Man, I've been dying for a horror anthology in the theaters. What was the last one? TALES FROM THE HOOD? Despite this saying October at the end, I have heard Warner Bros. has moved it to February. Smart given the movie takes place on Halloween (!).

http://www.movieweb.com/video/V07G37ltvyDIJW

Well, after delaying this almost 2 years, Warners has decided to not distribute it and sell it to someone else. Hopefully some studio will pick it up with the genius idea to release it in October perhaps?

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/11819

I keep hearing about how great it is, but nobody ever released it, as far as I know. Amazon now has the Blu-ray for preorder, though at a steep $32.49. Anyone been able to see this yet? The combo of Brian Cox and Dylan Baker has me intrigued, though I don't know if they appear together in this anthology.

This was shot in late 2006, and I remember Fangoria writing about it maybe two and a half years ago. Produced by Bryan Singer, and it's on the shelf that long? Probably another buried gem, which seems to be happening more and more these days. I'm really looking forward to this one.

This just showed at the "Terror in the Aisles" festival in Chicago and my friend Jon Kitley saw it. He told me it is fantastic. As for why it has never been released, who knows what those geniuses in Hollywood are thinking. SAW rakes in cash every October so doing it a week before would probably yield good results. I mean, a Halloween themed film to be released in theaters around Halloween? That's crazy talk!

Threads have been merged.

Especially odd given that Anna Paquin has exploitable TRUE BLOOD buzz to get butts onto theater seats.

Just finished this one. If you are looking for something that absolutely oozes the Halloween spirit to screen on that special night, this would be a great choice. There are four interweaving stories here and I think the filmmakers wrap everything together nicely in the end. Now if only someone could explain to me why this sat on the shelf for three years. Oh, and tell me when Anna Paquin turned into Holly Hunter. Now that is scary!

I was completely underwhelmed with this. I thought all the stories were half-a**ed and underwritten - and the production design and style had all the worst overproduced traits of what we endured in the 80's (think "LADY IN WHITE" mixed with "NIGHT OF THE DEMONS" and add some Spielbergy vibes as well). All the 5-star reviews are truly baffling to me so, as I am obviously in the minority on this one, I'll just let all those who like it enjoy it. Your treat is my trick.

I completely agree with you on this Jeff. Exploring horror sites last night, I was shocked at the number of people declaring it a new age classic and one of the best horror movies of the last decade. I think it is definitely a case of "constantstudiodelayingresultingoverrateitis." I'll admit I liked it but the over-the-top praise is baffling.

Is this out on DVD? I can't find a single store to rent it from.

I don't know, guys, I think this is a really nifty movie. Granted, the twists in the tales are mostly predictable, but the score, the production design, the performances, and clever direction really add up to something fun that I think is worthy of becoming a Halloween perennial. The creature design is really flippin' creepy, and Dylan Baker's black comic performance is outstanding. Cox's homage to Carpenter's THE THING is cute, but this, thankfully, is not a movie that goes overboard with nods to earlier, better films (CREEPSHOW being an obvious one).

Yeah, it came out officially this week (and been floating around the internet for a while prior to that).

Just a funny notion I had... but is it possible that Warners kept this Bryan Singer production on the shelf as some sort of "punishment" for Superman Returns? I mean, studio executives have been known to do petty things like that.

Y'know, I actually read that theory someplace (director Dougherty wrote SUPERMAN RETURNS), but I think all studio heads place greed before spite, and I don't believe they would willingly give up the millions of dollars this movie would have made just to say "screw you, Singer."

My theory is that Warners doesn't know TRICK 'R TREAT is good, and that there's an enthusiastic market for it.

Here is a small interview with Dougherty discussing what happened with the film.

Is that from the recent RUE MORGUE coverage?

Horror Hound magazine.

I fear for the people making millions of dollars to market Warner Brothers movies, because TRICK 'R TREAT is incredibly easy to market. This is not an art film. This is a funny, scary, clever, fun movie that would play with almost any audience that likes to have a good time at the movies.

Scary, funny, clever - kind of sounds like DRAG ME TO HELL which didn't perform anywhere as good as it should have at the boxoffice. Merits aside, I do think TRICK 'R TREAT is a bit soft for modern audiences, even with its R rating. I don't think TRT would have done all that well even if released at Halloween time. A cult of fans afterwards - yes - as has happened with many of our favorites that were originally commerical bombs. General audiences today, though, seem to want SAW and realistic violence instead of an unconvincing animatronic pumpkin-faced boy running around a house. This is one rare instance where I can actually accept the studio's hesitance in opening this film wide. It feels very DTV to me and pretty average even on those terms. If it wasn't centered around the Halloween holiday, I don't think anyone would even be discussing the film. At least it's finally on DVD for everyone to see and judge for themselves.

I don't know. DRAG ME TO HELL made $42 million, even though Universal was stupid enough to release it in May. That's a pretty nice chunk of money for a horror movie. It is absolutely impossible that TRICK 'R TREAT would not have done at least that in a competent October release.

Impossible.

Yeah, I agree. Sony was able to get $40 million out of 30 DAYS OF NIGHT a few years ago in October, so this could have done just as well.

30 DAYS OF NIGHT made $40 million??? I guess that proves it doesn't really matter how awful the product is - it can still make money if marketed correctly. And we've all seen instances where really good films open poorly, even if marketed in a very smart way. It really is just a crapshoot.

Just adding to the TRICK R TREAT affection. Watched it last night; highly recommended.

