5 Reasons to Make ‘Trick ‘r Treat’ Your New Halloween Tradition
By Elliott Cuff
Sure, you could watch John Carpenter’s Halloween for the hundredth time, but here’s why you should join me by making Michael Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat your All Hallows’ Eve tradition.
1. It sets the perfect tone right out of the gate…
…blending together dark humor and horror with an abundance of fun style. Dougherty directs proficiently for his directorial debut, and the autumnal vibes are sublime.
2. It’s not afraid to show its fangs…
…despite its reputation as one of the tamer R-rated horror films. It has plenty of gloriously gruesome effects that will surely whet the appetite of anyone who delights in the color crimson.
3. It’s an interwoven anthology…
…and that alone would sell me on it had I not seen it so many times already. The individual tales are each compelling in their own right, and the ways in which they criss-cross with one another never fails to satisfy.
4. It has a murderous pumpkin boy as its mascot…
…who uses a half-bitten lollipop sharpened into a blade as his primary weapon. Sam is already an all-time horror icon—need I say more?
5. It’s a love letter to the Halloween season…
…yet it goes far beyond using the holiday as simple set dressing. No film cherishes the spirit of All Hallows’ Eve like Trick ‘r Treat does, and I dare you to prove me wrong.
Elliott Cuff is a writer, journalist, and film enthusiast. Follow him on Twitter @CuffWrites and Instagram @elliottlovesmovies.