Trick R' Treat

Trick R' Treat
Directed By: Michael Dougherty
Rating: 3 out of 4 Pentagrams
Reviewed By: Jeff Deth

Not to be confused with the 80's film of the same name staring Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne, this is a completely different film. For those of you fiending for some Halloween slasher goodness, look no further. Deep into this season I've watched several bad slashers recently and this happens to be one of the diamonds in the rough.

Trick R' Treat is an anthology of 4 stories loosely tied together by a wicked little kid in a burlap mask. The stories all appear to be taking place in the same town on the same night, Halloween. Anthologies can really suck at times. Anyone remember Body Bags? The difference here is that the same filmmaker is directing everything. There is no disconnect between the parts. In fact they are tightly woven together for the most part. What is most enjoyable about this is the fact that we get a bunch of different staples of the horror genre mixed together. There's a vampire, werewolves, kids running around in costumes, teenagers having sex, ghosts, a psycho neighbor, and the tiny tot miniature murderer.

Stylistically, I loved this movie. The visual landscape has been carefully and lovingly crafted. The colors, tones and the set design really stand out. I was particularly in awe of the second segment, The School Bus Massacre Revisited.

The effects and gore do not disappoint. There are some really gruesome violence consistently throughout the film. There are some weak moments here and there that seemed forced, but this was an overwhelmingly fun and spirited tribute to the holiday.

I typically stick with tried and true classics leading up to and on Halloween but if you're willing to chance it on any newly made film, this is the one. Sure to become a cult-classic that will become a part of the classic Halloween line-up.