WOW!!!

Let me say this again…

WOW!!!

IMO, this movie is pure genius on all levels.  I mean seriously, everything about this worked.  It left me in a rare situation of wanting more.  Damn, I loved this movie.

Why in the fuck this wasn’t released theatrically is a mystery that I’ll never understand.  First of all, the creative POWER behind this is obvious.  The writer of X-Men 2 and Superman Returns…and even the very decent effort in Urban Legends: Bloody Mary...obviously a Hollywood powerhouse.  Bryan Singer…c’mon?   What the Hell?

Close to 90% Tomato approval, and actually close to 100% positive reviews across the board…this would have easily grossed $40 Million plus at the Box Office alone.  I seriously don’t get it at all.  Probably one of the major Hollywood fuck ups of all time.

As I said earlier…everything worked here.  Attention to detail, actor’s performances, production values, story, script…literally everything was top notch and spot on, IMO.

As far as I can tell…at this point…I’d seriously say this is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen, all said and done.  It just worked on all levels and IMO was a kick ass flick, and one I’ll buy and watch over and over.

Personally, I loved the non standard structure…and the  meandering (at first) feel.  The tie ins were so well thought out and played out.  DAMN!  I JUST LOVED IT!

More than a little surprised that Balt and Bert weren’t more enamored.

This will become a classic for sure.  I can’t wait for the sequel, cause it just begs for such.

BTW, I had no clue what was going down in the Red Riding Hood episode.  I was very surprised and happy with where that one went.  Pumpkin Boy (Sam) was amazing, and I was thrilled with his reveal.

Blue Ray DVD package was awesome!  Great missing scenes, great extras…SHIT…just great across the board.

Rent it!  See it!  Enjoy it!  Michael Dougherty is a frickin genius!  We’ll be seeing alot of him in the future.   He’s a force to be reckoned with.  Pure genius, IMO!!!!

10 out of 10!!!!

Quoted from Baltis. You all have got to be kiddin' me, right? Please tell me this is some elaborate scheme you all've hatched to get new comers to go sit through this snooze fest... Albeit not as bad as the abomination that is/was and will always be Creepshow 3 -- Trick r' Treat was shallow, mindless and basic at every step and turn.

I should say more, but Balt summed it up perfectly. After half an hour I was thinking why the hell did I get this?! Yep, I know lots of you loved it and the 'reviews' meant I had high expectations but c'mon it was mind numbing drivel. How about some suspense guys - it's the only way 'horror' will work for me. Then again, maybe my expectations were just too high. This movie just fails to deliver imo.

Mind numbing drivel?  Are you sure you rented the right DVD, Libby?  Maybe you had the terrible 1986 "Trick or Treat", instead of the outstanding 2009 "Trick 'r Treat"?

You didn't experience any suspense?  There was loads of suspense in every single story!

What horror movies have worked for you?

Amazing!

Quoted from Dreamscale Mind numbing drivel?  Are you sure you rented the right DVD, Libby?  Maybe you had the terrible 1986 "Trick or Treat", instead of the outstanding 2009 "Trick 'r Treat"? You didn't experience any suspense?  There was loads of suspense in every single story! What horror movies have worked for you? Amazing!

MAJOR SPOILERS PEPPER THE BELOW RANT:

I have to disagree, Jeff... What suspense? The only suspense I could see was when the fat kid was sitting on the principals porch. That was more tension than suspense even.  I thought and think "Trick r Treat" is a shallow attempt at replicating "Creepshow" and a failed one... "Trick r Treat" is almost the "Monsters" of tv syndicate, to where as "Tales from the Darkside" still dominates.  While the production was high, I won't argue... The stories were all weak. The lead through on the Vampire/Werewolf/Stalker story was absolute junk. You can see it a mile a way... The lead through with ol' buddy being the bus driver who killed the kids in story 3... you could see it a mile away. But what I want to know, how does  bus driver rate the pay scale to live right next to the principal? Please, little plot holes add up to one big train wreck here.

I know a lot of you loved it and that's fine... Love it for what it is and not what it isn't. This movie didn't not do anything new. IT didn't not recreate the horror genre or set it on its ear. It was a simple excercise in ground we've all treaded before.  The stories, all of them, lacked originality. They lacked scares... They lacked punch.  Hell, even the ending wasn't worth it.  We knew, at least I did, what was going to happen when we saw the newspaper clipping in ol' buddy's house. I knew the kids were going to be coming for him... And why? Because of sloppy writing and a blinding need to overshadow.

As I said, while the production might've seemed high... The writing was typical and a stage 1 affair. This didn't deserve to make it to theaters. It should've been offered for free on Comcast on Demand, in all honesty. Hell, it might've been... I hadn't checked mine in awhile.

Quoted from Baltis. But what I want to know, how does  bus driver rate the pay scale to live right next to the principal? Please, little plot holes add up to one big train wreck here.

If these are the questions that run through your head when you watch a movie...you really need to lighten up.

Balt, this is based on a comic, so it's not all going to play completely realistic...just like Creepshow didn't either.

