We are all watch Michael Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat every year for Halloween, but not many of us have seen it in a theater. Trick ‘r Treat did have a few festival screenings, but it has never been given a cinema release—until now. Trick ‘r Treat will be released by Regal Cinemas in theaters this October, which is fantastic news for horror aficionados.
It’s common for genre aficionados to immediately think of John Carpenter’s Halloween or James Whale’s The Bride of Frankenstein when discussing great horror movies. There have, however, been some contemporary classics that hardly ever receive their due in the genre spotlight. The 2007 anthology film Trick ‘r Treat by Michael Dougherty is one of the movies. Since then, the movie has become a cult favorite, yet it was never given a theatrical distribution. Thankfully, that’s about to change as Regal Cinemas is bringing Trick or Treat to theaters for the first time ever.
Along with Halloween, Scream 2, The Lost Boys, and other vintage horror movies, Trick ‘r Treat will be released in theaters. The news was also confirmed by Warner Brothers, who tweeted, “The cat’s out of the bag! This fall marks the first time EVER that Trick ‘r Treat will be released in theaters. For anyone who enjoys this now-iconic anthology movie, this is wonderful news. The character Sam, a demon who zealously enforces Halloween customs, was most famously introduced in the movie to the horror world. He is as closely associated with Halloween as slasher villains Michael Myers or Freddy Kruger thanks to his orange pajamas and sack-covered pumpkin head.
Sam is the beginning of what makes this specific anthology unique in its subgenre, despite the fact that the movie is 15 years old. Trick ‘r Treat is a movie that follows a variety of distinct stories, much like previous movies in the genre. But unlike other movies, Warren Valley and Sam’s purpose, a single town, tie each story together. Because of this, the movie has a lived-in feel, gives each story room to breathe, and offers a really compelling conclusion to the mystery at its core. This collection of horror stories, which includes stalwarts of the genre like ghosts, serial murderers, and werewolves, is incredibly entertaining.
Trick ‘r Treat is a must-watch horror masterpiece, in case that wasn’t obvious. It has a terrific comic book style on top of perfectly capturing the Halloween season and the scary darkness lurking deep within humanity. It was therefore strange that the movie never saw a theatrical release. Although it went direct-to-video, it was screened at events including the San Diego Comic-Con and festivals like Fantasia Fest and Screamfest Horror Film Festival. The decision was extremely controversial given the outstanding ensemble cast of the movie, which included Leslie Bibb, Dylan Baker, Rochelle Aytes, Brian Cox, Anna Paquin, and Brian X2: X-Men United (The Babysitter).
Warner Bros. regrets choosing to release this film only on video, as it had the potential to become one of their major horror franchises. Since then, they’ve had horror hits like It, but none of them had the potential to become a long-running series; Sam was a squandered chance. Even if you enter a Spirit Halloween, you will inevitably run upon this well-known genre icon with their half-eaten pumpkin Lollipop.
But that’s the past, as Sam and Trick ‘r Treat are now accorded the respect they so richly deserve. A sequel has long been desired by fans. Hopefully, this movie’s debut on a large screen is a terrifying omen of great things to come for this franchise that almost was.
Starting on October 6, Trick ‘R Treat will be shown at Regal theaters in time for Halloween. Until then, visit their website for additional details on this thrillingly creepy release.
