Some things get better with age. Like wine rather than vinegar. Consider Mike Dougherty’s Trick ‘R Treat that vintage ’68 Bordeaux. The gold standard of anthology films. Trick ‘R Treat‘s bold storytelling structure and a mixture of scares, gore, and comedy have risen it to that rarefied field of an anthology film that many a horror fan calls “The Pulp Fiction of Horror films” and rightfully earns it.
Trick ‘R Treat melds four storylines effortlessly into one non-linear narrative taking place during Halloween. The first is a father and son spend some very strange bonding time, but not before the father has to dispose of the body of an annoying teenager he happened to kill. A young college-age woman is pressured by her friends to bring a boy to their kegger. A group of tweens decides to play a prank on an innocent girl whose love of Halloween may save her. An old man confronts his past demons in the form of Sam the Impish demon of Halloween.
Few filmmakers have shown their affection for Halloween and the horror genre the way that Mike Dougherty did. Dougherty first a screenwriter on genre films such as X-Men 2 brought the kind of smart writing to this project as he had in major tent poles. The film is visually acute in the way that many screenwriters turned directors’ debuts are, thanks in large part to his work in animation. The sort of deep visual references that come with animation are present here. There’s a beautiful autumnal color palette that they make the film unique from its genre counterparts as horror films go for the desaturated look rather than the bright pop.
The success of the film is all in its perfectly balanced tone. Any horror comedy’s success is solely rested on how it manages its gore/scare-to-humor ratio. Part science. Part artistry. All alchemy in a way that’s almost undefinable. Trick ‘R Treat plays like a well-practiced magic trick, like many of its brethren. Much of that is the understanding that the scare and gore are taken seriously and not for jokes. Many Horror Comedies make the mistake of mixing those two together, which can be done sparingly. Here the gross-out moments are played with a fun tone but never betraying the film’s respect for the genre, not making it a mockery.
Trick ‘R Treat is great fun. It’s the type of fun that is just as much fun watching as it must have been to make it.
The Transfer
Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films, approved by writer-director Michael Dougherty is a serious upgrade from the previous Blu-Ray releases. The image is sharper and more consistently pleasing Contrast Levels and Color Reproduction. The Dolby Vision encoding gives a huge uptick in quality in the blacks giving them a luster, glow, and a considerate amount of detail within those blacks not present on prior editions. There is a light grain structure that gives this the feeling of a 35mm print rather than an overly cleaned-up transfer.
The Extras
They include the following;
Brand new audio commentary with writer-director Michael Dougherty moderated by James A. Janisse & Chelsea Rebecca from Dead Meat Podcast
Archival audio commentary by Michael Dougherty, conceptual artist Breehn Burns, storyboard artist Simeon Wilkins and composer Douglas Pipes
Becoming Sam, a brand new interview with actor Quinn Lord
The Devil is in the Details, a brand new interview with production designer Mark Freeborn
If Looks Could Kill, a brand new interview with director of photography Glen MacPherson
Designs to Die for, a brand new interview with costume designer Trish Keating
Bark at the Moon, a brand new interview with creature designer Patrick Tatopoulos
Mark Freeborn Remembers Bill Terezakis, a new tribute to the late make-up effects designer
Tales of Folklore & Fright, an archival featurette with Michael Dougherty, Breehn Burns and Simeon Wilkins
Tales of Mischief & Mayhem: Filming Trick ‘r Treat, an archival interview with Michael Dougherty on the making of the film
Sounds of Shock & Superstition: Scoring Trick ‘r Treat, an archival featurette with Michael Dougherty and Douglas Pipes
Tales of Dread & Despair: Releasing Trick ‘r Treat, an archival featurette with Michael Dougherty and Rob Galluzzo of the Shock Waves podcast, exploring the film’s release and fandom
Season’s Greetings, a short film from 1996 directed by Michael Dougherty with optional director commentary
The Lore and Legends of Halloween, an archival featurette narrated by actor Brian Cox
School bus VFX comparison
Deleted and alternate scenes with optional commentary by director Michael Dougherty
FEARnet promos
Sam O’ Lantern
Storyboard and conceptual artwork gallery
Behind the scenes gallery
Monster Mash comic book set in the Trick ‘r Treat universe
Trailer
