Warner Bros.’ Trick ‘R Treat sequel gets a promising update from director Michael Dougherty. Also written by Dougherty, the original Trick ‘R Treat gleefully subverted horror clichés, telling five intertwined terror stories all set over the course of one Halloween night. These vignettes include some teens pulling a wicked prank, and a school principal who stepped in as a serial killer, though burlap sack-carrying trick-or-treater Sam remained ominously present throughout the film. The anthology horror film starring Brian Cox, Anna Paquin, Dylan Baker, Quinn Lord and Leslie Bibb.
Filmed in 2007, Trick ‘R Treat played the festival circuit before languishing in release limbo, until being sent straight to DVD and VOD in 2009. Despite the wait, the film attracted a cult following in the following years and became a Halloween favorite. Many praise the morbidly comic tone, which has been compared to: Stories from the Crypt and horror show. The film has gained enough following that Warner Bros. gives Trick ‘R Treat a late theatrical release this fall. Dougherty has since gone on to direct bigger projects like another dark holiday favorite, Krampusand Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
Now Dougherty has come forward with some good news about: Trick ‘R Treat 2. While performing at genre festival Beyond Fest in Los Angeles to screen the original film, Dougherty announced that the sequel is in active development with Legendary Entertainment. Dougherty returns as a writer and director. Watch the festival’s tweet below:
What can fans expect from A Trick ‘R Treat 2?
The demonic little boy Sam has become a standout icon for the original film, which features prominently in the posters and marketing materials. Sam even got his own unmasked Funko Pop in 2021. After terrorizing the Halloween-hating old man Mr. Got in the original, Sam will almost certainly come back in the sequel to wreak havoc on more victims who pay no respect to the holiday. Other than that, not much is known about the project, but it goes without saying that the film will maintain an anthology format, as films like F/H/S/99, Books of bloodand XX are still often produced. However, they are not the biggest grossers. The anthology trend has proven much more successful on TV and streaming platforms, such as Ryan Murphy’s American horror storiesNetflix’s black mirrorand Hudders horror show.
It is not beyond the scope of the possibility that Trick ‘R Treat 2 could take a more focused approach and limit itself to telling one main story, placing a series of ghouls, ghouls and masked freaks in the orbit of a group of characters, such as Scary stories to tell in the dark did. Although, given the eventual success of the first film, it’s more likely that Dougherty will keep the format for stories that are short and to the point. Regardless of how it is structured or what it is about, for Trick ‘R Treat fans who have been patiently waiting for over a decade, the sequel can’t come soon enough.
Source: Beyond Fest
