Trick ‘r Treat – Blu-ray Review

The Film:

Trick ‘r Treat might be one of the best films to never get a proper theatrical run. I don’t understand why. The film looks beautiful and features some great storytelling. Warner Brothers should feel ashamed for their mishandling of this film, as it was just sitting in limbo for over two years. Horror fans will almost make any horror film successful at the box office regardless of quality, and that’s the most perplexing thing when thinking about why WB didn’t release it in the theaters. The film is superb, and a good horror film would have gotten the word-of-mouth to bring audiences in.

Trick ‘r Treat will challenge John Carpenter’s classic Halloween as the film voice for the holiday.

What writer/director Michael Dougherty (X2: X-Men United) does is he gives us an anthology film, but not in the tradition of Creepshow. He handles it much like Crash, the film involves numerous characters, and although they don’t directly contact each other, the film weaves them in and out. On second thought, I think the film is more comparable to Richard Linklater’s Slackers. So the film is devoid of the typical story structure of the anthology film, as it feels like a reinvention of the genre. The story feature werewolves, serial killers, and zombies, but it’s a celebration of the Halloween as a holiday is. The Jack O’ Lanterns, the costumes, the spooky fun, is all here to showcase the spirit of Halloween.

Another thing is that the stories won’t age, since they have this timeless feel to them, making the film’s replay value high. All anthology films seem to have some sort of narrator or guide for us into the stories, and Trick ‘r Treat has Sam. He’s a mysterious little boy, who seems to pop in and out of the film, watching or participating in the stories, like the final segment involving a bitter old man, who hates Halloween. Dougherty wanted Sam to be the mascot for Halloween, and in time, I think Michael Myers will recede that role for Sam. He is a unique creation.

Finally, a film worthy of the hype. Trick ‘r Treat delivers some fantastic visuals through the cinematography and some solid, original storytelling. Too bad we couldn’t have enjoyed this theatrically, but I expect many fright fans will make Trick ‘r Treat a staple in their Halloween parties. Dougherty wanted to make a film that celebrated the many traditions of Halloween, and that’s what the film is. For us, we’ll celebrate a true gem of modern horror.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: The film’s slick visuals look beautiful on Blu-ray. Colors like the oranges and reds pop off the screen. Details are high and there are no source damages. If there is one issue I found, is that the blacks are a little gray. It’s minor in what is a stellar transfer. The audio is good as well. The moody atmosphere is represented. Bass heavy and plenty of directional elements, your experience is complete with such a good mix.

Commentary: Dougherty is here as well with some crew as they talk pretty candidly about the origin of the production. We also get the discuss the limbo the film was in for years. Sadly, there are some dead spots, but it’s worth a listen once.

All extras are in standard definition.

The Lore and Legends of Halloween: Here’s a unique way of bringing us a making of documentary. Mixing historical facts from historians about the holiday of Halloween, with the typical making of material, offers a fun, but informative look at both the film and the holiday. It’s narrated by Brain Cox, and is highly recommended to watch.

Season’s Greetings: This is an amazing short film Michael Dougherty did while in film school. It’s animated and features Sam. This would become the genesis for Trick ‘r Treat and is really good. There’s an optional commentary track for it, that’s worth listening too.

Additional Scenes: Here are some deleted scenes that are sort of interesting. If anything, you can see Dougherty’s complete vision, but if left in would have ruined the pacing of the film. There’s an optional commentary track for this as well.

School Bus FX: This simple and quick minute long piece shows us how they incorporated some CG FX into the film.

Conclusion: Trick ‘r Treat is worth the hype and worth buying sight unseen. Be prepared for a new Halloween classic. The Blu-ray is superb too, with solid presentation and extras.

The Film: Rating:

The Blu-ray: Rating: