 Thanks for checking out this movie review video. This is for the 2007 film trick-or-treat which I have right here now This is my only my second year in October having this wonderful Blu-ray to watch it off of prior to this I was just watching this film from a DVD which was the best quality we could get now This is a 2007 film, but it was only released in 2009 because after it was finished in 2007 The studio didn't know what to do with it for two years So it just sat on a shelf until they decided to just release it direct to DVD now I was lucky enough that in 2009. I just happened to find it. They didn't really promote it or anything It just become more of a cult following film as people have discovered it over time And I think this year is kind of the peak of its popularity And I think it's just gonna keep going and going and going from there So I've been loving this film for what 11 years now, and I'm loving seeing other people joining me with this It is a it's a tradition of mine that I always watch it every Halloween night after I'm done giving out candy or this year Was a little bit different, but typically after I'm done giving out candy. So Anyway, let's get into more details about this film, which I love Written and directed by Michael Daugherty who wrote X2 X-Men United Urban legends Bloody Mary Superman Returns I didn't know that one and wrote and directed Krampus, which by the way if people don't know the film Krampus It's been confirmed Michael Daugherty said in an interview that in his mind when he did Krampus Krampus is in the same universe as Sam from trick-or-treat. So technically they could meet each other at some point So when I heard that I got excited. That's pretty cool. They're in the same universe He also wrote and directed Godzilla King of the Monsters and I don't think he's directing But I think he's involved in Godzilla versus King Kong that's going to be coming out So just so people know that the big names in this obviously at the time Anna Paquin Who plays Laurie in this which by the way? Yes The name Laurie was picked because of Laurie Strode in Halloween. So just know that there are a lot of a Lot of small things that were done in trick-or-treat that were kind of pointing to Influential horror films and Anna Paquin's character being named Laurie was one of them So Paquin was in the X-Men films. She was in the film darkness. She was in the show Trueblood, which I Really did not like that wasn't a good show Although I know a lot of people loved it. That's just my personal thing And scream for now Brian Cox is one of the other big names in this and I love Brian Cox He's such a good actor and he's wonderful in this film. I mean all the acting for the most part is quite good in this Brian Cox has been in. Well, first of all, he has 224 IMDB credits, which is pretty crazy But a few select films he's been in manhunt manhunter braveheart kiss the girls rush more supertroopers the ring Zodiac rise of the planet of the apes the autopsy of Jane Doe and more recently the show Succession on HBO. I love him in the autopsy of Jane Doe by the way If you have not seen that film definitely see that film not just for Brian Cox, but also for Emile Hirsch He does a wonderful job in it. It's just an awesome film. I love the story on that film So good and then maybe a lesser-known actor, but I think is awesome Dylan Baker Now this individual has been in such things as the last of the Mohicans Happiness the sell along came a spider changing lanes and Fido, which by the way Fido is a pretty solid horror comedy Just so people know but Dylan Baker awesome. He plays Wilkins Awesome awesome actor other considered titles for trick-or-treat were October the 31st Halloween terrors and jack-o-lantern tails. I'm glad they went with trick-or-treat honestly But if I had to pick one of the other ones, I would have said jack-o-lantern tails would have been the best of the other ones But glad they went with trick-or-treat So this is based on an animated short that Michael Daugherty had done in 1996 that he called seasons greetings And if you get something like this blu-ray or I think it's even on the the old DVD that I have back there My stacks somewhere. They have the animated short Available on those as a special feature So it's kind of interesting to see where it all started and it features Sam and that's where everything started from so very good I already talked about that initially a sequel to this film was talked about in 2009 Then it was announced in 2013 that they were gonna do it and then in 2017 it was said to hopefully be worked on after Daugherty is finally done with all this Godzilla business Now I remember hearing at one point that after he was done doing Godzilla King of Monsters that he was gonna start working on the script for trick-or-treat To maybe he has started working on it a little bit But now they're basically saying that he has some involvement with Godzilla versus King Kong So most likely we wouldn't get anything after that now Fingers crossed it actually happens I'm wondering if maybe they get done with that and then it's like on to something else and then it's delayed again So we'll see Krieg the character of Krieg played by Brian Cox is supposed to look like John Carpenter in this film Just so people know that's the thing that's been said I think Michael Daugherty said it before they made him intentionally look like John Carpenter and there are a bunch of John Carpenter Things in this film obviously the fact that Anna Pacwan's named Laurie for Laurie Strode The fact that Krieg looks like John Carpenter the fact that also if you look closely in the flashback Scene with the school bus situation There is a 1958 