Recent Reviews DVD Review: TRICK r TREAT
By Dave Dreher - FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER OR FACEBOOK
Oct 10, 2009 - 2:07:58 AM
BELIEVE THE HYPE!
TRICK r TREAT is the new must watch Halloween season film of the decade.
Wonderfully crafted, wickedly demented and all the fun you could possibly hope for from a horror film TRICK r TREAT is indeed a Halloween gift that us horror fans have been begging for.
I have no idea why Warner Bros. would not have given this film a theatrical run, especially at this time of year. Only possible reason I can come up with is that they just didn't know how to market it. It is an anthology film that doesn't particularly play like one. While there are 4 separate stories they are told in reverse order meaning we actually see the end of the film first and then go back in time from that point ultimately ending up back where we started when all is said and done. It really isn't as confusing as it sounds but you do have to pay attention. Little tips and hints are delved out along the way and if you happen to not be paying attention, you lose some of the charm of the film.
I have to tell you, I loved the look of this film. There are segments that are absolutely iconic in he way they are laid out and shot. A couple different scenes involving Jack O Lanterns are nothing short of breath takingly beautiful. I want to use them as my computer backgrounds. I didn't bother to look up who did the art decoration and set decoration on the film but they should be applauded.
The stories themselves are nice little demented tidbits that run the gamut of childhood Halloween nightmares. You get the homicidal school principal who is poisoning candy in segment one, A school bus nightmare in segment two, a nice little Werewolf tale with a sweet surprise ending and the final chapter which ties everything up in a nice little blood soaked bow. Woven throughout all the tales is SAM a burlap bag headed little buddy who ends up playing very large in the grand scheme of things.
The film evokes a feeling of the child like wonder of Halloween. The awesome head rush we all felt once of heading out into the cool October night to gather our treats, unsure of what is out in the darkness, fearing it just a bit, just enough to bring a smile to our face. TRICK r TREAT captures that.
Oh yeah and the blood does flow in this sucker. It flows freely and it also possess that twisted humor that so many of today's horror films seem to forget about. It is just overall an almost perfect Halloween treat.
The DVD itself is a very shy in the SPECIAL FEATURES department. I know I definitely wanted more. All you get is an animated short titled SEASON'S GREETINGS which was director Michael Doughetry's original pitch for the project. It is available with a commentary by the director which is the only commentary on the disc. That's it. No other features.
I would have loved some in depth behind the scenes stuff on this one. Maybe a Special Edition or Collectors Edition is in our future. I know I would be interested.
Even though the Special Features are pretty much non existent this is still a must own disc. Don't let yourself miss out on this one. It is the film everyone keeps saying they are waiting for. It has it all and deserves the support of the genre community.