Trick 'r Treat (2008)

Trick 'r Treat was directed by Michael Dougherty, and stars Dylan Baker, Quinn Lord, and Anna Paquin, AKA Sookie Stackhouse or Rogue.

I'd heard so much about this movie, and was absolutely thrilled when I found out we'd be watching it in the Horror class I'm attending over intercession. Let me say, it did not disappoint.

This movie functions as an anthology. The stories overlap, as the characters of each segment interact and make appearances in other segments. The stories are not presented chronologically, so these interactions are nonsensical until the end of the film. It is certainly not a film to watch while preoccupied with other activities.

We talked in class about how this could be one of the reasons this film sat in post-production hell for years, despite how well-done it is. With the success of other non-linear films such as Memento (2000) or Pulp Fiction (1994), one would think the studios would be more open to more complex movies like Trick 'r Treat.

I feel this lack of faith stems from a lack of trust in the fans, which really saddens me. The studios seem to think that horror fans won't appreciate anything complex or difficult. Conversely, when a smart Horror film does really well, such as Let the Right One In (2009), it gets labeled as not truly horror, but an art film with Horror elements.

However, Trick 'r Treat is unavoidably a Horror movie. Its important themes deal unavoidably
with the conventions of the genre, and I think this is the major strength of the film. The movie has a little of everything.

However, what is most telling is the film's emphasis on tradition. Each character chooses to act according to or in disregard for tradition, leading to their salvation or their doom. Rhonda, who carves pumpkins and seems to know and acknowledge Sam, the pumpkin boy, survives and is empowered by the experience. She seems to know it is not simply another trick when she leaves the other children to their fate. She chooses not to save them. She stares confidently ahead during her escape, ignoring the screams of her deceitful friends. The werewolf pack also follows tradition and emerge unscathed. They are watched over by Sam, seemingly because they are creatures of the same ilk. The bus driver is saved by his unintentional offering of candy to Sam.

This emphasis on the rules seems to espouse a conservative ideology. Sins, such as the bus driver's treatment of the disabled children, are inevitably punished, as is disobedience of the rules. However, the fate of the werewolf girls invalidates this. Under a true conservative ideology, they would not be allowed to remain unpunished, regardless of the rules. Besides Rhonda, there is no clear-cut "good guy."

This movie masquerades as a traditional slasher, as different characters are picked off by an otherworldly "villain." However, there are in fact no such boundaries, making this movie much more liberal and internal than it seems.

A+