Summary

• Trick ‘R Treat beautifully balances horror and comedy, subverting genre clichés and stereotypes, making it a cult Halloween classic.
• Sam, the enforcer of Trick ‘R Treat’s Halloween rules, is a demonic being who punishes those who break them with great wrath.
• The consequences for breaking the Halloween rules in Trick ‘R Treat can be deadly, as seen through various gruesome events and acts of revenge.

There are plenty of Trick ‘R Treat rules that Sam enforces, and the unlucky few who break them pay the ultimate price. Released in 2009, Trick ‘R Treat was written and directed by Michael Dougherty and is an anthology film set throughout one Halloween night in a small town. Horror comedy is a tricky genre, as the scares and humor can easily cancel each other out. Trick ‘R Treat manages to work that tonal tightrope beautifully while subverting genre clichés and stereotypes. John Carpenter’s Halloween is considered the best movie about the titular celebration, Trick ‘R Treat stands the test of time as a true cult Halloween classic.

Trick ‘R Treat and its Halloween stories involve zombies, werewolves, and slasher killers, but it’s all held together by Sam. Trick ‘R Treat’s Sam looks like a young trick-or-treater, but he’s actually a demonic being who enforces the rules of the holiday; his name also derives from Samhain, the Gaelic festival that inspired Halloween. For most of the movie, Sam is just an observer, but if he sees a Halloween rule being broken, he takes action. It is when someone breaks the sacred rules of Halloween that there is truly Hell to pay in this minor Halloween masterpiece.

All Of Sam’s Trick ‘R Treat’s Rules

• Always wear a costume
• Always pass out treats to trick-or-treaters
• NEVER blow out a Jack O’Lantern before midnight
• Always check your candy
• Always respect the dead
• NEVER take down your decorations before November 1st
• NEVER hurt the innocent

The Trick ‘R Treat rules that Sam enforces with his great wrath are mostly rules that exist to make Halloween a fun and safe holiday for children and adults alike. Some of the rules are mostly for the fun aspects, such as always wearing costumes and always passing out treats. However, there are other rules that he passes on that are for safety reasons, such as checking the candy and never hurting the innocent (such as children). The others are more about superstitions, such as not blowing out a Jack O’Lantern or taking down decorations until Halloween has ended. Sam also demands respect for the dead.

Sam comes across like a child. He is mischievous and loves candy. He is what Halloween represents. However, at the end of the day, Sam is essentially the living embodiment of the celebration, and he takes his Halloween rules very seriously. When someone dares to infringe on the rules (and spirit) of Halloween, Sam takes action.

Everyone Who Breaks The Trick ‘R Treat Halloween Rules

The rules are explicitly broken twice – starting with the rule about blowing out a Jack O’Lantern. This is seen in Trick ‘R Treat‘s opening story, where a woman named Emma – who hates Halloween – attempts to take down the decorations early. While Henry begs her not to do so, she makes it clear she isn’t a fan of Halloween and takes them all down early, even blowing out the Jack O’Lanterns. Sam soon shows up and stalks her through the yard before he slits her throat and puts her on display as a gruesome new Jack O’Lantern. Later, the corpses of a group of schoolchildren murdered years before rise and attack a gang of teenagers who broke the “Always respect the dead” rule. Sam didn’t kill the kids, but he was there, showing he likely had a hand in this.

In the final story, Trick ‘R Treat’s Sam attacks Brian Cox’s Mr. Kreeg, who refuses to give candy to trick-or-treaters. Sam viciously attacks the old man throughout this segment and is even unmasked and revealed to be a creature of some sort. Rather than kill Trick ‘R Treat’s Kreeg – whose look was based on John Carpenter – Sam instead takes a candy bar he’s holding and departs, seemingly satisfied with the offering. However, Kreeg is the bus driver responsible for the deaths of the schoolchildren at the lake, and Trick R’ Treat ends with them coming to his home and ripping him apart gaining the ultimate revenge.

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  Trick r’ Treat

  Release Date:

  2009-10-06

  Director:

  Michael Dougherty

  Cast:

  Brett Kelly, Brian Cox, Leslie Bibb, Anna Paquin, Dylan Baker

  Rating:

  R

  Runtime:

  82 minutes

  Genres:

  Horror, Comedy

  Writers:

  Michael Dougherty

  Budget:

  $12 million

  Studio(s):

  Warner Bros. Pictures

  Distributor(s):

  Warner Bros. Pictures