In 2007 Michael Dougherty finally had the chance to bring his “Trick r’ Treat” to life, but the only problem was that it wouldn’t see the light of day anytime soon. For one reason or another, the film only made festival and screening rounds for nearly 2 years. It wasn’t until 2009 that it had a release and that was straight to DVD. It’s sad to say that, because the film was more than worthy of a theatrical release. Most would say that straight to DVD is a death blow, and for most films it is, but not Trick r Treat. It has found an amazing life and spawned many toys, the tie-in comic book and a rabid fan base.
Within the past year I have seen the love of this film grow – it really is the little movie that could. I think the anchor to the film is Sam, the spirit of Halloween. Even though his screen time is limited, there is no denying he is the star.
Before i decided to write this I looked over thirty articles that all say basically what I’m saying. Trick r’ Treat is a top film to watch on Halloween night. Just look at how the other sites rated the movie. Dread Central gave it 5 out of 5 stars and stated “Trick ‘r Treat ranks alongside John Carpenter’s Halloween as traditional October viewing and I can’t imagine a single horror fan that won’t fall head over heels in love with it.” The film earned 10 out of 10 from Ryan Rotten of ShockTilYouDrop.com. It also earned an 8 out of 10 from Bloody Disgusting, who later ranked the film ninth in their list of the ‘Top 20 Horror Films of the Decade’, with the article saying, “so good that its lack of a theatrical release borders on the criminal.”