It’s a funny old world, film distribution. When the state of contemporary horror is consistently weighed down by a slew of ghastly remakes and mindless cash-ins, what a shame it is that a film like Trick ‘r Treat (which remains, despite its derivative nature, rather unique) isn’t given the chance to make a serious name for itself. Although it is surely destined to find a hardcore cult following – there are signs of this already online – a film of this quality deserves more than the direct to DVD treatment it has received.
A Halloween Treat
Let us be clear: Trick ‘r Treat is not the next great horror movie, but that shouldn’t mean it doesn’t deserve a shot at the big screen, because whilst it may not be a classic, it’s certainly a lot of fun. This is writer-director Michael Dougherty’s first feature-length directorial effort, and clearly a lot of love has gone into it. Doherty chooses to weave four interlinked narratives together – bookended by a shorter sketch – and the technique is cleverly implemented. This is not storytelling genius, but there will be moments of pleasure when you realise the order of events playing out, or what is happening in which story arc at a certain time. The layered narrative, whilst not exactly deep, is rewarding, and a certain fireplace reveal is particularly satisfying.
It’s a credit to Dougherty’s imaginative approach that the film, whilst clearly nodding vigorously in the direction of innumerable horror films of the past, never feels cheap, forced or overly cliché. This is partly because the four stories all have their own little idiosyncrasies that keep the audience guessing, an effect which also ensures all the narrative strands hold the audience’s attention in equal measure, making the compact running time entirely satisfying. As far as the acting goes, there are no career defining moments here – the script hardly calls for Oscar-winning performances – but the cast are uniformly likeable, from Dylan Baker’s dodgy principal to Anna Paquin’s timidly costumed Laurie.
Despite its heavy groundwork in the history of horror, the film may disappoint gore fanatics or even those for whom being terrified is a prerequisite of a good horror film. The film’s violence gauge never goes anywhere near eleven, and the overall effect is more of a horror tribute than a genuinely frightening venture in and of itself. But this is beside the point. The film is jam packed with great ideas, and not completely without nervy moments (there is a well-structured flashback mid-way through that establishes a back story nicely).
Season's Greetings
It’s a shame the film missed out on a general release, although hopefully the wave of approval on the internet will garner a decent audience and ensure the planned sequel will earn its director some industry nods in the future.
