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31 Days of Horror – Day Thirty-one – Trick ‘r Treat (2007)
Congratulations fair reader, we’re to day 31 of our 31 days of horror, and we’re finishing it up with the now classic horror film, Trick ‘r Treat!
Trick ‘r Treat!
Movie Details:
- Release Date: 2007
- “Run”time: 1 hour and 22 minutes
- Where to watch it: Streaming
- Directed by: Michael Dougherty
- Written by: Michael Dougherty
- Starring:
  Anna Paquin
  Brian Cox
  Dylan Baker
Synopsis: It’s a halloweeeeeeeeen movie!
Open Stab Wounds (out of 10): 10
Review:
Holy hell!
We did it, everyone! Kevin and I successfully made our way through 31 days of Halloween horror! Splitting up the article writing duties was really handy, especially when there were movies I didn’t even watch (life, uh, finds a way).
Now we’re here at the finale and we’re doing something a little different. We’re both going to post articles about the last movie. This is because we wanted 31 to be a special one that we both like a lot.
So, without further ado, here is my write-up portion about the now horror classic film, Trick ‘r Treat!
BRANDON’S THOUGHTS:
In the mid-2000’s, I’d heard about a Halloween-themed anthology horror movie that was making its way through some festivals getting rave reviews. It wasn’t getting a theatrical release very many places, but critics were digging it. I forget how I first managed to watch it… I might’ve bought the DVD just as soon as I could. Regardless of how or when I watched it, I remember falling in love with Trick ‘r Treat.
The movie has five different stories that are interlocked in one or more ways. All the stories take place on the same evening at various points in time. Some characters briefly cameo as background characters. Maybe you see shambling zombie kids, a kid running away with a pumpkin in a shopping cart, or a character, blurry in the background, stalking a young woman. Other cameo characters may interact for a line or two. Eventually we see the greater context of those moments later in the film. The dialogue spoken by characters early in the film have double meaning that is only revealed when the audience finds out the truth later.
Trick ‘r Treat, perhaps more than any other horror anthology I can recall seeing, benefits from multiple rewatches. As a viewer, when the revelations happened, I wanted to start the film over again to catch all the little bits of foreshadowing sprinkled throughout the character and dialogue moments. There’s also an aspect of arranging the timelines of all the activities in your head. Again, all these stories are happening in the same night and sometimes at the exact same time.
Unlike movies like Southbound (which I also liked a lot), Trick ‘r Treat is grounded in what feels like our reality. Sure, there are ghouls and ghosts and werewolves, but they are treated as true supernatural entities. The backdrop of the movie is about ordinary people dealing with extraordinary things.
Another thing I love about Trick ‘r Treat is that it never feels overly bleak or mean-spirited. Even the characters that we know are evil, we find ourselves with some semblance of sympathy. As the icon of the movie, Sam, is terrorizing Brian Cox, we still sympathize a little bit when Cox says, “you’ve gotta be fn’ kidding me”.
I do have minor critiques: the incorporation of Marilyn Manson feels out of place with the rest of the movie that doesn’t rely on licensed music. The scene they use his music on makes the whole thing a bit more cringey and melodramatic than it must be. But overall, this is such a minor critique of an overall wonderful movie
On the character of Sam: it’s strange to think of a time when this film and that character was so unknown. After seeing the film, I made a homemade Sam costume with a bike helmet, burlap, and sewed my own Sam head. I went to a Halloween party, and nobody knew who I was.
Now?
Sam is heavily featured in every Spirit Halloween across the nation. He’s become a part of this cultural zeitgeist with Jack Torrance and Freddy Krueger: even if you’ve never seen Trick ‘r Treat, you’ll recognize Sam.
Ok, this is a long one, so I’ll finish it up. For me, Trick ‘r Treat is light-hearted, fun, and funny. It’s so great, in fact, that it’s part of my rare collection of movies that I never need a sequel for. It perfectly captures the fun, spooky spirit of the Halloween season. Trick ‘r Treat is as closely tied to my Halloween season as The Simpsons Treehouse of Horrors are. It’s an annual watching tradition since that first viewing for the Cruz family.
Trick ‘r Treat rocks.
KEVIN’S THOUGHTS:
There are just some films that you instantly know are going to be fantastic. From the opening scene I knew this was going to become one of those annual tradition type movies. Each segment is well acted, well told, and keeps you glued to the screen. The overall narrative of keeping to tradition is wonderfully wrapped up with each segment and the strings connecting the whole film together.
I think my favorite story is the Halloween School Bus Massacre. There is just something about horror created through tragedy… also, those kids were creepy as hell! This story is tied so well to the conclusion as well. I think it also did the best job at showing if you follow the traditions, you will stay safe.
Brandon and I have talked about this film and we both love it. I’m pretty sure we’ve both watched it numerous times since it came out and know we will watch it many more times. This one is absolutely on my list of recommendations for anybody looking for an annual halloween movie. If you’ve not seen it, I think you probably should… or else Sam might come looking for you!
