2007 | U.S. | 82 minutes
Writer/Director: Michael Dougherty
Cast: Dylan Baker, Brian Cox, Anna Paquin
Distributed by: Warner Bros.
Cdn video distributor: Warner Home Video
For a horror flick, Trick ‘r Treat is quite handsome-looking. Not many of this genre are. The whole thing is set in a small town on Halloween night, and rarely have consistently lush visuals been captured in such a darkly-lit setting. Jack-o-lanterns and decorative lights often provide the primary source of illumination, which gives the film a colourful glow.
There are also some great actors, which is another genre rarity: Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Dylan Baker and even Brett Kelly (he was “The Kid” in Bad Santa, one of the best Christmas-themed movies out there). They instantly bring life to characters who never get much screen time.
Plus, it’s the first decent-budget film to concern itself entirely with this iconic holiday. It’s not just backdrop. It’s the main event.
That’s the best news. Especially for horror fans. If there’s one thing they can agree on, they all love Hallowe’en.
The downside is its convoluted plotting. If you don’t know this is supposed to be an anthology film — it is — you’ll be lost and frustrated. The story jumps back-and-forth in time, introducing us to five sets of characters we never get to know. There’s a reason for that, of course. We’re supposed to be surprised when their masks are removed, and their true identities revealed. Or their true fate.
For the most part the surprises work. We don’t see them coming. Never, though, do they work as scares. Whether they are victims or victimizers — or both, as they sometimes are — the film doesn’t give us a reason to care.
Much of the reason for this can be seen in the comedic bits. The humour is mostly borrowed from movies like John Carpenter’s The Thing (“You got to be fuckin’ kidding me”) and Evil Dead II (the crawling hand and shotgun use). The gags were funnier in the originals because they involved characters. Here, they are enigmas.
So what’s scary about it? It’s not the gore. There’s not much of it, and almost all the killings are off-screen. So the film resorts to the oldest trick in the book; the “boo” technique. You know, those silent moments which are suddenly shattered by something popping up and making a noise.
If you’re not tired of that routine yet, rent and enjoy. Me, I’m tired of it.
The most interesting thing about this movie is its release history. It was supposed to be in theatres by October 2007. It wasn’t. Two years later it’s now going direct-to-video. Horror fans everywhere are asking “why”?
Well, I’ll tell you. It’s called viral marketing, my friends. The catch is making it look like it’s fan-driven, not industry-driven.
You see, the enormous challenge Warner Bros. (distributor and co-producer) faced with Trick ‘r Treat is that it’s completely focused on the Halloween holiday. October is the only time its release makes sense. It’s also the one month of the year all the other studios flood the screens with their best blood-splattered masterworks. Relatively mild-mannered Trick ‘r Treat was sure to be slaughtered. Even if it did do well in theatres, what happens then? How many people will buy a Halloween-themed video in February? Answer: not as many as would buy it in October.
This is my theory of what Warner Bros. decided to do. Their plan was always to have an October direct-to-video release. All they had to do was devise a unique theatrical distribution plan beforehand. It’s not unlike the limited release strategy that was an industry standard in the 1970s. Except this one required zero marketing costs.
It was also a long-term plan but, for a comparably low-budget movie, they could afford to wait.
First, a trailer was released. One that promised it would be out by Halloween 2007. It would surely whet the appetites of horror fans who, as we all know, love the Halloween tradition. Then they yanked it from the schedule, and waited for the pot to boil.
Then Phase 2 of the campaign began.
Rumours started circulating that Warners was dumping the film, after which the film started popping up at horror film festivals all over the world. As I said earlier, because it’s a slick-looking film with star power — not a common sight at such things — it easily stood out from the rest.
But they hadn’t dumped the film, of course. They were biding their time. It was a gamble, but not a risky one.
Audiences at festival screenings know they have potential influencing power. They love an underdog, especially if it looks like an abandoned puppy. All they had to do was give it some love and, boy, did the fans ever give this one love. It took two years, but the internet is now flooded with exaggerated praise for this film, all generally describing it as one of the greatest horror movies ever. You can’t buy advertising like this.
In the end this viral strategy prove brilliant. There is such a ground-swell of anticipation for this film that Trick ‘r Treat will likely be the best-selling direct-to-video release in ages. It might actually dethrone Halloween as the movie to watch every year in October.
But Warner Bros. has one more trick up its sleeve. As with many recent releases, the director’s commentary, additional scenes, f/x comparisons and a featurette are only available on blu-ray.
Expect to see a lot of fanboys buying new machines at Best Buy this week.
Bravo Warner Bros. You pulled it off.
- Theatrical release date: n/a
- Video release date: October 6, 2009
- Production Budget: $12 million
- Worldwide Box Office: n/a
FUN ALTERNATIVES: Horror fans can be an unusual bunch. Many of them hate Halloween III: Season of the Witch. Not so much for what is is, but for what it isn’t. It’s not another Michael Myers slasher sequel. Too bad. This one is more fitting as a Halloween-themed movie. The others in the series feel more like they just happen to be set on that day.
Seeing people killed in horror movies is a given, but it’s very rare that the violence targets small kids. The idea is just too disturbing. This film, however, not only aims to have bad things happen to precious little snowflakes, but in a particularly torturous manner. Not just one or two of them either, but millions.
The ultimate plan of the villain is to wipe out every young innocent in the country. Why he wants to do this doesn’t make much sense, but it’s still a disturbing premise with a fair amount of gory action and a freaky ending. It earns bonus points for the most memorable jingle in cinema history.