The first track is an all-new audio commentary with writer-director Michael Dougherty moderated by James A. Janisse & Chelsea Rebecca from the Dead Meat Podcast. The track begins with introductions and bonafides and Dougherty states that it was going to be more of a conversational as opposed to the technical-based track from the original Blu-ray. Some of the details include the production schedule; the fact the film feels like a Christmas movie – the feeling of Halloween, which is rare in a Halloween but in Holiday movies; the lack of theatrical success and their success on home video similar to A Christmas Story which was one of Dougherty’s inspirations; where the horror genre was at the time of release and how that contributed to the film’s initial failure; the influence of Creepshow; the opening title sequence and how that it came out of the test screening process; the rise of Sam as a character that shows up on Halloween – which leads to a larger discussion of Sam throughout the commentary; the detailed design work that needed to be done – especially the candy for obvious reasons; a discussion of Dougherty history with animation throughout the track – including his first internship, his going to film school; the making of the short film – and how that informed the design of Sam; the writing process – and how long it took to create the interconnected feel of the film, how he was able to take previous work and create the film; a discussion about Stan Winston’s influence on Dougherty’s career; the influence of Pulp Fiction and Go to the non-linear structure; the influence of The Exorcist III – a favorite film of Dougherty; keeping a film “timeless” and how to approach the design of the film; a larger discussion of the various horror films and Halloween time films that inspired the film and Dougherty loves; and much more. This all-new commentary track is a great look back at the inspirations and production anecdotes and feels completely different than the secondary archival track.
The second track is an archival audio commentary by Michael Dougherty, conceptual artist Breehn Burns, storyboard artist Simeon Wilkins, and composer Douglas Pipes. The commentary itself, which was ported over from the 2007 Blu-Ray Release, is solid with all participants contributing information about the film. Some of the details include how they created the opening moment from old stock footage; the trouble with shooting the film during the “fall” in Vancouver – including multiple days of rain and snow; a larger discussion of the various actors that appear in the film; a larger discussion of the score and work done by Douglas Pipes; a larger discussion of the work done by Burns and Wilkins in collaboration with Dougherty, who comes from animation/art background; and much more. This is more of a technical commentary track with some crossover from the new track but very little.
Becoming Sam (9:30) – in the all-new interview with actor Quinn Lord who played Sam in the film, opens with how he approached the audition process. Lord also discusses the production and how he “approached” the role as a seven-year-old; the various makeup FX work that he had to go through; various details about filming the finale with Brian Cox; and much more.
The Devil is in the Details (12:12) – in the all-new interview with production designer Mark Freeborn via Zoom begins with how he got the job because he was known for being “dark and moody” from his design work from The X-Files and other shows in Vancouver. Some of the other details include his collaboration and ease of work with director Dougherty; the various locations and what was the production and Dougherty looking for; and much more.
If Looks Could Kill (17:02) – in the all-new interview with director of photography Glen MacPherson via Zoom opens with his decision of choosing Trick ‘r Treat over Stallone’s Rambo. Some of the other details include the use of concept art, much done by Dougherty himself, as a guide for how he would shoot the film; the various techniques used for lighting sources throughout the film to achieve the specific look for the various sets; the surprising amount of the work on the production was set bound and what was on location; the difficulties with on location work; the work and collaboration with production designer Mark Freeborn; and much more.
Designs to Die for (15:31) – in the all-new interview with costume designer Trish Keating via Zoom opens with the process she approaches the work and how much she liked the screenplay being the main motivation for taking the assignment. Some of the other details include her love of being able to do modern costuming work and what the film brought creatively for her; the collaboration with Dougherty; the amount of work that needed to be done and duplicated out with considerations to the various FX work that needed to be done; the design approach and collaboration on creating Sam’s costume; the design approach to the various characters in the film; and much more.
