Trick 'r Treat Digital Copy Special Edition Blu-ray Disc & Standard Definition DVD Video Combined Media Review

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Title: Trick ‘r Treat: Digital Copy Special Edition

Media: Blu-ray Disc/DVD (Sold Seperately)

Region: A/1

Genre: Horror Anthology

Stars: Dylan Baker, Rochelle Aytes, Leslie Bibb, Anna Paquin and Brian Cox

Writer: Michael Dougherty

Director: Michael Dougherty

Feature length: 83 minutes

Blu-ray Disc Extras: How Did Many Of Our Scary Traditions Start?, Commentary With Michael Dougherty, Additional Scenes With Optional Audio Commentary, Trick ‘R Treat: Season’s Greetings with optional Audio Commentary, School Bus FX Comparison, BD Live

Languages: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround Sound and English, French (Dubbed In Quebec), and Spanish 5.1 Surround Sound

Subtitles: English Subtitles For The Deaf And Hearing Impaired and French and Spanish Language Subtitles

Packaging: Two Disc Elite Blue BD Case

Chapter Stops: 18

Sound: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround Sound and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Year of Blu-ray Disc Release: 2009

Home Video Distributor: Warner Premiere Home Video

MPAA Rating: R

Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera

Filmmaker and X2: X-men United and Superman Returns screenwriter Michael Dougherty makes a feature length genre film directorial debut with the crafty horror anthology produced by Bryan Singer and distributed on Blu-ray Disc and DVD by Warner Premiere Home Video entitled Trick ‘r Treat. Inspired by his 1996 animated short Trick ‘R Treat: Season’s Greetings, which is included along with an optional audio commentary on both the BD and DVD versions of the film (3:40), Trick ‘r Treat is a fun anthology of interconnecting stories told out of chronological order as if one were skipping around a spooky comic and reading whatever story interests them first. All of the stories feature the cutest little horror icon I’ve ever seen, SAM. SAM is a pumpkin headed demon in a child’s pajama’s with a sack tied tightly around his neck so his head looks like a little ball with button eyes and a stitched smile. Though SAM is a demon, he is not all-together evil in my opinion. I mean if I saw him I wouldn’t be happy because wherever he shows up, you can bet trouble of a supernatural kind is about to follow, but SAM is kind of an enforcer that sees to it that the laws of Halloween are followed and more often than not, the people who meet frightening ends are usually guilty of some form of evil themselves. Thus SAM could be seen as Halloween’s hand of justice as well as judge and executioner directly or indirectly wherever he appears.

Part of the fun of Trick ‘r Treat is not knowing too much about the characters in the story, who are all more than what they appear. So I will have to be extremely general here for the benefit of those who will rent or buy this movie without any knowledge of what it’s all about. Intertwined stories combine tales of covens and sacrifice, the undead reaching out to feed upon the living, the sins of the past catching up with their sinners, and initiation rights of passage with hefty price tags someone has to pay. The cast, which includes Dylan Baker, Leslie Bibb, Anna Paquin and Brian Cox, is terrific and if ever a film ever captured the feeling of what Halloween should look like in as much of a sense as Christmas movies try to communicate their spirit to the viewer to create an idealized vision of what people think a respective holiday ought to look like, this is it. The only problem with Trick ‘r Treat is it leaves one or two unexplained questions regarding actions the characters are taking that frustratingly seem to make no sense. Unfortunately I can’t go into any more detail than that because to do so would still spoil too much of the fun that is present on the screen. Perhaps if another film is made, there might be answers to my questions or perhaps it is just better not to know, but either way, I think Trick ‘r Treat is the best horror anthology feature film I’ve seen since the George A. Romero and Stephen King collaboration on the original Creepshow

Trick ‘r Treat is available on Blu-ray Disc and DVD and on both home video releases, the film is presented in a widescreen (2.4:1) aspect ratio and considering the limits of DVD compared to Blu-ray Disc, I am glad to say that whichever version you buy, the picture quality will not disappoint though the VC-1 encoded 1080p/24fps high definition version reveals detail that enhance the gross out elements to the horror scenarios. The DVD also features a (1.33:1) full screen version encoded on the same dual layered DVD-9 disc. Unfortunately the DVD lacks many of the extra value content included on the Blu-ray Disc, but both Blu-ray and DVD users do get a feature length audio commentary with Tom Dougherty as well as the above mentioned animated short that I noted at the beginning of this review. Blu-ray Disc users get a Lossless English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround Soundtrack option in addition to the English, French (Dubbed In Quebec), and Spanish 5.1 Surround Soundtracks included on both the BD and DVD releases. English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired and French are Spanish Language Subtitles are encoded onto both versions as options too.

Exclusive to the Blu-ray Disc release is a documentary narrated by Brian Cox that illustrates the origins of Halloween traditions (27:21), some deleted and extended scenes presented in a 16 by 9 aspect ratio with optional commentary by Michael Dougherty (16:46), a school bus effects frame by frame comparison (: 48), and BD Live access online where available. The BD set also includes a second disc containing a standard definition digital copy for Windows and Mac users with portable media viewing devices and a gift card redeemable online from Sideshow Collectibles for select products that should include the SAM 15 inch vinyl figure. Also available at retailers on and offline, but not affiliated with this Sideshow Collectibles offer is a five inch SAM figure display tie-in distributed by NECA Reel Toys that is quite the popular purchase at local comic shops since the BD and DVD were released.

Trick ‘r Treat gets my vote as the official GENRE ONLINE.NET Halloween home video pick of 2009 and is available now on Blu-ray Disc and DVD, sold separately, at retailers on and offline courtesy of Warner Home Video.

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Buy Either The Blu-ray Disc, DVD, Or Both By Clicking On The Respective Icons Below!