Fantastic Fest Review And Video Blog: Trick 'R Treat

F*** Pointless Remakes.

F*** Shitty Sequels.

And F*** Rob Zombie.

(Excuse the vulgarity, as we don't use it often on /Fim — but when it is used, it is used to effect, to express a point. A bit of a warning, I have one more coming...)

Trick r Treat is the best Halloween movie since John Carptenter's 1978 classic. X-Men 2 screenwriter Michael Dougherty's feature filmmaking debut feels like a film that Steven Spielberg might have made in the 1980's if he didn't go all PG. It feels like the Amblin film that Orci and Kurtzman always claim they are aiming to make.

(the rest of the review and a video blog reaction, after the jump)

Usually anthologies are hit or miss, but Trick r Treat is solid in almost every respect, every story, every character and every kill.

This isn't really a super gory film, nor is it a film filled with scares or intensely creepy imagery. I forgot how much fun the horror genre could be. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this film. Trick 'r Treat harkens back to a time before Halloween became commercialized. I'm not sure how this film might play to kids of the 1990's, but I'm sure anyone who grew up pre-Back to the Future will love taking this visual trip. The production design is fantastic, every visual feels like it has a lot of thought behind each frame, each cut. Dougherty is able to pack quite a few old school twists and turns. The story beats are familiar, but not what you might expect.

I left the theater conflicted: So very happy I got the chance to see the film on the big screen, yet so angry that others would not get the chance.

F*** Hollywood. Why has this film taken over two years to get a release? Why is it being dumped direct to DVD? This could have been Warner Bros' next annual franchise. Not marketable? Anna Paquin stars in a story not much unlike that of her hit television series True Blood. Warner Bros could have produced a new one of these films each year, with a new writer, new director, and entirely new cast. How did they screw this one up?

I recorded a short video blog with Brian Salisbury from FilmSchoolRejects and Alex from FirstShowing, talking about the film, and why you not only should see it, but tell all your friends.