Trick 'r Treat

"Poison, drowning, claw, or knife. So many ways to take a life."

Director: Michael Dougherty Year: 2007 Runtime: 82 min IMDb: ⭐ 7.0
Movie Poster

Synopsis

Four interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: an everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank, and a bitter old recluse receives an uninvited guest.

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The plot follows a nonlinear narrative, with characters crossing paths throughout the film. At the center of the story is Sam, a peculiar trick-or-treater in an orange footie pajama costume, who appears to enforce the "rules" of Halloween. Opening[edit] In the opening scene, Emma and her Halloween-loving husband Henry return home after a celebratory night. Emma, who secretly hates Halloween, blows out their jack-o'-lantern before midnight against Henry's advice. As Henry falls asleep in the house, Emma begins tearing down the decorations; but is then ambushed and murdered by an unseen assailant. Hours later, Henry discovers Emma's mutilated corpse on display with the decorations. Principal[edit] Overweight delinquent Charlie vandalizes jack-o'-lanterns and steals candy from unattended bowls. When school principal Steven Wilkins catches him red-handed, Steven offers Charlie a candy bar while lecturing him on the importance of respecting Halloween rules and traditions. Shortly after, Charlie begins vomiting violently. As Charlie dies, Steven reveals that he laced the candy with cyanide. Steven attempts to bury Charlie in his backyard along with the body of another victim, but is continually interrupted by trick-or-treaters (including Sam), his young Halloween-loving son Billy, his cantankerous elderly neighbor Mr. Kreeg, and Kreeg’s dog Spite. The other victim turns out to still be alive, and Steven beats him to death with a shovel to keep him quiet before burying both bodies. Returning indoors, Steven notices Kreeg seemingly in distress; but brushes it off before something attacks Kreeg. Steven guides Billy downstairs to carve a jack-o'-lantern, which is revealed to be Charlie's severed head. Halloween School Bus Massacre[edit] A group of teenage trick-or-treaters—Macy, Chip, Schrader, and Sara—meet devout Halloween traditionalist Rhonda. Macy leads the group to a flooded quarry and recounts the urban legend of the "Halloween School Bus Massacre". The parents of eight mentally disabled children bribed their bus driver to dispose of them. A child dressed as Dracula got loose and the bus got driven off a cliff into the quarry. The children all drowned, and the driver (the only survivor) was never heard from again. No one tried to find the bus as the people did not want it found. Macy leaves eight jack-o'-lanterns by the lake as a tribute to the deceased. The group splits up, leaving Rhonda and Chip behind. Rhonda gets separated and is then pursued by horrifying figures, which turn out to be the other teens in disguise, a prank planned by Macy. Realizing that the trick has gone too far, Schrader tries to comfort the hurt and terrified Rhonda while a bitter Macy kicks a jack-o'-lantern into the water. The actual drowned children, now risen as undead, emerge from the lake and attack the teens, killing Sara. Rhonda abandons the rest to their deaths as revenge for their prank. As she leaves with a wagon of jack-o'-lanterns, Rhonda encounters Sam and exchanges a respectful nod with him. Surprise Party[edit] Laurie, a self-conscious 22-year-old virgin from out of town, joins her older sister Danielle and friends Maria and Janet for Halloween. The girls select princess costumes, while Laurie dresses up as Little Red Riding Hood. A devout Halloween traditionalist, Laurie misses trick-or-treating and is uncaring of her friends' and sister'…

Summary adapted from TMDb and Wikipedia sources.

