Ever since I saw the trailer for screenwriter Michael Dougherty’s directorial debut TRICK ‘R TREAT, there weren’t many movies I more looked forward to seeing. Too bad Warner Bros., reportedly scared of SAW IV, postponed it for an entire year and then dropped it completely; it awaits a new home. In the meantime, you can learn all about the fright flick in Insight Editions’ TRICK ‘R TREAT: TALES OF MAYHEM, MYSTERY & MISCHIEF. It only makes me want to see the movie more.
As we learn in Dougherty’s intro, the idea for the quasi-anthology was birthed when he realized that the holiday of Halloween lacked its own icon, à la Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. Out of that grew the idea of Sam — short for Samhain — a pint-sized dude in orange footie pajamas and a burlap sack over his head, with buttons for eyes. Creepy? Accomplished.
The character eventually became the subject of Dougherty’s senior thesis — a short cartoon called SEASON’S GREETINGS. We see storyboards and frames from it, but Insight goes one better by pasting in an exclusive comic book that adapts it into a concise eight pages.
And then there’s the movie, which Bryan Singer — who hired Dougherty for scripting duties on X2 and SUPERMAN RETURNS, and provides the book’s foreword — produced. Part one of the book details the making of the film, with interviews from principals both behind and in front of the camera. Over and over, Dougherty — who is also an excellent illustrator, it should be stated — refers to TRICK as his CREEPSHOW, his TWILIGHT ZONE, his TALES FROM THE CRYPT.
Part two shows exactly how, with individual chapters on each of the film’s five interrelated stories. Given that John Griffin’s text summarizes each segment and that photos aplenty are provided, you may want to skim for fear of having the entire movie spoiled for you. Me? Again, it only makes my mouth water that much more.
Griffin intersperses sidebars throughout on Halloween’s origins and whatnot, but readers are more likely to be won over by the value-added treats. There’s a series of perforated postcards illustrated by Dougherty, a pull-out book of costume sketches, some jack-o’-lantern carving stencils, a pumpkin demon mask that freaked the hell out of my kids, stickers and a replica of the movie poster.
With full-color, slick pages encased in an oversized hardback and a slipcase, Insight has treated the film with enormous respect — certainly more than Warner Bros. has. Whether or not the movie ever sees the light of day, this book is a collector’s item for fans of cinematic horror. —Rod Lott