Bark at the Moon (8:59) – in the all-new interview with creature designer Patrick Tatopoulos opens with how he got the job designing the werewolves in the film. Some of the other details include working with Dougherty’s original sketches and the other design work to begin; the approach to the werewolf was different – being women and being more “sensual”; how they designed the transformation section of the film; and much more.
Mark Freeborn Remembers Bill Terezakis (3:20) – in the all-new tribute to the late make-up effects designer discusses Terezakis’s innovative makeup FX work and the truly great work ethic he brought to the set.
Archival Features – the following archival featurettes from various editions of the film are included in this submenu. It should be noted that all featurettes under this submenu are presented in 1080p and not native 4K.
Tales of Folklore & Fright (16:06) – an archival featurette with Michael Dougherty, Breehn Burns, and Simeon Wilkins. Dougherty discusses the creation of the Iconic Sam character. How it began as an animated short (did cell animation). How it was shaped as an anthology film. Stan Winston championed the project and came on as a producer. Storyboard artists came together for a visual package to present to the producers.
Tales of Mischief & Mayhem: Filming Trick ‘r Treat (19:47) – an archival interview with Michael Dougherty on the making of the film. The featurette that is basically a continuation of the discussion from the previous featurette Tales of Folklore. Here Dougherty discusses the Vancouver production, the modest budget, the visual design, and thematically they were going for, and more.
Sounds of Shock & Superstition: Scoring Trick ‘r Treat (11:11) – an archival featurette with Michael Dougherty and composer Douglas Pipes. The featurette discusses how Dougherty brought on Pipes after watching Monster House. Dougherty discusses the various inspirations and playlists he created that inspired the score. Pipes discusses the approach to the score and more. This like the previous two featurettes feels a part of a greater whole.
Tales of Dread & Despair: Releasing Trick ‘r Treat (7:24) – an archival featurette with Michael Dougherty and Rob Galluzzo of the Shock Waves podcast. They discuss post-editing how the film did not fit in as a “conventional” horror film and the lack of direction from the studio. The very successful screening at Numb-Butt-A-Thon screening. How the film sat on a shelf for a time and was eventually released but not in theaters but on Blu-Ray, only to become a huge cult hit.
Season’s Greetings, with Michael Dougherty with optional director commentary (3:54) – the short (made in 1996) that inspired Trick ‘R Treat. The film looks fabulous as it has been rescanned from the original 16mm elements. Included a commentary by Dougherty where he discusses the making of this traditional cell animated short.
The Lore and Legends of Halloween (27:27) – an archival featurette an EPK style making-of and origins for Halloween. The making-of features interviews with the cast and crew. As EPK packages go this one is a fairly thorough look at Halloween’s origins and the making of the film. Some great B-roll footage from the production. Bonus points that it includes a voice-over by Brian Cox!
School bus VFX comparison (1:14) – little over a minute but does show how the single scene was created using various composite shots.
Deleted and alternate scenes with optional commentary by director Michael Dougherty (17:14) – included about 8 scenes. Some of the scenes include; Another intro of Sam which is quite goofy. An extended version of the principal (Dylan Baker) dragging in the body of Charlie (Brett Kelly). The Commentary by Dougherty is a lively explanation of why this was all cut from the final film.
FEARnet promos (3:48) – are a collection of nine shorts. Not really shorts as much as ads or intersals for Trick ‘r Treat or Fear.Net as a network.
Sam O’ Lantern (60:33) – like streaming yule logs during Christmas time, they’ve included the Sam O’ Lantern that can be played for mood and ambiance for Halloween.
Trailer (2:28)
Image Galleries – the four image galleries can be accessed in the submenus below.
Stills Gallery – The gallery consists of 68 production and behind-the-scenes stills. The gallery can be navigated with the use of your next and back chapter stop buttons on your remote.
Storyboard and conceptual artwork gallery – the gallery consists of 230 storyboard panels and concept art. The gallery can be navigated with the use of your next and back chapter stop buttons on your remote.
