Trick 'r Treat

It's Halloween night, and some devilish things are afoot. A school principal is putting a little something extra in the candy he hands out. Some youngsters are investigating the site of an old urban legend. A group of girls try to find some dates for the evening. And a mean old man finds a rather unwelcome visitor in his home. All the while, little burlap-masked Sam watches, making sure all is well on this most hallowed of nights.

Come Halloween time, as I said time and time again, it's a good season for horror movies. Just fits the mood. But some fit better than others. Some films have more all-around Halloween spirit in them, something that makes them more in tune with all the other aspects of the holiday. I think it is safe to say that as far as films like that go, Trick 'r Treat is the best one yet.

Everything about this movie works perfectly. A strong cast with a solid script makes for excellent performances. Some of these are to be expected (oh Brian Cox, you can truly do no wrong), others come out of the blue (especially all the kids. I'm always wary with kids in movies, it doesn't take much for them to start to annoy me. But all aces here), and all seem completely authentic.

The stories are interconnected to one another, in an anthology style thing (think Creepshow). They flow seamlessly, moving from one to the next so smoothly it sometimes takes a moment to realize the situation's changed. Each one has several connections to the other, some in ways that definitely caught me off-guard (and generally come together in very satisfying ways). The camerawork captures ever little lovingly-prepared detail (more on that below), while the soundtrack provides the perfect background music.

The mood of the film is also an interesting one, in that it is both dark and enjoyable all at once (with a little bit of "Damn Chilling" thrown in for good measure). This is a twisted little movie at times, with some nasty (though off-screen; very little actual violence happens in front of the camera, so those who aren't big gore fans will be fine here) things happening. It's got a bit of a mean attitude in regards to what happens to who, but it still manages to make it all... well, fun. This is a damn enjoyable movie, with plenty of moments that'll make you cringe, laugh (at some very dark humor), tense up, and generally smile. Maybe not smile for the nicest things, but smile nonetheless.

When I said this was the best Halloween movie ever, I wasn't exaggerating. This movie doesn't just take place on October 31st, it lives and breathes the spirit of the holiday. All the stories are intertwined with Halloween lore, and all the little things and details are perfectly crafted to express it. This is a movie that would only work on one day of the year; if it took place any other time, it wouldn't be nearly as effective (even Halloween could work on other days with a bit of tweaking).

I've been waiting to watch this movie for two years. I'm not sure there's many other movies I waited that long to see, and if there were they'd be ones that were stuck in some kind of development hell. This is a film that was done and ready two years ago, but save some film festival screenings (which, naturally, I was too far away from too attend) it was sat on until this DVD release. It's a crying shame, as this is a film that wholly deserves to be apart of Halloween tradition. It's a movie that should be watch every All Hallow's Eve (or just to get some reminders of what that time of the year feels like. It is one of those movies you can watch again and again). I was a bit worried about the big expectations it built up, but it not only met them, it surpassed them. This is an amazing movie, one that horror fans everywhere should love and support.

Go buy it. Watch it. Spread the love. And have a Happy Halloween.

...yeah, that would've been a bit more effective in a few weeks, but I don't care.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggDNhd5FC2U