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A fantastic horror anthology just in time for Halloween.

Every year the month of October is inundated with horror films.  Some hit the theaters, TV and cable play them constantly, but hit hardest of all is the DVD market.  New special editions of old films hold off for release during this horror centric month, but there are plenty of new and/or direct-to-DVD flicks in contention for your viewing time.  Sure some of them are decent, but most are nothing to write home about.  For years now there has been the ultimate movie to watch on All Hallows Eve - John Carpenter’s influential slasher Halloween.  No film ever really comes close as the ultimate Halloween horror flick, until now.  A couple of years ago a little movie called Trick ‘r Treat was set to come out when it was unexplainable shelved by Warners.  Here we are, two years later, and the public finally gets a chance to see this film with a direct-to-DVD release. 

The film takes you through four different interweaving stories on Halloween night in Warren Valley, Ohio. A few things connect the story but the main one is a mysterious kid with a burlap pumpkin-like mask named Sam (Quinn Lord).  One story follows a principal (Dylan Baker) with a dark passion for the holiday traditions and must teach those who do not appreciate them.  Another story takes four girls going out to a big costume party looking for dates and a good time.  One of the girls, Laurie (Anna Paquin), is the shy virgin of the group and the one guy who gives her attention is not the one she wants.  Four school age kids head out to an abandoned rock quarry to tell the tale of a local urban legend involving a bus full of kids and they get more than they expected.  Finally, an old curmudgeon, Mr. Kreeg (Brian Cox), gets a visit from someone teaching him the consequence of forgoing the normal Halloween traditions. 

Anthology horror films are a ton of fun.  You get shorter stories with all the violence normally packed into one, so there is no lull to the film, everything happens right away.  All the fun stuff with no filler.  I have been a big fan of a few different anthology films over the years, my favorite being Creepshow.  Now after watching Trick ‘r Treat I have a tie for the number one spot on my list.  Everything about this film exudes awesome.  Horror fans will flip over the four stories shown here, each one of them hitting the right note.  With all of the crap horror films released theatrically you would think one of the few gems that comes along would get a release.  Nope.  Hard to believe Warners shelved this in favor of whatever else they were working on for two years and then it doesn’t even get a proper theatrical release.  A few film festivals and special screenings, but the majority of the country is left to, hopefully, discover this on a rental or retail store shelf. 

The writer/director of the film is Michael Dougherty who previously has been known more as the writer behind such superhero fare as X2 and Superman Returns.  It’s pretty safe to say that the horror genre is one that suits him much more.  All of the stories fit together really well, there are even little touches like characters from other story lines walking by in the background.  Small touches like that are something to really help the overall connections in the film.  Of course, everything is not just about connections.  Dougherty’s writing is great and packs some great jolts in 82 minutes, and a few laughs along the way as well.  Not so much humor to define this as a horror-comedy, but the perfect amount to give a little relief, a little camp and then back to assaulting the viewer with horror.  It’s all part of the vibe set by Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror and the other EC Comics of the 50s - the main influence on most anthology horror outings.

Each one of the stories, including the fun little opening involving a couple at the end of their Halloween partying tether, has its own wonderful way of telling the story.  The story of the school bus massacre urban legend within the kids’ story is wonderfully shot and captured in such a short time.  I would love to tell you more about the story but I would just give things away.  One of the downsides to vignettes is the are so short you cannot really talk about them without giving away all the good stuff.

One aspect of the film I would be remiss if I didn’t mention is the production design, art department side of things.  Every shot encapsulates the fall season perfectly and transports you to the quiet small town on your television screen.  The fall color palate comes through not just in the leaves, but in the costumes, the lighting and the army of jack-o-lanterns everywhere.  The props team had to have their hands full with all of those jack-o-laterns, one yard is absolutely filled with them.  I know they were all foam or plastic, but that is still a lot to keep up with.  After watching this my mission is to fill my front porch with creepy pumpkins by Halloween night.

Included on the DVD release is one lone feature, but it is a pretty cool one.  Season’s Greetings is an animated short Dougherty put together in 1996.  In this less than four minute silent cartoon the world was introduced to the likes of Sam.  This went on to play on MTV back in the day during their barrage of animated shorts they would show, Sci-Fi Channel and countless other places.  You can also watch the short with commentary by Dougherty on the painstaking process of hand animation.  Sadly, that is it in the features department.  The Blu-Ray version does have a few extra features - a behind the scenes featurette, a piece on the legend and lore of Halloween, some deleted scenes and a few others - but if you get the standard DVD you seem to get the shaft.  One feature missing from both editions is a commentary track on the feature film.  I would love to hear what the creator has to say about this lovely fright flick. 

The bottom line here is get this film.  The Blu-Ray is the better choice for extras, but if you only have a standard DVD player do not let that stop you.  Sure renting it would be fine, but by the time it’s over you’re just going to want to own the thing.  This is definitely one to be played every year in contention with Halloween.  What a great double feature that would make.  Well, I know what I’m doing come All Hallows Eve.

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