Thanks for reading and watching along with us! Be sure to keep up with all 31 days of our Halloween Horror Film coverage!
Oh, and make sure to follow Brandon on Twitter @BarnyardCruz and Kevin @Solucid!
31 Days of Horror – The Changeling (1980)
This isn’t Angelina Jolie but George C. Scott does his best impression of the Changeling for this day’s film!
The Changeling
Movie Details:
- Release Date: 1980
- “Run”time: 1 hour and 47 minutes
- Where to watch it: Streaming
- Directed by: Peter Medak
- Written by: Russell Hunter
- Starring:
  George C. Scott
Synopsis: After the death of his wife and daughter in a car crash, a music professor staying at a long-vacant Seattle mansion is dragged into a decades-old mystery by an inexplicable presence in the mansion’s attic.
Open Stab Wounds (out of 10): 7
Classic cinema just had a different feel to it. Sure, there is the fact that society and norms change over the years, but I think there is more. Characters just seem to accept things and role with them. Exposition was done in such a matter of fact way and sometimes the ideas and scenes just seem a bit far fetched. Tonight’s movie had a little bit of that, but was it any good? Let’s get into The Changeling.
The story focuses on John Russell (George C. Scott), a composer who recently moved to Seattle after the loss of his wife and daughter. He rents a local mansion and quickly starts to hear bumps in the night. Realizing the presence there is trying to communicate, John starts to investigate the history of the home. This mystery leads to revelations, retribution, and ultimately culminates in a restless spirit finally finding peace.
John was obviously not a skeptic. Once happenings started in the home he almost immediately jumped to “something is trying to communicate with me and I need to solve this mystery.” I found that a bit silly, but it did drive the narrative. Once the investigation started to get pieces, it definitely felt more like a who-done-it mystery with a ghost, more than a haunting type film. I don’t think this really hurt the film, but it subverted my expectations of what I was going to be watching.
One of my favorite things was the music. Deep piano and orchestral pieces added wonderfully to moments of sadness, fright, and emotion. Classic films like this definitely relied heavily on music and they did it well. There are some movies these days that have great scores, but it just does not feel the same as some classic films like this.
Some of the acting felt a little over the top and some was really lackluster. There was one line that I found absolutely hilarious around 14 minutes in, a woman speaking about the home says “it’s so… large.” The delivery was so flat and it felt like a complete throwaway scene with no real purpose. George C. Scott’s performance was not bad, but nothing I would call magnificent… it wasn’t Patton.
I enjoyed the movie for what it was, but I don’t think I like it as much as Brandon. I definitely don’t feel it is one that stands the test of time. Nothing really stood out to me and it felt like there was far too much that you just had to accept and roll with. It’s not a film that I would tell people to stay away from, but it’s also not one I’d say you need to see. Go watch it if you need a dose of some classic cinema.
BRANDON’S THOUGHTS: I like this movie. It makes me sleepy. I always put it on because I like it and I like being awake for it and I don’t want a sleeping pill. It’s a great movie. 9/10
Thanks for reading and watching along with us! Be sure to keep up with all 31 days of our Halloween Horror Film coverage!
Oh, and make sure to follow Brandon on Twitter @BarnyardCruz and Kevin @Solucid!
31 Days of Horror – Day Twenty-nine – The Cursed (2021)
Forget full moons and Lon Chaney Jr, today we’re watching the 2021 werewolf film, The Cursed!
The Cursed!
Movie Details:
- Release Date: 2021
- “Run”time: 1 hour and 51 minutes
- Where to watch it: Streaming
- Directed by: Sam Ellis
- Written by: Sam Ellis
- Starring:
  Boyd Holbrook
  Kelly Reilly
  Alistair Petrie
Synopsis: A small town is terrorized by some kind of animal that seems like a wolf, but maybe not necessarily a wolf.
Open Stab Wounds (out of 10): 7
Review: Knowing now that Kevin and I are dedicated enough to at least see it through these 31 days to the end, I think I’ll put more effort into spreading the genre’s out and incorporating as many as possible. This will be something maybe we do for a post 31-day podcast or article… but for now, I mention it because: hey, we’re at day 29 and found our first werewolf movie!
This one comes by way of writer/director Sean Ellis, bringing us a werewolf tale from the late 1800’s. The movie starts off with a cool series of shots from the trenches of World War I and into the medical tent, where a character is having bullets pulled from his torso… revealing a single silver bullet that isn’t German.
Shortly from there, we go 35 years back in time to a small village. There the British settler elders are discussing a Romani encampment that has a claim to the land. However, the settlers don’t care nearly as much about the claim and proceed to… evict the Romani’s in the most violent way possible. The set-piece here is a very wide shot that lets the audience see everything that’s happening. It was done as a single shot, with impressive (and chaotic) blocking/choreography.
