Trick 'r Treat

Interweaving four tales of terror told with ghoulish glee, writer-director Michael Dougherty creates a new horror classic with Trick 'r Treat, a fittingly twisted love letter to Halloween. In the sleepy suburbs of Warren Valley, Ohio, local principal Steven Wilkins (Dylan Baker) warns a jack-o'-lantern-smashing bully that disrespecting this holiday's traditions is a dangerous endeavor, since these customs shield humanity from the hellish monsters who roam free on All Hallows Eve. Serving as enforcer and silent mascot to this night of masquerade and mayhem is the deceptively cute Sam (Quinn Lord), a small, but strange, trick-or-treater in a tattered scarecrow costume. As Sam prowls through gruesome yard decorations and hordes of revelers, cynics are slaughtered with grisly gore and a barbed sense of humor. Meanwhile, slutty costumed girls, mischievous trick-or-treaters, and the candy-stealing grump next door discover the true meaning of Halloween, and that nothing is what it seems. Reveling in monsters, murder, and myth, Trick 'r Treat offers plenty of wicked fun on its first viewing. But what's best about this wild and ghastly PSA are the many layers of allusions and biting wit that make this horror film richer and more rewarding with each re-watching.