Trick ‘R Treat is a great anthology horror film with some solid performances from the ensemble cast but it’s Michael Dougherty’s script that really stood out telling a compelling interconnected story that still managed to illicit some well done twists.
Trick ‘R Treat
— Collector’s Edition —
(2007)
Genre(s): Horror, Comedy
Shout Factory | R – 82 min. – $34.93 | October 9, 2018
Date Published: 10/24/2018 | Author: The Movieman
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Shout Factory provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 4.0/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Interwoven stories demonstrate that some traditions are best not forgotten as the residents (DYLAN BAKER, ANNA PAQUIN, BRIAN COX) of a small town face real ghosts and goblins on Halloween. Tales of terror reveal the consequences of extinguishing a Jack-o-Lantern before midnight and a grumpy hermit’s encounter with a sinister trick-or-treater. Review: For one reason or another, I had never seen Trick ‘R Treat in the 9 since its initial Blu-ray/DVD release. Well, I guess better late than never because I had a blast watching this uniquely put together anthology horror film that almost seamlessly connects each story and although it might make your head hurt attempting to figure out when each even happens (for instance, one story you see a couple walk buy during a parade/party, the same couple who open up the movie, one of whom meets a grisly death).
Both the writing and direction from Michael Dougherty were well done, more impressed with the script more so than some solid directing from the filmmaker marking his debut as a director, though he did previously have writing credits for X-Men 2 and Superman Returns (both films helmed by Bryan Singer), and post TRT has scripted Krampus, X-Men: Apocalypse and the upcoming Godzilla: King of Monsters. What struck me about this script was, and this is a term used most recently to describe Star Wars: The Last Jedi, how it subverted expectations and did it amazingly well, making for one twist that back in the day did surprise audiences. The performances from a respectable cast was a lot of fun, most notably Dylan Baker playing an absolutely creepy serial killer (not too surprising given his turn as a murderer on Law & Order: Criminal Intent), Brian Cox as an awnry old man facing off against the pumpkin man named Sam was great; and Anna Paquin veers again into fantasy land akin to her role on True Blood. Also special accomidations for Leslie Bibb as she did well for a relatively small, yet important, part.
In the end, as someone who hasn’t been a big fan of anthologies finding most of them on the whole being worthwhile, and I include Crrepshown in that, Trick ‘R Treat really did the job amazingly well and can see why the movie has garnered a healthy following in the years since its release. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 4.0/5 |
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This “Collector’s Edition” release comes with a matted slip cover while the interior cover is reversible revealing the movie’s original poster artwork. Audio Commentary with writer/director Michael Dougherty. This is an old track but still rather interesting as Dougherty tends to be a great storyteller and keeps the flow going through the film’s 80-minute length. Interviews & Featurettes:
Trick ‘R Treat: Season’s Greetings (3:54) is the animated short directed by Dougherty which was the inspiration for the film. Includes optional commentary. School Bus FX Comparison (1:13) shows the sequence done side-by-side with the final comp and vfx breakdown. Additional Scenes (17:13) include several scenes cut out from the final film. Nothing groundbreaking but does come with an optional commentary from Dougherty. Galleries:
Fear.net Shorts (9:10) – Not sure the origin of these, but more creepy adverts for the film. Theatrical Trailer (2:27) |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| Shout Factory releases Trick ‘R Treat onto Blu-ray presented in its original 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 1080p high-definition transfer, although not sure if it’s a new one or rehased from Warner’s 2009 release. Whichever the case, this is a nice looking picture with a good blend of some bright colors set against the darker backgrounds since, from what I can tell, all of the film takes place at night save for a flashback sequence. Detail is fairly sharp and I don’t recall seeing any major instances of dust marks or scratches. |
AUDIO – 4.5/5 |
| The disc comes with a robust DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. This was a pretty strong soundtrack here with the unsurprisingly crisp and clear dialogue levels but where it really comes to life is with the blood-curdling screams as Halloween festivities turn violent. The front and rear channels were mostly reserved for ambient noises or the score composed by Douglas Pipes. |
OVERALL – 4.0/5 |
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Overall, Trick ‘R Treat is a great anthology horror film with some solid performances from the ensemble cast but it’s Michael Dougherty’s script that really stood out telling a compelling interconnected story that still managed to illicit some well done twists. This “Collector’s Edition” Blu-ray from Shout Factory, through their Scream line, offers good video/audio transfers along with some fine selection of bonus material. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.