🎄 Holiday Cheer Breakdown

Holiday Cheer Level: 5

Content Warnings

⭐ IMDb Parents Guide 🛡️ Common Sense Media

a dog dies
spoiler Small little terrier is killed off screen by the little monster guy. You hear a yelp but don't see it's death. Still pretty upsetting.
someone is sexually assaulted
spoiler Spoiler free version: a man attempts to sexually assault a woman in the woods
animals are abused
spoiler When Sam leaves the principal's house, he drags his bag of candy down the steps and it sounds like there is a cat in the bag.
a cat dies
spoiler When Sam leaves the principal's house, he drags his bag of candy down the steps and it sounds like there is a cat in the bag.
an animal dies
spoiler "besides a dog, cat or horse" = NO
a pet dies
spoiler Not shown, but someone’s dog dies. You hear it yelp.
animals were harmed in the making
Yes
there's a dead animal
spoiler Sam picks at a dwad crow - 33 minutes in.
rabbits are harmed
Yes
there are spiders
Yes
a dragon dies
Yes
there are bugs
Yes
someone leaves without saying goodbye
Yes
a child is abandoned by a parent or guardian
spoiler Parents order the murder of their disabled children in a flashback.
there's child abuse
spoiler SPOILER The little boy is groomed to be a killer like his father and their relationship can be triggering.
a woman is brutalized for spectacle
spoiler There is a villain who preys on women. They get back at him, though.
there's domestic violence
spoiler No, but a man is revealed to be grooming his son to become a murderer. SPOILER At one point you think he is going to kill his son, but he does not
there's abusive parents
spoiler Father grooming son to become a killer (I suppose it depends on your definition of abuse)
the abused forgives their abuser
Yes
someone gets gaslighted
spoiler A group of kids lure a girl down to a crime scene with the intent of faking their deaths to “prank her” under the guise of paying respects
the abused becomes the abuser
Yes
someone is stalked
spoiler *minor spoiler* In the beginning of the movie someone is being watched by a 3rd person from across the street. This person then starts to chase them.
alcohol abuse
spoiler The old man drinks alcohol while watching TV - not sure if that counts as “abusing alcohol”
someone uses drugs
spoiler Someone laces a candy bar wtih poisonous blades, drug bottles shown briefly
sexual assault on men is a joke
Yes
someone is drugged
spoiler Poison candy.
someone is restrained
spoiler There are kids restrained with shackles and chains on a school-bus
someone is held under water
spoiler Not sure if it counts as being held under water but a bus driver drives a bus with others in it into the water
someone is beaten up by a bully
spoiler While not beaten up, a girl is targeted by bullies who lure her into a rock quarry to scare her, and unintentionally harm her. She gets her comeuppance.
someone's mouth is covered
spoiler Not exactly covered, but a woman is gagged with a lollipop stuck in her mouth
there's eye mutilation
spoiler A character says they are going to "do the eyes" (eye mutilation) but the camera cuts away so we never see the act, and we don't see the victim after that.
there's excessive gore
spoiler I expected worse but there is excessive gore, check the other categories for further details. A few that aren’t listed include a woman’s head getting cut off under a sheet with a ton of blood and sight of her decapitated head later, a severed head getting stabbed with a knife (iirc we don’t see the knife go into it, though), and a guy getting eaten by werewolves. There are probably others but these are the ones I remember the most.
there's torture
Yes
there's genital trauma/mutilation
Yes
there's body horror
Yes
heads get squashed
spoiler With a shovel.
there's finger/toe mutilation
spoiler a child's hands are repeatedly stabbed and their finger is broken completely off. It's not as scary as it sounds- more of a silly scene. Later, a man gets a lot of glass in his hands.
someone is burned alive
spoiler A kid grabbed wilkins leg when he was digging the grave
there's decapitation
spoiler the first victim (white female) as well as the on screen victim of the principal’s head is on a platter in the basement
someone's throat is mutilated
spoiler Within the first few minutes, a woman gets her throat cut with a broken lollipop.
there are hangings
spoiler A movie is shown on a character's tv that shows a person who is hanged.
there's shaving/cutting
spoiler Razor blades shown briefly, biten lollipop used as a weapon
someone is buried alive
spoiler principal struggles to bury his victims in the beginning of the movie, one of which is still alive
there's cannibalism
spoiler Technically no but werewolves are seen eating people which is kind of cannibalism
there's amputation
spoiler Someone cuts someone else's finger off.
someone struggles to breathe
spoiler Mr Kreeg wheezes a lot
someone asphyxiates
Yes
hands are damaged
spoiler Towards the end, an old man falls down the stairs where there is a lot of candy and broken glass on the floor. He holds up his hands and they're bloodied with shards of glass.
somebody is choked
spoiler Very brief choking during a fight scene at the end of the movie, easily missed.
someone is stabbed
Yes
someone falls down stairs
spoiler Mid-fight with sam, the old man falls down the stairs
someone falls to their death
spoiler bus full of children drives off a cliff
Someone becomes unconscious
Yes
there's Achilles Tendon injury
spoiler sam slices mr. kreeg’s achilles tendon with his candy bar knife and it is shown briefly
someone breaks a bone
spoiler Very graphic. Shows protruding broken tibia bone.
someone dislocates something
spoiler Sam dislocated mr.kreegs arm
a minor is sexualized
spoiler no??? i don't know where the yes votes come from
a kid dies
spoiler (Spoiler-y) multiple kids die
an infant is abducted
Yes
a non-human character dies
Yes
a major character dies
Yes
someone dies
Yes
the r-slur is used
spoiler A few times, plus other ableist insults, including “idiot savant.”
someone disabled played by able-bodied
Yes
someone overdoses
spoiler There are no drugs
a family member dies
spoiler Spoiler: Principle Wilkins dies (he has a young son)
a parent dies
spoiler Off screen
someone is kidnapped
Yes
there are jump scares
spoiler 3 jumpscares, pretty tame
there are razors