Oh, HORROR HOUND. Yup, I've got a few of those. Thanks, WillWil.

TRICK R TREAT is showing on the big screen this Wednesday at the Walter Reade in NY.

Finally saw this last night. I thought it was wonderful. I don't recall seeing a horror film that has so perfectly captured mood of Halloween in America since Carpenter's HALLOWEEN.

The cinematography is sharp and..and...oh my GOD...COLORful. Like in...NON grainy actual color. A stunning reversal of current trends. No epilepsy inducing editing either. It's all about setting the MOOD...the ATMOSPHERE. Again, a total buck against the modern trends in horror.

The editing of the four stories is excellent, avoiding the traditional episodic style and instead cutting very smoothly back and forth until they all almost come completely together in one spot, the one consistent thing being the creepy little kid(?) in the simply but effectively creepy costume. And some of it's more gruesome moments involves kids. Very surprising in a low budget but still somewhat studio based production.

THIS is the little low budget film that should be taking in the big bucks this year. I'd much,much, rather prefer that a new trend be founded on something like this then on "camcorder cinema".

The standard DVD disappointed me a bit in that there was some noticeable artifacting. Likely due to Warners deciding to include a "full frame" transfer a well as the widescreen, giving the movie itself a lower bitrate then it warrants.

And no commentary track! A Blue Ray exclusive it seems. Though there is one on the accompanying short film, which I recommend seeing afterwards. It's a cool little animated piece, hand drawn like in those days of yore, and even though it was done years ago, gives a little background actually on a main part of the movie.

All in all...an absolute, hands down, must see for Halloween recommendation.

For anyone who hasn't seen it, here is the cartoon short SEASON'S GREETINGS by Michael Dougherty that introduced the character of Sam a decade or so ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U4ei6_UNLU

Just picked it up at lunch. I've had a couple of hard weeks, what with one of my cats falling out the bathroom window five floors up (he's fine, amazingly), and some mishegoss at work as we reorganize, so I decided I needed a Hallowe'en gift.

Did you or your jittery friend Herbert inject a mysterious glowing green liquid into that cat, Bob?

Well, it hasn't been too easy tracking down a DVD copy for sale in downtown Manhattan. Kim's, Barnes & Nobles, and Borders were out of stock. I finally found a single copy hiding at Best Buy. But plenty of Blu-Ray copies gathering dust... what's that tell ya, Hollywood?

Watch out for that spoil-a-rific photo of a monster face used for the inside DVD cover art (within the cardboard sleeve)! Just like the 80s, with those Fango covers!

I liked it and will certainly pull it out each year for the holiday, but it is getting a little bit over-hyped in some quarters of the Internet. This is a case of style over substance, but a case where that's done right. This flick looks gorgeous, a perfect pop-art representation of everything that revolves around Halloween culture. The achievements of the production design and cinematography automatically make this a Halloween classic. Combining that with the easy-to-swallow 82 minute running time makes this already a perfect Halloween party movie. That all being said, the stories themselves are a little bit slight. My pre-teen Tales From The Darkside-addicted self could have easily predicted most of the plot twists. Even so, I wish I had seen this when I was about 10 years old, regardless of the R-rated elements. I had fun with all the tales, but never felt like I was being told something I hadn't already digested many times through horror anthology movies, TV shows, and comic books. Anna Paquin, Dylan Baker, and Brian Cox help make it all seem fresher. There were a few too many eye-rolling, catty "bitch" stereotypes for my taste, but I guess dislikable shrews like those are par the course in EC Comics land.

Go in with tempered expectations... preferably with the lights dimmed, a big bowl of popcorn, and a group of Halloween-loving friends... and Trick 'r Treat should make for a fun time. Just don't expect some towering masterpiece of the genre.

Marty, Herbert West is one of the finest young men I've ever known, and - he did WHAT?

I refer to the feline as "Stax, the flying cat."

Possibly non-obligatory gay moment: I almost walked right past Jeffrey Combs' table in the celeb tent at a Chiller, once. I did a double-take and headed right back to meet him and chat. I had no idea he was so handsome in person, what with all that jittering around he does onscreen!

Well, I hope you told him so!

. . . well, you are certainly right about that - the Blu-ray I watched last night was something to behold . . . you know, I had my car serviced yesterday and watched ZOMBIELAND to pass the two hours (well, one hour and twenty minutes of movie, and the rest spent glassing over watching commercials and previews which never stop - seems like a long time ago that I could spend a quiet twently minutes before the movie reading in a cinema that had the lights on) and thought it boring, silly, and, well, I could go on and on - of course, it has grossed millions . . . then I came home and watched this wonderful unreleased gem, felt much better, and took a moment to reflect upon those who make goofy studio decisions . . . this one really is an instant seasonal classic for me - I was even reminded of Neil Jordan's wonderful THE COMPANY OF WOLVES here and there, which is a very good thing indeed . . .

This was awful. I didn't get 30 seconds of fun out of this. Quite possibly the longest 77 minutes of my life. I keep reading references to how "old school" TRICK-R-TREAT was and how visually pretty it was but cramming the mise-en-scene to bursting with stuff isn't pretty to me and if there's one word that typifies old school to me it's "characterization," which this movie just didn't have.

This movie simply didn't do it for me, although one element that hasn't been pointed out but ought to be has really stuck with me. It's the tragic relationship of the boy to his father. (Almost as horrifying as the early shock scene between them is the later shot of the kid on his front step.) Sad, and truly original. The movie needed many more of these moments.