Behind-the-scenes gallery – the gallery consists of 156 images that range from costume tests, production sketches, concept designs, FX test work, makeup FX work, and much more. The gallery can be navigated with the use of your next and back chapter stop buttons on your remote.
Monster Mash comic book set in the Trick ‘r Treat universe – which allows you to read one of the first Trick ‘r Treat comics, which is 18 images or 36 pages. The gallery can be navigated with the use of your next and back chapter stop buttons on your remote.
The Final Thought
Arrow Video has produced another home run with this new edition of Trick ‘R Treat. Relevatory 4K Transfer. Packed with special features. This is a definite HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!!
The Halloween Horror Comedy Cult Classic Trick ‘r Treat gets a 4K UHD upgrade thanks to Arrow Video.
The Film
Some things get better with age. Like wine rather than vinegar. Consider Mike Dougherty’s Trick ‘R Treat that vintage ’68 Bordeaux. The gold standard of anthology films. Trick ‘R Treat‘s bold storytelling structure and a mixture of scares, gore, and comedy have risen it to that rarefied field of an anthology film that many a horror fan calls “The Pulp Fiction of Horror films” and rightfully earns it.
Trick ‘R Treat melds four storylines effortlessly into one non-linear narrative taking place during Halloween. The first is a father and son spend some very strange bonding time, but not before the father has to dispose of the body of an annoying teenager he happened to kill. A young college-age woman is pressured by her friends to bring a boy to their kegger. A group of tweens decides to play a prank on an innocent girl whose love of Halloween may save her. An old man confronts his past demons in the form of Sam the Impish demon of Halloween.
Few filmmakers have shown their affection for Halloween and the horror genre the way that Mike Dougherty did. Dougherty first a screenwriter on genre films such as X-Men 2 brought the kind of smart writing to this project as he had in major tent poles. The film is visually acute in the way that many screenwriters turned directors’ debuts are, thanks in large part to his work in animation. The sort of deep visual references that come with animation are present here. There’s a beautiful autumnal color palette that they make the film unique from its genre counterparts as horror films go for the desaturated look rather than the bright pop.
The success of the film is all in its perfectly balanced tone. Any horror comedy’s success is solely rested on how it manages its gore/scare-to-humor ratio. Part science. Part artistry. All alchemy in a way that’s almost undefinable. Trick ‘R Treat plays like a well-practiced magic trick, like many of its brethren. Much of that is the understanding that the scare and gore are taken seriously and not for jokes. Many Horror Comedies make the mistake of mixing those two together, which can be done sparingly. Here the gross-out moments are played with a fun tone but never betraying the film’s respect for the genre, not making it a mockery.
Trick ‘R Treat is great fun. It’s the type of fun that is just as much fun watching as it must have been to make it.
The Transfer
Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films, approved by writer-director Michael Dougherty is a serious upgrade from the previous Blu-Ray releases. The image is sharper and more consistently pleasing Contrast Levels and Color Reproduction. The Dolby Vision encoding gives a huge uptick in quality in the blacks giving them a luster, glow, and a considerate amount of detail within those blacks not present on prior editions. There is a light grain structure that gives this the feeling of a 35mm print rather than an overly cleaned-up transfer.
The Extras
They include the following;
The first track is an all-new audio commentary with writer-director Michael Dougherty moderated by James A. Janisse & Chelsea Rebecca from the Dead Meat Podcast. The track begins with introductions and bonafides and Dougherty states that it was going to be more of a conversational as opposed to the technical-based track from the original Blu-ray. Some of the details include the production schedule; the fact the film feels like a Christmas movie – the feeling of Halloween, which is rare in a Halloween but in Holiday movies; the lack of theatrical success and their success on home video similar to A Christmas Story which was one of Dougherty’s inspirations; where the horror genre was at the time of release and how that contributed to the film’s initial failure; the influence of Creepshow; the opening title sequence and how that it came out of the test screening process; the rise of Sam as a character that shows up on Halloween – which leads to a larger discussion of Sam throughout the commentary; the detailed design work that needed to be done – especially the candy for obvious reasons; a discussion of Dougherty history with animation throughout the track – including his first internship, his going to film school; the making of the short film – and how that informed the design of Sam; the writing process – and how long it took to create the interconnected feel of the film, how he was able to take previous work and create the film; a discussion about Stan Winston’s influence on Dougherty’s career; the influence of Pulp Fiction and Go to the non-linear structure; the influence of The Exorcist III – a favorite film of Dougherty; keeping a film “timeless” and how to approach the design of the film; a larger discussion of the various horror films and Halloween time films that inspired the film and Dougherty loves; and much more. This all-new commentary track is a great look back at the inspirations and production anecdotes and feels completely different than the secondary archival track.