But, in answer to your question about how the old bus driver lives next to the Principal, you have to remember that the bus driver was never seen or heard from again after the accident, 30 years ago.  And he was paid by the parents of each child to carry out their wishes.  How much money was that?  We don't know.  What has he been doing for the last 30 years?  We don't know.  Like Dressel said, this kind of thing shouldn't even come into play.

I don't ever want to knock anyone based on what they like or don't like, because it's each person's perogative to like whatever they want to like.  Most things can go both ways, and it's easy to understand why some will like them and others won't.  I just don't see this movie as one of those things.  It was so well put together, and actually quite unique, at least in terms of recent competition.

Keep in mind, if you're judging this by Creepshow, you're going back almost 30 years, and you're using a very revered film that pretty much everyone remembers.  If Trick 'r Treat is even in the same breath as Creepshow, it's certainly done something right, IMO.  

Quoted from dresseme If these are the questions that run through your head when you watch a movie...you really need to lighten up.

He doesn't need to lighten up. No movie is going to be universally loved. Some will like a movie and some won't. There's no changing either's opinions...

Quoted from Mr. Blonde He doesn't need to lighten up. No movie is going to be universally loved. Some will like a movie and some won't. There's no changing either's opinions...

Ha, I don't care what he thought of the movie.   It doesn't change the fact that I loved it.

But yes, he does need to lighten up nonetheless.  

EDIT: And if we're comparing this to "Creepshow", go for it.  I saw almost every turn that movie was going to take when I watched it for the first time about a month ago.  I mean, talk about predictable.  Who wouldn't have been able to guess what was in the Crate and what was going to happen with it?  (And it should be noted, these criticisms are coming from someone who LIKED the movie!  I just saw everything coming, but didn't really mind all that much.)

Quoted from dresseme Ha, I don't care what he thought of the movie.   It doesn't change the fact that I loved it. But yes, he does need to lighten up nonetheless.   EDIT: And if we're comparing this to "Creepshow", go for it.  I saw almost every turn that movie was going to take when I watched it for the first time about a month ago.  I mean, talk about predictable.  Who wouldn't have been able to guess what was in the Crate and what was going to happen with it?  (And it should be noted, these criticisms are coming from someone who LIKED the movie!  I just saw everything coming, but didn't really mind all that much.)

There is no way you could have known, given a first time watch, that the monster inside the crate was that of a Mutant Baboon origin. Implausible. A revenge story is only going to go one way... With the done wrong getting the right of way in the end.  So by that token, yes... Creepshow was predictable. All the EC comics are predictable when you read them too. Tales from the Crypt are predictible... I don't think watching "They're Creeping Up on You" is going to yield any other result other than the guy being consumed by his biggest fear.

Creepshow was never put under a microscope and herald as the greatest flick of all time, either. You all are praising this "Trick r Treat" like it's a reinvention of horror and it's not. It's a typical, 5 dollar dvd you'd see in a Walmart stock bin.  It's not original. It's not cutting edge... It uses every tactic we've seen for the last 40 years + and tries its best to make it into a workable movie.  I seen shades of Scream, Black Christmas, Halloween, Gore Gore Girls, Creepshow, Tales from the Crypt, Vault of horror, Every zombie movie ever made... I seen bits of Howling 2 in it. I seen a little Vampyris in it.   And that's the short list... Hell, I even seen a few nods to Mausoleum in it.  

What's this tell you? It tells you that A - Nothing is new and shocking or B - I've seen it all already and if I've seen it all... many others have to.  Dressle you're making this movie out to be something it's not. You keyboard commando yourself around the board and lobby against any who oppose you and in turn people don't wanna speak out against you and end up going with the flow.  I can dig that... I just won't be one of those guys.  The movie wasn't worth piss n' a cat dish.  I love that you liked it. I do... I love that you have turned this movie on to others here who might not have see or heard of it, that's tops.  But you've done everything short of give this movie the Life time achievement award.

And I think about a mardryd of things while watching movies... Why should I limit my thoughts to that of others? I like to look at tiny aspects and flaws in movies so I don't make the same mistakes in my own. If I watch a movie, I almost always watch it more than once... I usually don't pass too much judgment upon the 1st viewing. It's the 2nd and 3rd and 4th and so on that gets my mind working over time.  Sorry you're not the same... I bet your also the same type of person who'd shush someone in the room for talking or eating pop corn too loud too.  

As for you, Jeff... I can see where that makes sense. In that light and chain of events, sure. It could happen. But looking at the guy in question. Looking at his house and how grounded in the community he appeared to be... It's still a hard one to swallow. And any movie that uses the anthology theme is going to strike a huge contrast to Creepshow and Vault of horror and so forth and so on. Those movies paved the way for shit holes like Camp fire Tales and Trick r Treat.

