Trick 'r Treat 4K 2007

When an established screenwriter decides to try his hand at directing, it's always risky: a stubborn thing called statistics shows that 99% of the time the result leaves a lot to be desired. But few screenwriters have struggled as much with their debut work in the director's chair as Michael Dougherty. With the theatrical distribution did not work out, because the studio was afraid of competition from the next “Saw”, as well as the presence of violence against children in the film. The decision to release the movie straight to DVD means a death sentence for the vast majority of people, unwittingly hinting that the product was of abysmal quality. Trick 'r Treat, however, is a very rare exception to the rule.

Michael Daugherty offered the audience five interconnected stories that happened on the same Halloween night. A married couple with different views on All Saints Day will get a clear lesson that some traditions are worth respecting. Several kids will dare to pull a prank in the most inappropriate place. Four girlfriends are looking for adventure and a hot party. A school principal will extend a gracious welcome to one of his students. A grouchy and everyone-hating old man will face his past. All these stories are united by one common character who watches from the sidelines most of the time - Sam (the spirit of Halloween, making sure traditions are cherished). The movie has no beginning or ending in the conventional sense of the word. It snatches a few hours from the lives of people who, unbeknownst to each other, cross paths in the same town.

Allocating a little more than fifteen minutes to each story, the director manages not only to tell it in its entirety with the obligatory beginning and climax, but also to leave room for flashbacks, plot twists, and to pay due attention to the characters. We've seen each of the plots somewhere before, and we've seen them more than once. Daugherty doesn't even try to hide where he drew inspiration from - “Creepshow”, “Tales from the Crypt”, “Halloween” and a bunch of other classic eighties horror movies. But the most important thing about any horror story isn't whether you know it or not, it's how you tell the story. Most of the plot twists, of which there are quite a few here, the viewer will guess right from the start. However, when they come, the action starts to take a very different direction than expected.

“Trick 'r Treat” boasts a pretty good cast, where you'll certainly meet a couple of familiar faces. Brian Cox, despite his age, allows the director to mock himself to his heart's content. Anna Paquin is adorable in her Little Red Riding Hood costume. Dylan Baker is ominous as the school principal, with whom it is better not to mess. Each of the characters has their own skeletons in the closet, which on this night will definitely come out.

“Trick 'r Treat” is likely to be seen only by fans of the genre, which is frustrating because it has all the elements of a perfect Halloween movie: an interesting plot, memorable characters, clever use of ‘boo!’, humor, and finally, it's a movie that's just plain damn fun to watch.