Trick 'r Treat (2007)

The residents of a small Ohio town are celebrating Halloween to the fullest. Both young and old are in on the fun, melting their troubles away. However, those who disrespect the traditions of the holiday could suffer dire consequences. At the time this film was being made, there was a lot of hype surrounding it. The combination of everyone's favorite October holiday and an anthology format was very appealing. Unfortunately, what was meant for theatrical release was instead shelved, not to see the light of day for a couple years.

Writer/Director Michael Dougherty made his feature debut with this film and it's most impressive. It's obvious from the very start that he has great affection for both Halloween and the genre. In fact, though the film is set in present day, it's more in the spirit of Horror of the late 80s and early 90s. The fact that his film didn't receive a big screen release as planned is a real slap in the face. Rumor has it that one of the reasons was so that they wouldn't be competing with Lionsgate's Saw IV. Obviously nothing has changed in Hollywood, which continues to churn out remakes and sequels in favor of fresh projects.

Anthology films are ensemble pieces, and the one brought together here is ever strong. The standout is character actor Dylan Baker, who strikes a good balance between kindly and wicked. There are many youngsters in the cast, all of which do well and are not at all obnoxious. Also amazing is their surroundings, which are dripping with spooky ambiance. The production design is phenomenal and may offer some great decorating tips for those who go all out. Add to that some atmospheric cinematography, which really captures the essence of the day.

One thing that can make or break a Horror film is it's score. Douglas Pipes creates one that is both beautiful and haunting. Now there are plenty of horrific things going on lots of dark imagery, but the film is not deadly serious. Dougherty has peppered his script with some humor that is both dark and quirky. He's also put in lots of juicy twists and turns to keep things from getting too predictable. Just when you think something is going to go one way, you get quite the surprise.

This is not a big showcase for special effects like Hellraiser or A Nightmare on Elm Street, but there are some goodies here. *Spoiler Alert* The werewolf transformation sequence is simple, but very well done and different from what we've seen before *End Spoiler*. Though not overly gory, there are some moments where a limb is severed or a gash is received. The really good news is that all these effects and others are practical, including the blood. Had this been a studio film, I can imagine certain things would have been partially or all in digital.

At 77 minutes the film moves at a good pace, but this is also one of it's faults. Being so short, the film leaves one wanting more and easily could have been at least 85 minutes. Another issue is the though the material is disturbing and the film is rated R, Trick 'r Treat isn't very scary. It's not really the kind of Horror film that makes you want to keep the lights on at night. One last big flaw is the convoluted structure, which gets a bit annoying after a while. After all is said and done though, this is a treat that no self-respecting Horror fan should miss out on.

8/10