Plymouth Fury that shows up which is obviously an homage to the John Carpenter film Christine based off the Stephen King book Christine Yeah, and Sam is named for Sam Hain You know the one of the origins or the origin of Halloween In the school bus mask. Oh, I literally just said that I'm sorry No deaths actually happen on screen in this film That's something to note and it's interesting because that's not something I thought about but when I read that in my research I was like wait a minute. Is that true? Do no deaths actually happen on screen because we have this tendency as as human creatures For our brains will kind of fill things in so when there are things in In films where it like alludes to someone being killed our brain will fill it in and make us think that we saw The death happened when it was actually off-screen so I had to kind of like reach back and be like I'm like Oh, yeah, there really aren't any like on-screen deaths Even though the kid in the beginning is throwing up blood and chocolate and stuff and then like falls over That's not necessarily him dying Yeah, and then also the I guess the next closest one would be the the werewolf situation Some other small things to note about the film that were very interesting So there's a portion during the fight between Sam and Kreeg where a gumball comes kind of Bouncing down the stairs that was meant to be an homage to the film the changeling Which if you have not seen the changeling you should definitely see it. It's a good film Kreeg's line where he says you got to be effing kidding me I don't want to say it on here because of you know, you know I'm saying That is actually a nod to John Carpenter's remake of the thing Because there's that part where one of the characters says that about I think it's the portion where the head of the one guy Had detached from the body when they're burning it and then they see it walking in they say that exact same line So another nod to John Carpenter The beginning portion, okay, this is where I'm actually starting to talk about like my feelings on the film and what I see in the film So the beginning portion of the film is actually the end of the events which you end up finding out at the end of the film I like how the fact that Everything is represented and in this portion of it. So if you note the very beginning it shows Who you find out later is Rhonda pulling with her wagon a pumpkin Through the street and then a car almost hits her So in the end you find out that for a that is Rhonda be the people in the car who almost hit her are the werewolf females You also see in the background of one of the shots in the very beginning Krieg's house and then also it's important to note that the Pumpkin that is in the wagon that Rhonda is pulling is the pumpkin that they get from Wilkins house when they ask them Ask him if they could have one of his jack-o-lanterns and he says you're not gonna smash it are yeah So all of the stories are represented in that opening shot And I think it's really cool that you don't really know that until the very end so much So that's one of the things I like how things are kind of cleverly cleverly done in this film And one of the big things being kind of the how this the story is really intertwined with each other Now that wasn't initially what was supposed to happen initially the film was supposed to just be blocks of these stories and Sam would just show up in all of them the kind of time all together now It was the studio's idea to actually mix them up and have the timelines all all mixed up And they kept kind of crossing over and Michael Dougherty. I think to this they still doesn't like that idea He kind of wishes he did it as blocks, but I'm glad they went that way because I think it's better I think it's more interesting it took me a bunch of viewings honestly to figure out kind of the events of like Okay, now this person showing up in this and and this takes place before this and you know The implications that it ends up having for that reason, so I'm glad they ended up doing it that way The very very beginning which is the the part where the girl gets killed eventually with the lollipop typical middle-aged couple Done well because they're very Believable as being that age, you know 30-some things who are kind of you know, they went out they partied. They're tired the woman The guy just wants to go to sleep the woman wants to clean everything up So they don't have to deal with it in the morning. So yeah, although, you know in every relationship I think there are two people like that in every every relationship for the most part But it can end up switching it can be you know The guy wants to clean up and the girl wants to go to sleep, which is kind of how it is in my relationship Sam attacking the woman I think it's very interesting to note that this sounds that are being made when he's actually attacking her under the sheet Sound like a feral animal. They really do and I think for that reason it ends up being particularly Effective and kind of scary initially, especially with the music that they have coming in at that point The reveal the woman's head on the that wouldn't I guess kind of like two by four or whatever Is a little bit comedic? I mean it is gruesome and it's kind of scary But it's also a little bit comedic because of the fact that it's a giant lollipop that's jammed into her mouth And how it stretches her mouth out so it's like gross and shocking and scary But it's also kind of light-hearted and comedic just because of that lollipop and I love the fact that in the fight Where you know, I'm kind of going back and forth on the stories here But in the fight that he has with Krieg when you first see the