On a final note, and then I'm done here... I am not saying you all shouldn't like this movie. I love that you all do. It gives two sides of the story for others who might be on the fence about it. It gives a debate to those who haven't seen it to check it out and be their own voice when finished.  So for that, I'm not mad at ya guys. "ha" Not even you Dressle...  I am a bit harsh in the movies I like. I hold a very tight, high standard, unless it is something that is endearing to me since childhood... movies like Karate Kid, Labamba, Pretty n Pink and so forth and so on will always have a place in my heart... regardless of how out of whack they might seem today.  But when I watch a movie it has to meet a certain level to resonate with me and this one just didn't.

Want a good movie... go watch, if you haven't already, Surveillance. That is the best movie I've seen in a long time, save the Wrestler.

I watched this without reading any reviews or comments, I didn't even realise there was a thread about it here and I must say that I was plesantly surprised. I thought this was well above average for horror films nowadays and probably one of the strongest straight-to-dvd movies I've watched in years. I didn't think it was one of the best films I've ever seen by any stretch of the imagination but going into it not knowing a word about it, it did surprise me.

I must add I only watched it because the chick from True Blood was in it, yet I still never seen some of the twists coming. I guess I was kinda off-the-ball that night.

I'll be blunt instead of babbling on as per normal and dancing around the point instead of cutting to the chase and saying what i think of this movie, verboseness can be a difficult thing to.. What? Oh yeah, right. Three words for you... "Bag of shite."

A bag of shite, huh?  Yeah...right.  If this is shite, could you enlighten us with 5 or so horror movies from 2009 (theatrical or DTV) that blow this away?  I'm just curious what works for you, if this doesn't.

I watched it again last night.  Second viewing was alos awesome!  Caught a few things I didn't notice the first time around.  The attention to detail and fantastic here, and everythgin is so well tied together.

My only complaint, as I said before, is that I wanted more.  The werewolf scene could have gone on a bit longer and "showed" a little more.

Bring on Trick 'r Treat 2!!!!!  Please!!!!

This one seems like Paranormal activity in that audiences are split down the middle about it. Anyway, I think I've heard enough good that I'll check it out. Anthology stories have never been about originality to me. They're meant to have a classic, old-timey vibe to them. That's how I've viewed them anyway which is what makes Creepshow and Tales from the Crypt fun to me. If I wanna lower my standards, this is generally what I'm drawn to. Dumb and fun. Not just dumb like it seems everything else that came out last month is. Then again, I haven't seen this yet so I'll come back with opinions to spare.

Quoted from Dreamscale A bag of shite, huh?  Yeah...right.  If this is shite, could you enlighten us with 5 or so horror movies from 2009 (theatrical or DTV) that blow this away?  I'm just curious what works for you, if this doesn't.

No because they haven't made any decent horror movies for years.

The horror porn of Hostel and Saw is just plain dull, and somewhat perverted to me.

The best ones in my humble are The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, Psycho, The Shining, The Thing, Nosferatu eine Symphonie des Grauens, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Dawn of the Dead, Alien, The Wicker Man and The Birds.

Hitchcock knew how do horror. His films has design and tension.

The newest film on that list was made in the early eighties. The shite they make now and have the balls to call Horror is designed for fourteen year olds as they are the ones who pack the cinemas, not for adults.

RV

We agree that most movies nowadays suck indeed, but we don’t agree much further than that.

Hostel was an amazing film.    The Descent was an amazing film.  Eden Lake was an awesome flick.  Wolf Creek and Rogue were awesome.  Hell, even the original Jeepers Creepers was great.

Exorcist was lame (for it’s time, it worked for sure, but it’s pretty weak).  Rosemary’s Baby was indeed a very good film, but again, it’s too long ago to stand up nowadays.  Pyscho, as I’ve said before, isn’t really much when you look at it now or compare it to modern day movies (yes, in its time, it was great indeed).  The Shining was another example of a missed opportunity with a Stephen King novel…highly over rated and pretty dull for the most part.  The Thing is a great flick for sure, and one that holds up very well, even with Rob Bottin’s dated effects.  Invasion of the Body Snatchers with Donald Sutherland was a great flick, but again, pretty dated at this point.  Alien and Aliens are classics, but too sci-fi for me to call actual horror.   Both Dawn of the Dead’s are great movies, but they’re zombie flicks, and that kind of says it all.  Original Wicker Man is great fun and the fact that it’s so dated and downright odd makes it a great experience.  The Birds?  Oh boy…completely over rated and so lame in terms of holding up.

Hitchcock was indeed the man in many ways, but you’re going back an awfully long way to a completely different world of film making.

I would agree that most horror movies suck and may be intended for a younger, stupider audience, but that doesn’t mean that everything falls into that category.  I truly believe that each and every movie should be viewed and graded on its own merits.  If it sucks, then it sucks.  If it doesn’t, then don’t throw it into the pile.

People may not love this film or think it’s great, but saying it sucks or is a bag of shite is just downright wrong and incorrect.  It has so many things going for it and works on so many different levels.  It’s smart, witty, funny at times, scary, and even horrific.  There’s a lot of intelligence behind this and it totally shows.  It’s far from a hack job and that alone should be acknowledged.

Guess we agree to disagree here, R.  That’s OK.