Review: Trick 'r Treat [DVD]

As Halloween is fast approaching I thought it'd be fun to share info on a few of  the horror films on my DVD shelf [It'll only be a few as I've only just decided to do this now] and what better way to start then with my new-favourite film TRICK 'R TREAT?

☽☽☽☽☽/☽☽☽☽☽

TRICK 'R TREAT contains four interweaving stories taking place on Halloween night in a small town in Ohio.
We get to see friendly school principal Mr Wilkin's secret life as a serial killer, while a group of his students prepare to play a cruel prank on classmate Wanda. Meanwhile virginal Laurie and her man-hungry sorority sisters are visiting town for a party and she decides tonight's THE night and a grouchy old recluse who hates Halloween recieves an unwelcome trick or treater.

I remember reading about a upcoming horror film called TRICK 'R TREAT way back in 2006. It was going to be a similar style to cult classic Creepshow and would recieve a cinematic release in October 2007. Then it's release was pushed back to October 2008.

So I eagerly waited and waited... and eventually forgot all about it, until I happened to come across it last week. So how did it fare under the weight of four years of anticipation?


Wow covers my thoughts nicely. I honestly can't remember the last time I enjoyed a film so much; It just ticks all of the boxes for me. The acting is solid, the pace never drags, the visuals are stunning and the balance between tension, gore and comedy is spot on.

The style is a bit similar to Creepshow in that there are four seperate stories at play; But here they are all in motion at the same time, the characters sometimes cross paths and we go back and forth in the timeline by a few hours.


I thought Laurie and her tale stood above the others as that plot thread has the biggest twist. That's not to say that the other threads pale in comparison - they don't. But if you have seen a few horror movies you'll find them a bit predictable. The prankster kids is the weakest link on the predictability score, but it's still fun to watch it all unfold.

One word of warning: I keep calling it a horror film, but it's not really. I'd class it as a dark comedy. There are a few jumpy bits and moderate gore, but if you want a true horror film look elsewhere.


TRICK 'R TREAT was written and directed by Michael Dougherty (He also wrote X-men and Superman Returns).

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Special features
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Trick r Trick: The Lore and legends of Halloween
27 minute documentry exploring the origin of Halloween and how they are intermingled in the film. It contains snippets from the film, so don't watch this before the film.

Additional Scenes
17 minutes; Features 6 extended scenes, they run as one reel.

Trick r Treat: Season's Greetings
3 minute cartoon  focusing on character Sam.

School Bus FX Comparison
1 minute; Split screen of the bus in the quarry.


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Technical details
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RRP: £12.99
Format: Anamorphic, PAL
Subtitles: English, Arabic, Bulgarian, Croatian, Dutch, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovenian, Castilian Spanish
Region: Region 2
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 1.78:1 
Classification: 15


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The cast
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Dylan Baker ... Steven
Rochelle Aytes ... Maria
Quinn Lord ... Sam
Lauren Lee Smith ... Danielle
Moneca Delain ... Janet
Tahmoh Penikett ... Henry
Brett Kelly ... Charlie
Britt McKillip ... Macy
Isabelle Deluce ... Sara
Jean-Luc Bilodeau ... Schrader
Alberto Ghisi ... Chip
Samm Todd ... Rhonda
Anna Paquin ... Laurie
Brian Cox ... Mr. Kreeg
Leslie Bibb ... Emma


Amazon currently stock it at the bargain price of £4.49 and it's eligiable for free delivery too.
As you can tell I love this movie and just can't recommend it highly enough.