeling of the movie. Trick 'r Treat is far more your start of Halloween evening viewing than your final selection for the evening. Anna Paquin (Laurie) doesn't get a lot of screen time but does deliver a solid performance as the "virgin" out to break her Halloween cherry. It's an intriguing role and Paquin delivers on all fronts.
Summary ExecutionWhile Trick 'r Treat isn't the best horror movie I've seen this year it's still going to be a regular Halloween night stable in the coming years. The movie is a lot of fun without overly taxing the intellect or causing new viewers to hide behind the sofa at any stage. A good solid horror flick that doesn't take itself seriously, I was entertained throughout.For a movie that was anticipated for quite some time, and we are talking years here, Trick 'r Treat has had a pretty good response from Down Under with most fans apparently happy with the movie. Of course I'm basing this off a couple of interactive sites with no actual research involved. If you dig those fairy tale style horror flicks that like a bit of a laugh and don't take themselves seriously then shake hands with Trick 'r Treat. The movie isn't going to cause you sleepless nights but it will entertain, try this treat no trick involved here.
ScaryMinds Rates this movie as ... Solid and entertaining look at Halloween U.S style.
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