Trick 'r Treat (2008)

Just got in from seeing the world premiere at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. I was mildly let down by this, but only because my expectations were so high. This film was supposed to have been released in time for Halloween last year, but after much hype and message board discussion, it was inexplicably shelved at the last minute (never a good sign). Not as good as I hoped it would be, but not as bad as I feared it might be, Trick 'r Treat was quite a bit of fun - flawed, yes, and uneven (and implausible) in parts - but fun nonetheless.

The film plays very much like the EC comics-inspired Creepshow and Tales From the Crypt episodes, but with a few unexpected twists, and playfully inventive turns on well-worn legends. Not really scary - or even gory - by any means (in fact, aside from a very brief bit of top-frontal female nudity, I can't think of anything else that would push the film above a PG rating), but pretty satisfying altogether. My partner said, "It's like a Halloween-themed Scrooged", and I'm inclined to agree. This one would be good to toss on perennially as the leaves turn red and yellow and orange and scuttle across the street, and the wind blows colder...

Not recommended for everyone, but if you a) dig Halloween, b) like anthology(ish) horror, c) don't mind a slightly empty-calorie cinematic feast every now and then, and d) are terrified of that guy from Happiness, you'll more than likely find something in this one to get into. I'll be picking this up when it comes out on DVD.