Trick 'R Treat For Blu-Ray This Halloween
The Long Lost Tradition of the Horror Anthology is Back in Season
Of all the many other anthologies that have come and gone through the ages, this film most closely resembles an extended montage of Tales from the Crypt episodes. While the horror is definitely the focus of these four intertwining vignettes, there is a mean spirited streak of humor that darkly courses through the film's veins as well.
Halloween Only Comes Around Once A Year (Later)
Michael Dougherty's film was to originally have received a theatrical release (and the feel and visual flair on the screen show it would have been rightfully deserved), but after many delays, Warner Premier has decided to send it directly into the DVD and Blu-Ray buying hands of its main audience. Like many smaller features that never got a chance, it's a shame such a production had to be relegated to minor copy depth and a lower row at most major renters and retailers, but at least it has become a viewable reality as opposed to a theoretical horror smash forever in limbo.
While it does do a great many things right, it's not going to be everyone's favorite spooker of the year. The stories range from the well handled and malevolent final act, a crabby old man terrorized by the spirit of Halloween (who appears throughout, wandering into the landscape of each story, whether he has a logical reason to be there or not) to the kooky black comedy of a vindictive school principal who gives poison chocolate to a young neighborhood trouble maker and tries to bury him in the backyard, all the while being interrupted at painfully crucial moments by his son and neighbor. The remaining tales involve a group of kids out to explore the legend of a bus accident whose childhood victims supposedly haunt the rock quarry in which it crashed, and a group of party girls with a mysterious secret who may wind up as the tragic victims of a killer. These four main tales are book ended by a great exploitation slasher segment, much in the way the Josh Hartnet scenes opened and closed Sin City.
All in all, a fun addition to any horror library. This might give Michael Myers a run for his money a few years down the line as the popcorn movie of choice for an October 31st viewing.
All Hallows Bonus Features
Feature commentary with writer/director Michael Dougherty, composer Douglas Pipes, and artists Simeon Wilkins and Breehn Burns. The Lore and Legends of Halloween is a half hour doc that mixes up History Channel-esque recountings of Halloween's origins with inter cut behind the scenes workings from the set of the film. Just over 15 minutes of deleted scenes with optional director's commentary. Season's Greetings is an animated short Dougherty made in 1996, also with optional commentary. School Bus FX Comparison is just that, a special effects comparison of the school bus scene.
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