TRICK 'R TREAT [BLU-RAY] (2008)

Trick ‘r Treat is an anthology film of sorts that tells six separate Halloween-inspired stories. The stories are loosely interconnected in that they all take place on the same Halloween evening in the same small American town. In one story a serial killer finds out how difficult it can be to bury a corpse in one’s own backyard. In another segment a vicious prank by some kids go horribly wrong. In the final story a Scrooge-like old man who hates Halloween is tormented by a pint-sized pumpkin-headed demon.

How all the strands interconnect sometimes doesn’t always work out – and the same goes for the movie itself. Some bits don’t work, but the good outweigh the bad by far. Clever, energetic (the pace never lets up), well-acted with some great photography and moody production designs, Trick ‘r Treat is, well, a welcome treat for horror fans this Halloween.

While Trick ‘r Treat is ostensibly based on Halloween traditions and folklore, it is however more inspired by old 1950s EC horror comics such as Tales from the Crypt in which audience expectations are always overturned and dislikeable characters always get their comeuppance. (Stylistically the movie also replicates he feel of a comic book with some callouts! It should come as no surprise that director Dougherty worked as a writer on X-Men 2 and Superman Returns . . .)

THE DISC: The film’s gorgeous widescreen photography looks fantastic in this 1080p high-definition 16x9 image transfer. The special features are worthwhile too: an audio commentary by the director, an interesting documentary about the roots of Halloween, some deleted scenes with the director’s commentary) and an animated short by the director. A well-rounded disc in all.

WORTH IT? A fun and enjoyable horror outing, Trick ‘r Treat is custom-made for Halloween viewing. Pick this one instead of those moronic Halloween remakes by Rob Zombie!

RECOMMENDATION: If you don’t want to check out SAW XVII at the cinemas this Halloween, then stay at home and watch Trick ‘r Treat instead. It may not be quite a future classic of the genre, but it’s still pretty worthwhile.