My review of Trick r Treat

I saw this one just last night. I had always heard that it was decently entertaining and it turns out that it really is. It's one I would re-watch.

Acting/characters: Pretty solid overall. The best actor in the film was Brian Cox. One thing that always blows my mind when I see Anna Paquin is that she is an Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actress. Nothing against her or anything it's just odd to think that someone that young has an Oscar. She's not someone you look at and think "oh Oscar winner." I still have to see The Piano, to be frank. I'm rambling, but her and Brian Cox were the best people in this film (and they receive top billing for it). There weren't any boring characters in the film or any horrid acting. I mean, it's a comic book film so they aren't looking for outstanding performances. They are meant to be a little cheesy. It was overall pretty solid. And then you have Sam...anyone who has seen the movie knows all about Sam... 8/10

Plot: Like the movie Creepshow (which is the same basic idea) this film has a bunch of different anecdotes that make up the plot. In this instance they are all intertwined. Viewers will find characters or events from other stories in all of the anecdotes even if they don't know it yet. It can get pretty confusing what with one plot starting and then the movie goes off on another plot and then they might finish the first one. However, id generally doesn't get so convoluted that you can't follow along. It is a movie that is one that would get better with a second viewing just because you would pick up a lot more. It's also a plot that is played for laughs just as much as it is for scares but it is a little more subtle about it. If you wanted to ignore the laughs that would be very easy. But it just does little things to make you laugh. It was a solid plot overall. 9/10

Screenplay: Like the rest of the film, the dialogue is pretty much all comic book style. It's cheesy and not the best I've heard but for a film like this I think it really works out great. I also feel that in a film like this, what the characters are doing and what you see going on around them is more important than what they are actually saying. But, it works out for this. 8/10

Likableness: I highly enjoyed this film. I would suggest it to any true horror fan that likes a horror film that they can just shut down and watch but still has its fair share of intelligence. It has a few decent scares and as many good laughs too. I enjoyed it very much. It isn't perfect, but it is a darn fine little film. 9/10

Final score: 34/40 85% (N)


TRIVIA TIME: 1. Little people were used to fill in for kids trick or treating, since this film was shot mainly at night and real kids could not work these hours.

2. The film had many title changes before filming began. Originally titled Season's Greetings (also the name of the short film), it was changed because it sounded too much like a Christmas film. Then it was called Halloween Terrors, Jack O' Lantern Tales, October the 31st, and Trick or Treat. The final title was kept but since there was already a movie of the same name out, they changed the spelling to Trick 'r Treat.

3. Most of the Jack O' Lanterns were made out of either foam or ceramic. An on-set joke was that no pumpkins were harmed during the making of this movie.

4. The name of the character Sam is derived from Samhain, the ancient Celtic festival of the dead from which modern-day Halloween is derived. Despite having been portrayed as such in this film and several other works, Samhain is not a deity or other personage of ancient Celtic polytheism; it is only the name of the celebration. However, the idea of being either a deity or other personage dates back to at least the late first century, largely thanks to an Irish bishop named Cormac mac Cuilennàin and his book "Sanas Cormaic" (Irish Gaelic for "Cormac's Narrative"), which had identified Samhain as such.

5. The look of Brian Cox's character is based on Halloween and The Thing Director John Carpenter.

6. The bottle of booze in the old man's house which ends up being smashed and wielded as a weapon is labeled Glen MacPherson a.k.a. The director of photography.

What lies beneath the mask? If you have not seen the film ask yourself this: Do you want to know?