The second track is an archival audio commentary by Michael Dougherty, conceptual artist Breehn Burns, storyboard artist Simeon Wilkins, and composer Douglas Pipes. The commentary itself, which was ported over from the 2007 Blu-Ray Release, is solid with all participants contributing information about the film. Some of the details include how they created the opening moment from old stock footage; the trouble with shooting the film during the “fall” in Vancouver – including multiple days of rain and snow; a larger discussion of the various actors that appear in the film; a larger discussion of the score and work done by Douglas Pipes; a larger discussion of the work done by Burns and Wilkins in collaboration with Dougherty, who comes from animation/art background; and much more. This is more of a technical commentary track with some crossover from the new track but very little.
Becoming Sam (9:30) – in the all-new interview with actor Quinn Lord who played Sam in the film, opens with how he approached the audition process. Lord also discusses the production and how he “approached” the role as a seven-year-old; the various makeup FX work that he had to go through; various details about filming the finale with Brian Cox; and much more.
The Devil is in the Details (12:12) – in the all-new interview with production designer Mark Freeborn via Zoom begins with how he got the job because he was known for being “dark and moody” from his design work from The X-Files and other shows in Vancouver. Some of the other details include his collaboration and ease of work with director Dougherty; the various locations and what was the production and Dougherty looking for; and much more.
If Looks Could Kill (17:02) – in the all-new interview with director of photography Glen MacPherson via Zoom opens with his decision of choosing Trick ‘r Treat over Stallone’s Rambo. Some of the other details include the use of concept art, much done by Dougherty himself, as a guide for how he would shoot the film; the various techniques used for lighting sources throughout the film to achieve the specific look for the various sets; the surprising amount of the work on the production was set bound and what was on location; the difficulties with on location work; the work and collaboration with production designer Mark Freeborn; and much more.
Designs to Die for (15:31) – in the all-new interview with costume designer Trish Keating via Zoom opens with the process she approaches the work and how much she liked the screenplay being the main motivation for taking the assignment. Some of the other details include her love of being able to do modern costuming work and what the film brought creatively for her; the collaboration with Dougherty; the amount of work that needed to be done and duplicated out with considerations to the various FX work that needed to be done; the design approach and collaboration on creating Sam’s costume; the design approach to the various characters in the film; and much more.
Bark at the Moon (8:59) – in the all-new interview with creature designer Patrick Tatopoulos opens with how he got the job designing the werewolves in the film. Some of the other details include working with Dougherty’s original sketches and the other design work to begin; the approach to the werewolf was different – being women and being more “sensual”; how they designed the transformation section of the film; and much more.
Mark Freeborn Remembers Bill Terezakis (3:20) – in the all-new tribute to the late make-up effects designer discusses Terezakis’s innovative makeup FX work and the truly great work ethic he brought to the set.
Archival Features – the following archival featurettes from various editions of the film are included in this submenu. It should be noted that all featurettes under this submenu are presented in 1080p and not native 4K.
Image Galleries – the four image galleries can be accessed in the submenus below.
The Final Thought
Arrow Video has produced another home run with this new edition of Trick ‘R Treat. Relevatory 4K Transfer. Packed with special features. This is a definite HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!!
Arrow Video’s 4K UHD Edition of Trick ‘r Treat is out on October 29th
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