Halloween is finally here. And we at AITH have been talking extensively about the upcoming HALLOWEEN sequel due in theatres next October. And since the holiday has officially arrived, there is one other sequel that many a horror fan has been looking forward to. Yet it was a film that had to really work for its minor success. Even after a fantastic trailer for the film, folks had to wait for the wonder of Michael Dougherty’s holiday celebration called TRICK ‘R TREAT back in 2007. In fact, there was so much talk about this creepy horror anthology, that when it was finally revealed, many were already hoping for another helping. As a fan myself, I wanted more of it all, including the psychotic principal, the school bus massacre, the big surprise party and most importantly, that little fellow named “Sam.”
I’ll never forget the first time I caught the trailer for the film well before I actually finally experienced the movie itself. In fact, TRICK ‘R TREAT was delayed for two years with only a select few screenings popping up across the country. I was one of the lucky ones, catching it at a special Comic Con screening. Even with it sitting on a shelf somewhere for a couple years, somehow it lived up to audience expectations. Critics grooved to the nightmarish fable and the lucky few who saw it on the big screen quickly found themselves with a brand new movie to watch the the end of every October.
So what the hell happened with the follow-up? How can a movie get nearly instant cult classic fandom and leave us still waiting for a sequel? Unfortunately, the film never had a proper theatrical release, leaving most movie lovers with a trick and no treat. So for nearly every single person hoping to catch an image of Sam and his penchant for jack-o-lanterns, they all had to wait for home video. Of course, not only did it receive a warm reception from horror lovers, it scored with an impressive 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. That is the current standing, with a 71% audience score. It also made that little Sam fella a modern horror icon, one you could find little vinyl action figures of.
After the very promising first film, one that most people didn’t see until well after the excitement faded, there was enough love to warrant a second. In fact, Dougherty announced a sequel way back in 2009… and then nothing. In October of 2013, Dougherty and Legendary Pictures “officially” announced a sequel. However, another chapter is on hold as the filmmaker took on the upcoming GODZILLA sequel, and in all honesty I can't wait for that one. We all know what happens when someone tackles a huge film, their smaller ones are put on hold. So where does that leave TRICK ‘R TREAT 2? Recently, nearly every single movie site picked up on the news that Dougherty claims it may be his next film. How long are we gonna have to wait?
As a fan of Mr. Dougherty, it is clear that he must still have passion for returning to Sam’s world. However, you have to wonder if there has been too much time since the original. After all, we’ve seen a lot of long delayed sequels fail at the box office over the past couple of years. And since we were originally led down this twisted pumpkin covered path, we’ve had a number of other horror anthologies arrive, including THE ABC’S OF DEATH and V/H/S. Yet not a single one had the pure unadulterated joy of Halloween so perfectly captured on film. So are genre audiences tiring of horror anthologies? Perhaps, but TRICK ‘R TREAT has become, for many, a modern day horror classic that is a must-watch in October. So frankly, I have faith that if done right, the sequel could find the big screen success that the first didn't get the chance to.
Maybe it’s the booze talkin’, but we are more than ready for TRICK ‘R TREAT 2! Every few years we hear yet another announcement but are still left in the dark. There is certainly a ton of fan enthusiasm for a new film. Hell, we at AITH were asking for this very sequel to finally get rolling way back in 2013. And hear we are, years later and still waiting. So this time, we are not asking, we are begging. Perhaps if GODZILLA 2 is a smashing success, the filmmaker will finally have the time and studio support to bring Sam back, as well as all the horrors that he carries with him.