NEW Trick 'r Treat (2009) (DVD)

Trick `r Treat is easily one of the best horror movies I have seen in years. It's the kind of film that reminds you of how much fun horror movies can be and exactly why Halloween is such a great time of year.

Like Creepshow and Twilight Zone: The Movie before it, Trick `r Treat is a series of scary stories, each one perfectly crafted and connected. In fact, much of the fun in Trick `r Treat is in the ways each story links up with the others.

The four stories touch upon nearly every Halloween and horror trope, from serial killers and zombies to pranks gone wrong and vampires, but the victims here are not punished for those traditional and dated infractions of drug use or premarital sex. Rather, the punishments come for not treating Halloween with the respect it deserves, for not taking joy in its traditions, and for taking cruel and unfair advantage of its simple, childlike sense of fun. The film harkens back and pays homage to the best of horror cinema while putting its own twist on those classic themes, often playing our expectations against us.

These expectations, of course, are unique to those of us who've fed on a steady diet of horror movies over many years--maybe decades--and Trick `r Treat is writer-director Michael Dougherty's gift to we members of that rarefied club. This is a movie that rewards you for being a fan of horror films; the sort of (all too) hidden gem that makes us feel sorry for those non genre fans who're missing out on such bloody, mean, dark, twisted fun.

I envy those horror lovers who haven't yet seen this movie. You're in for a real treat.

I had been waiting over 3 years for this movie to be released. Without giving too much away [just go get the movie!], Michael Dougherty does a fantastic job on this movie. There has been so much back and forth on why WB never went to theatres with the movie, and why it took so darn long to release it.

The tragedy of the movie is that it never saw the light of night in theatres. I have no idea why it never went to theatres [I had been anticipating this movie since 2006], but truth be told, they should have went forward with it.

The interwoven story lines in the movie are PERFECT. The mix of the graphic novel/comic and story adds to the film as a whole. The character of Sam, while you can guess what/who he is is revealed at the end and brings all the story lines together.

You aren't left wondering "why!?".

I must admit, that some characters are a bit hokey, but it sure beats the hell out of CG. Michael Dougherty does a fabulous job of weaving everything together and truly incorporating the mystery and lore of Samhain into a carnage-filled, cohesive and entertaining movie.

To those who said to him "bring on prettier actors" or "bring in more famous people", screw off! The movie is perfect the way it is and I think the fact that only a few actors are well known separates this movie, from other big budget horror movies which are more about appearance than substance.

So in sum, download it, then buy it and show your support, this is going to be a classic for years to come.

It bewilders me that this movie never got a proper release. I read that it was the best reviewed horror film the year it was released (direct to dvd), and trash like the Saw films kept getting cranked out every year. Granted, this is not an Oscar worthy film, but it's better than a lot of the stuff we see sent out to theatres.

It's pretty intriguing. The setup is a lot like the movie Pulp Fiction, or even Magnolia. This film has several stories that all take place on Halloween night, it's all jumbled around, and eventually they all come together at some point. The things you see at the end of the movie happen before what went on in the middle, that sort of thing. It's actually easier to follow than Pulp Fiction too.

The acting is surprisingly good for a horror film. Every story has a great twist, and the gore is used to enhance the story rather than be the showcase of the film, which you don't see much of these days. Best of all, it does what it promises: provides a great story (or in this case, stories) that manages to use the mystique of Halloween throughout the movie without letting how cheesy it is distract you from it, and even unnerve and scare you a bit.

I would recommend checking it out to any horror fan that is tired of found footage, 3D, "torture porn" films, and the endless sequels to all of films in those categories. It's actually worth spending the money on it.