lollipop come out And he bites it that they give you that at the end and then lead you right back up to the scene Where in the you're shown in the beginning where the woman ends up getting killed with it and it shoved in her mouth So I love that you see the creation of it when he bites into it The werewolves trying on costumes is great Because on the second viewing you kind of start to catch all the extra dialogue and then I mean really throughout their storyline You catch all these hints at wolves and werewolves and you know She was always the runt of the litter was one of the things and how they talk about People in a food way, but you don't really get that until you watch it a second time such as The part where the one girl says I eat bad Mexican. She doesn't see Mexican food. She just says I ate bad Mexican So you kind of get it, you know on the second viewing The other thing to point out is in that scene with the costume when There's that little kid and I think it's like a monkey costume And he's he's eating a lollipop, which is a signal right there and he's kind of peeking in on them changing That is Quinn Lord who's the kid who played Sam in the film. So that is what he looked like without his Sam stuff on I just thought that was cool. If you notice when the two girls are talking to the film crew guys When they're trying to you know find their dates if you notice one of them kind of spaces out until the other one Kind of like, you know elbows her and you can tell on the second viewing that it's because she's she's not Ogling him from like in like a sexual way. She's ogling him in like a I'm hungry He looks like a pot roast kind of way and they play differently the first time you're watching it You think that she's kind of distracted by how good the guy looks and then the second time you're like Oh, she's thinking food. So I love how it plays both ways The kid dying from eating the candy is pretty shocking Especially when you see him burying the bodies later Wilkins that is So you really I mean the first viewing you really don't see that coming and I remember on my first viewing I was like, oh my gosh, this is crazy and then even further it gets even darker And then he's you know burying not only that body, but another body at least one other body There may be more and then everything with his kid and the fact that you like you believe that He's about to kill his kid when he goes in to help him out. I mean, but I'm gonna backtrack a little bit on that Note what candy bar Sam gets when he shows up at Wilkins house and he sticks his hand into His bowl of candy and pulls it out It it noticed that it's it's that candy bar that full-size candy bar with the red wrapper Now that's the one he pulls out during his fight with creed the one that he uses to cut his Achilles tendon Which is a reference to pet cemetery by the way By steven king. Um, so just know that when he sticks his hand out from under the uh The bed and cuts his Achilles tendon. So that candy bar came from Wilkins So once again another thing of something from this story passing over to one of the other stories. It's very cool Um, the interactions that Wilkins has with his son and creed. I think are very funny I love the comedy of that portion of the film and I love when you see creed ending up getting tackled by Sam But Wilkins isn't even looking anymore because the other great thing is that you see that same scene that same event But from the other perspective from inside of creed's house And that's just it's cool that you get that Um, and that's like like I say it's one of the things I love about this film They really do set things up for you to think that Wilkins is going to stab his son But what's revealed is actually even more shocking Uh Because the kid is involved you realize at that point not it's not a situation where Wilkins is hiding this from his child He's indoctrin indoctrinating him with this killer I want to say killer instinct, but no this killer um Occupation I guess in a way, but it's it's disturbing. It's gross It's crazy, uh, but it works really well The kids pulling the prank on ronda is something believable for kind for kids of that age And it's effective because you and you actually end up feeling bad for some of those kids Before they end up getting killed because they show some remorse Shrader in particular, you know, he's the one who kind of cozy's up to ronda in the beginning And then he goes along with the the plot to scare her which he realizes gets out of control Then he starts feeling bad. He wants to take care of her. He tells macy to kind of screw off He's like who's scared her enough didn't we you know, can you leave her alone? So you then feel bad for him You don't you know as much feel bad for macy, but you feel bad for people for like Schrader So yeah, it effectively done in in my opinion The story of the school bus is incredibly sad It's also very deeply affecting and the way they shot the aftermath When when it's the shot of you know The bus going over the cliff and then the camera going over and then You know looking down into the quarry and you see the bus sinking in as all the bubbles are coming up And then they focus more on the water and the masks start coming up to the surface That shot looks amazing. It looks so so good. Uh, I really really enjoy that Lori looking at all the couples at the halloween celebration gives you the idea that she's looking for companionship That she's kind of looking at all these people and thinking Oh, you know, why can't I have someone but on the second viewing you realize that's not what's going on at all But it's it plays like that to make you think that this is a relationship related thing