This eviction of the Romani kickstarts the titular “curse” on the settlers and the head of the elders, Seamus (Alistair Petrie). Eventually, events take place, leading to Seamus’ youngest child Edward (Max Mackintosh) being bitten and disappearing. This brings in a pathologist with a history of werewolves into the mix, by way of John (Boyd Holbrook). The attack, the mystery of what happened to Edward, and the root of the curse drive the narrative forward.
That’s good enough for the plot. It follows along with most werewolf stories, so there aren’t a ton of surprises or spoilers here. Even the scenes at the end weren’t particularly revelatory. My enjoyment of this movie came more from the gore effects and the straightforward story. The truth is: I don’t always need to be shocked or surprised by a film to enjoy it. There was more than enough technical skill here for me to be drawn in by. The world war I shots in the beginning were great. A scene in the beginning, at the start of the curse with a scarecrow was brutal.
On a note of werewolves: silver bullet stories work well as tales of resource management. Setting werewolf stories in the 1800’s with the limitations of firearms is always handy. There’s a moment or two in the film where this could be a factor, but for the most part, they don’t fully rely on a limited ammunition. However, the usefulness of a silver bullet in The Cursed, I thought, was a nice departure on the “effect” it has on werewolves.
The last thing to bring up is the history of werewolf transformations. From the Wolfman to The Howling to An American Werewolf in London, transformations are a key part of the genre. The hard part is always making a unique way of showing this transformation. The Cursed moves away from the traditional way, more akin to metamorphosis than shape change. I wanted to see it happen more, but unfortunately, it’s not highlighted enough.
To wrap it all up, The Cursed was a decent entry into the werewolf genre. It doesn’t do anything too far above and beyond what we expect from the genre, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it from a technical and storyteller perspective. Hell, I’m not even a big werewolf fan, but I liked this one.
Thanks for reading and watching along with us! Be sure to keep up with all 31 days of our Halloween Horror Film coverage!
Oh, and make sure to follow Brandon on Twitter @BarnyardCruz and Kevin @Solucid!
31 Days of Horror – Day Twenty-eight – Moloch (2022)
Tonight’s story is Moloch: a woman searches for answers around a family curse and a legend of an ancient evil!
Moloch!
Movie Details:
- Release Date: 2022
- “Run”time: 1 hour 39 minutes
- Where to watch it: Streaming
- Directed by: Nico van den Brink
- Written by: Daan Bakker and Nico van den Brink
- Starring:
  Sallie Harmsen
  Anneke Blok
  Alexandre Willaume
Synopsis: A woman searches for answers around a family curse and a legend of an ancient evil.
Open Stab Wounds (out of 10): 7
Review: Foreign horror is often great. It brings back old tales that most of us are no longer familiar with. Troll Hunter and Rare Exports were both absolutely fantastic and brought a new feeling to very old concepts, steeped in mythology and lore. From the opening scenes, I knew tonight’s movie was going to be one like that. So, let’s get into Moloch.
Moloch tells the story of a family that is possibly cursed. It opens on Betriek (played by Sallie Harmsen as an adult), hiding in a pantry while somebody above her is being attacked. Screams are heard and soon, blood is pouring down into the pantry from the floorboards above.
Time then jumps to 30 years later; Betriek is back home with her mother and has a daughter of her own. In the nearby bog, a body has been discovered and a research team is there to investigate and document what has been found. The lead researcher, Jonas (Alexandre Willaume) develops a bit of a relationship with Betriek and this leads to talk of her family curse, local myths of an ancient evil, and whether or not they believe in them.
As the film goes on we’re given clues and pieces of the truth and eventually those pieces can be put together without much effort. That is not to say that everything is handed to you, but much of the exposition lets you deduce what is going to happen and what has happened. This all leads to a conclusion that may or may not be what you expect.
I enjoyed this film. It’s refreshing to watch something that is based in mythology outside of the norm for US Horror. There are parallels and common themes for sure, but it was obscure enough to feel like something new and different. I can’t say that stopped me from predicting how the movie was going to end though.
There was not much gore and the scare moments were done more in a sense of what might be there, rather than jump scares. The cinematography was well done and the settings were well shot. It definitely had that European small village feel and that’s not a bad thing. Nothing really stood out too much, but none of it was done poorly.
While I felt the ending was a bit predictable, there were some turns I wasn’t able to piece together until the end. I don’t want to spoil anything with some of my other thoughts, but I will say I did enjoy the film. If you don’t like subtitles, this may not be for you; it is about half and half Dutch and English. If you’re looking for something a little different, this is a good choice.
Thanks for reading and watching along with us! Be sure to keep up with all 31 days of our Halloween Horror Film coverage!
Oh, and make sure to follow Brandon on Twitter @BarnyardCruz and Kevin @Solucid!