The powers that be, here at Zombies in My Blog, asked me to do a piece this Halloween season about my favorite horror movie. As every horror movie junkie knows, that’s like asking me who is my favorite child. It’s just a question I really can’t answer. I do have a Halloween movie ritual, though. Every Halloween, on or right before the big day, I settle in with a cocktail, a ridiculous amount of junk food and Trick ‘r Treat on the television. It’s the best Halloween movie ever made, hands down.
I’ve been watching this movie faithfully every Halloween since its release in 2007. If you haven’t seen it, I’d describe it as Halloween’s answer to It’s a Wonderful Life. The film isn’t just a fun horror comedy, it’s actually about Halloween and the spirit of Halloween. If Christmas is about love and family, Halloween is about forgetting all of that and becoming someone else for the night. There are rules to Halloween, though, and it’s the movie’s title character, Sam, who makes sure those rules are adhered to. Sam is the film’s cute guide through the movie’s five interwoven stories. Every holiday has its own mascot, so to speak. Christmas has Santa, Easter has the Easter Bunny, even the Fourth of July has Uncle Sam, but Halloween has never had its own special mascot… until now. The likable and cute Sam, short for Samhain, is given to us in the film Trick ‘r Treat. He is both innocent and menacing at the same time. Just like the holiday.
The film goes loosely into the mythos of Halloween and pays homage to the urban legends associated with the holiday. The film isn’t just a horror film, it somehow also manages to capture the actual joy associated with Halloween, too. That feeling you got around Halloween when you were a kid, yeah, that’s what this movie is about. This film isn’t just my Halloween tradition, it should be yours, too. The movie has a party vibe about it, you feel like you should be off celebrating, even while you watch it. The film has all of the elements needed for the holiday: a little comedy, plenty of suspense, a smidge of gore and a pinch of sex. It’s a mix of innocence and loss of innocence. There are serial killers, werewolves, bullies and even a Halloween version of Scrooge. Basically, there is something for everyone in this film.
The film is becoming the go-to movie for Halloween viewing. I’d say it has reached cult status, but to be honest, it’s gone way beyond that. Next year, fans will FINALLY get a second installment! In the meantime, there has been a graphic novel released called Trick ‘r Treat: Days of the Dead. This comic’s focus is based even more on the origins of Halloween and is not related to the events in the film. So, settle in this Halloween and watch the new Halloween classic Trick ‘r Treat.
Trick ‘r Treat is available for rent through most streaming services.