The werewolf reveal scene at the bonfire is probably my favorite part of the film The only crappy aspect to this film is the fact that the cgi the the bit of cgi that's used Doesn't hold up and this goes back to one of the things that I say all the time and all my reviews is If you can use practical effects use practical effects because the cgi will never hold up cgi always looks better in the future It won't hold up for practical effects will hold up for the most part So, uh, but that scene is so well done. I love the fact of all these, you know, all the girls tearing their skin off That's a cool aspect of the werewolf change. They're taking them off the way they take off clothing I love that kind of parallel of that. Um, the fact that you you know, everything comes to realization And you're thinking back at that point. Oh my gosh, none of this was about a relationship This was all about eating people. This is crazy. And this is anna pakwin's character. Well, lori's first time eating someone at this bonfire and the music the maryland manson cover of sweet dreams works So so well with that. Uh, there was another song that was supposed to be playing during that initially I can't remember what it was But i'm glad that they didn't go with it because I I remember whatever it was when I found out I was like Oh, yeah, that would not have been as good Uh, there is a great job done of, uh, painting krig as a terribly grumpy old curmudgeon And brian cox pulled that roll off very very well This probably stems from the bus Situation which you don't actually connect until the very end of the film When you see that photo of him with the kids and the bus burning in his fireplace The krig versus sam fight is a good length and it actually stays pretty fresh throughout. So I like that Once again, like I said, note that the achilles tendon cut is like pet cemetery I love that you see the lollipop turned into weapons since it was the an important piece of the beginning of the film Once again, kind of bringing things full circle I do like the dead kids coming for krig and it ending in the comic book version You know not actually showing what's going on But go over to the artwork of the comic book of him getting torn apart by these kids. So Love it So some closing thoughts on trick or treat This feels like halloween because it's steeped in it and plays like a love letter to the holiday And that's one of the things I love about this so much halloween is my favorite holiday I I love it every single year And so movies like this end up becoming favorites of mine because It puts me even more in the mood. It makes me feel The holiday even more. So, um, michael already did a great job with that This has so much rewatch value like I was talking about, you know on your first year You see this on your second year you see this but it keeps going you see new things all the time and um It's just a fun. It's a fun film has a lot of rewatch value. It's funny. It's scary. It's gross. It's interesting all that stuff The four stories chart the typical humans experience with halloween and how that changes during different ages Because if you notice each of these stories has to do with a different stage of life You know with the kids playing the trick. It's obviously like, you know teenage type Age then you go to the werewolves and it's like they're 20s, you know Just not long after being able to start drinking then you go to uh the couple in their 30s Who are you know cleaning up after a night of partying then you go to wilkins Who's probably in his 40s or 50s and then you go to craig Who's probably in his late 60s early 70s somewhere in there? So, uh It was intentionally done this way from what I read that michael dowherty Wanted it to be that way. He wanted it to be each story would represent a different Phase in a person's life and how they typically interact with the holiday of halloween So I think that's really really cool If you notice sam always shows up in each story when deaths occur But in the bus flashback, he shows up before death occurs And I don't know if there's a significance to that But it's just something that I observed that I was like every time he's showing up in these stories It's when death is happening or just happened Uh typically when it's happening um now For some reason it's not the case with the with the flashback and I don't know what that is So if you have a theory on that go ahead and put it in the comments But that's all I have to say about trick-or-treat now. I know I said it's one of my favorite films I love it so much, but I will also admit it's not a perfect film. It's it will not garner a five star rating It's not the most phenomenal thing ever so out of five stars with half stars in play I am giving it a four and a half star rating I can't give it a perfect, but I get it pretty close. I love this film. I think it's very good at there And like I said a lot of rewatch value. So let's nerd out about it. Let me hear your thoughts on it There I'm sure there are people out there who don't like it and that's fine and you can tell me why that's totally good So let's talk. Let's get nerdy. Um, and if you could please do me a favor hit that subscribe button It means a lot to me when people do that if you like this video or any video I've ever done that is your best way to repay me just hit the subscribe button Also, just hit the notification bell and then that way, you know when I'm putting up a new review video or an unboxing Or a lot doing a live stream or putting up another type of video because I'm doing some other stuff here on there as well So regardless, I appreciate you taking the time to check this out and until next time keep it brutal