From writer and director, Michael Dougherty came to the beloved Halloween creation Trick 'r Treat. Dougherty went on to create the Christmas horror flick, Krampus a few years later, but his Halloween horrifyingly comedic film centered around Halloween has proved itself as a timeless classic.
Centered around the mysterious presence of Sam, a small trick or treater dressed in adorable orange footie pajamas with a burlap sack concealing his face, Trick 'r Treat is full of delightful Halloween traditions and superstitions. Sam is a stickler for the rules of Halloween and for anyone that fails to follow the rules, he becomes a lethal addition to their spooky holiday.
Traditionally Sam is considered to have four essential rules that he enforces on Halloween. Of the Trick 'r Treat characters that lose their lives, there are very few that are killed by Sam. Sam only involves himself directly once one of the pivotal rules of Halloween has been broken. There is a terrific plot outside of the rules that are violated by some of Trick 'r Treat's characters; however, most of the events within Trick 'r Treat can be linked back to one of Sam's sacred rules.
Rules 1 & 2: Always give candy to trick or treaters & wear a costume
Part of the spirit of Halloween is the ability to dress up and go trick or treating. These golden rules are violated primarily by Mr. Kreeg (Brian Cox). Mr. Kreeg is avidly against Halloween and it eventually becomes clear that he has a specific reason to dread the spooky holiday. Many years ago, Mr. Kreeg was the bus driver for what became known as the Halloween School Bus Massacre. Mr. Kreeg drove a bus with eight mentally impaired children on board. According to the story, Mr. Kreeg was paid by the parents of the children to kill them and he chained them to their seats with the intent to kill them once they arrived at an isolated location. One of the children was able to free themselves from the chains and drove the bus into the lake, drowning everyone but Mr. Kreeg.
With this story in mind, it isn't difficult to imagine why Mr. Kreeg is adamantly against celebrating Halloween. In the present day, he routinely chases trick or treaters away from his doorstep, unwilling to hand out candy or string any decorations to commemorate the occasion. This doesn't go well with Sam, who arrives with the intent to kill Mr. Kreeg. The two are involved in a scuffle that leaves both suffering injuries. Sam attempts to stab the older man, only to have a candy bar be on the receiving end. Deciding that Mr. Kreeg has abided by the rule to give out candy (even if accidentally), Sam lets him live. Shortly after these events, Mr. Kreeg is seen handing out candy to other trick or treaters until his past comes back to finish what Sam started.
Rule 3: Never extinguish a jack-o-lantern's flame before midnight
This rule kicks off Trick 'r Treat. The film begins with Emma (Leslie Bibb) and Henry (Tahmoh Penikett) returning home from a Halloween party. Emma makes it clear that she is not a fan of Halloween and immediately begins tearing down decorations and blowing out the jack-o-lanterns. Henry attempts to warn her of the superstitions surrounding the Halloween traditions, but they fall on deaf ears. Henry then tries to persuade Emma to leave the decorations until morning, but she is determined to begin erasing the holiday before it has officially concluded.
Emma's apparent disrespect for Halloween is what triggers Sam to pay her a visit. Left alone in her front yard, Emma begins to feel that there is something lurking in the decorations around her. She is eventually attacked by an unknown thing (which is later learned to be Sam) and killed. Emma is discovered by Henry shortly after. By the time Henry finds her, Emma is beneath one of the ghostly sheets in the yard, becoming Sam's own human version of a jack-o-lantern.
Rule #4: Respect the dead
Sam's final rule is violated by a group of kids who attempt to pull a trick on Rhonda (Samm Todd), who sticks to Halloween's traditions. Mary (Britt McKillip), Schrader (Jean-Luc Bilodeau), Chip (Alberto Ghisi), and Sara (Isabelle Deluce) arrive at Rhonda's house, which is adorned with countless jack-o-lanterns (all of which are still lit). This group of four was previously seen at Principal Steven Wilkins' (Dylan Baker) home, asking him for his jack-o-lanterns. After adding Rhonda to their group, they reveal that they intend to light the jack-o-lanterns in honor of the eight children who died in the Halloween School Bus Massacre.
Upon arriving at the cliff that the bus drove over, Mary tells the story of the children to set the mood. The group then sends Rhonda and Chip down to the lake, where the others impersonate the zombie children that would have died in the accident. Unfortunately, their trick doesn't go according to plan and the real zombie children rise from the lake. Still upset with their trick, Rhonda finds her way back to the lift that brought her and Chip down to the bottom and leaves her tormentors with the zombie children. At the top, Rhonda and Sam acknowledge one another with a slight nod. While Sam doesn't have a direct hand in these deaths, their trick was a violation of his rule, and he acknowledges his support for Rhonda.
Outside of these rules are the group of women who have appeared throughout the film, who turn out to be werewolves. They are responsible for the deaths of quite a few characters, specifically Principal Wilkins, who Laurie (Anna Paquin) feasts on. Wilkins isn't an innocent character, as he is seen burying two bodies in his backyard earlier in the film. He even involves his son Billy in his actions, by suggesting that the two of them carve a jack-o-lantern in the basement, which is actually the head of one of Wilkins' victims.
A second installment for Trick 'r Treat has been teased since 2013, but no official plans regarding a potential release have been made. Should Sam return, there may be more deaths that reveal a few more of Sam's sacred rules. To avoid running into Sam, anyone involved in a potential sequel better brush up on their knowledge of Halloween traditions.
Trick 'r Treat is now streaming on HBO Max.