spoiler Multiple razors are seen throughout the movie, most notably in Sam's fight with the old man.
there are clowns
spoiler Multiple background characters are dressed as clowns There are no evil killer clowns
there's ghosts
spoiler more zombielike
there are mannequins
spoiler No, but there are masks that may seem similar.
there's natural bodies of water
Yes
someone vomits
spoiler Great movie, one of the worst vomit scenes. Luckily its fairly short and avoidable. A chubby red haired kid name Charlie comes to Principle Wilkins house to steal Candy. The Candy is poisoned. The scene is a couple minutes long, try to skip it and IIRC there isn't anymore vomit in the rest of the move.
There's audio gore
spoiler multiple scenes with gross audio like bones breaking, blood squelching, etc
someone defecates
Yes
someone is eaten
spoiler Werewolves eat a man.
there's spitting
Yes
there's farting
Yes
there are 9/11 depictions
Yes
there is copaganda
spoiler There are no police
an LGBT+ person is outed
spoiler Women in a dressing room discuss how one of their group once hooked up with a woman, but the bisexual woman in question is proud and the conversation is in good spirit.
there's smoke or haze
Yes
needles/syringes are used
spoiler when a character watches tv, there's a sudden close-up shot of a syringe being used on some meat in a cooking show. Soon after, a character falls down stairs littered with various sharp objects, including needles, but we don't see the needles up close.
there's a mental institution scene
Yes
someone dies by suicide
spoiler no, but when mr kreeg is flipping through channels on his tv you can briefly see a woman who's hanging in a noose
someone self harms
spoiler No, but there are razor blades
Autism specific abuse
spoiler [SPOILERS] There is a flashback of multiple disabled kids (at least one with obvious autistic traits) being chained to a school bus and driven off a cliff. It is stated that thier parents ordered the murder so parental abuse is somewhat implied. The autistic kid becomes distressed and knows something is wrong before he is killed. The character who is narrating also kinda does the whole ableist murder excuse “their parents were exhausted” thing during this scene. Additionally, an autistic coded “main” character (labeled with both the r-slur and “idiot savant” by other characters) is bullied, tricked and terrorized to the point that she almost dies.
someone has an eating disorder
spoiler Nobody is ever stated to have an eating disorder, although there is a character who is stealing extra candy and somewhat shamed for it and portrayed as a chubby over eater, a trope that I don't like seeing
autism is misrepresented
Yes
a mentally ill person is violent
spoiler mentally disabled children are violent- but it's not because of their disabilities.
there's misophonia
Yes
someone suffers from PTSD
Yes
there's body dysmorphia
spoiler Y'all, body horror is not even remotely the same as body dysmorphia. There's zilch body dysmorphia in this movie.
there's a claustrophobic scene
Yes
someone has an anxiety attack
spoiler Rhonda experiences a mild attack when she tormented by the mean kids
someone has a mental illness
Yes
someone has a meltdown
spoiler autistic girl has meltdown after initial prank in the quarry
shaky cam is used
Yes
there's flashing lights or images
spoiler The comic book interludes have flashing images.
there are sudden loud noises
Yes
there's screaming
Yes
there's underwater scenes
Yes
there is obscene language/gestures
Yes
someone is watched without knowing
Yes
there is a baby or unborn child
spoiler This movie is completely safe for my fellow tokophobes. :)
there's fat jokes
spoiler A chubby person is shamed for eating candy.
there's ableist language or behavior
spoiler A group of kids bully an obviously autistic child, including using the r slur against her and mocking her special interest
someone says the n-word
Yes
someone speaks hate speech
spoiler the slur r*tard is used
there's a large age gap
Yes
there's demons or Hell
Yes
religion is discussed
spoiler A character briefly discusses the history of Samhain and how it became the modern Halloween
there's bestiality
spoiler Not unless werewolves count.
there is sexual content
spoiler you see a man watching a p*rno at the beginning of the movie, and theres a lot of breast closeups shown in some parts, but for the most part its nothing super graphic. the p*rno did throw me off guard though so please watch out if on screen sex is also triggering for you (you dont see any genitalia, but a woman is riding a man topless)
there are nude scenes
spoiler Women strip their clothing and breast are exposed.
someone is sexually objectified
Yes
someone loses their virginity
spoiler [SPOILERS] No sexual virginity is ever lost. It is alluded that a character intends to lose her virginity on Halloween as her "first time" is discussed, but we later find out her "first time" was actually referring to her first kill as a werewolf.
a male character is ridiculed for crying
spoiler I am making $150 every hour by working on the web at home. A month ago I have gotten $19723 from this activity. This activity is exceptionally astounding and its normal income for me is superior to anything my past office work. This activity is for all and everyone can without much of a stretch join this correct now by utilize this link. Copy Here→→→→→ https://www.boosterstart.com/
someone is homeless
spoiler A super short scene where a womans body is dumped next to a homeless man
the ending is sad
spoiler It varies for certain characters. The movie is told by several stories from different points of view. Each one somehow connects with one another. For some characters they get a good ending and others die (typically for not following Halloween rules or getting their comeuppance for something bad they did).
Santa (et al) is spoiled
Yes
a car crashes
spoiler A bus is driven into a ravine.
a person is hit by a car
spoiler Rhonda is almost hit
a car honks or tires screech
Yes
there's blood/gore
spoiler A lot of the movie is very bloody and gorey, so be careful! There is dismemberment, biting and tearing, decapitation, and much more!!
there's gun violence
spoiler A character with a shotgun shoots a 'child' several times.
someone drowns
spoiler Several disabled children are drowned in a flashback

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