How did I go eleven years without watching this? I should hang my head in shame. I love portmanteau movies and stuff that gets really weird, so I have no real reason why I skipped this. Here's hoping everyone can find it in their heart to forgive me.

Inspired by Season's Greetings, an animated short created by Trick 'r Treat writer and director Michael Dougherty, this film tells the story of the night of Halloween in Warren Valley, Ohio. It's nonlinear the way it all plays out (think Pulp Fiction) and several of the stories cross over. They all have one thing in common - Sam, a little trick or treater dressed in pajamas and a burlap sack for a mask. If anyone goes against the rules of the holiday, he's there to ensure they pay for it.

I love the look of Sam. For the first part of the movie, I was sure he was just a little trick or treater who was left behind by his friends and was witnessing everything going on. Once you realize what he's doing, you start rooting for the little guy.

From a couple who take down their decorations too soon to an obese boy who can't stop smashing pumpkins, everyone gets their reward. There's also the school principal and potential serial killer Steven Wilkins, the elderly recluse Mr. Kreeg (the always great Brian Cox),a gang of kids trying to frighten Rhonda with the Halloween School Bus Massacre urban legend and a group of four girls out to party (including Anna Paquin as a shy virgin). Each of their tales will all be intertwined, complete with murder, gore, werewolves, zombies and finally, Sam's secret face.

This feels like the great lost 1980's horror movie and I loved every single minute of it. They've been teasing a sequel for a few years and now I can't wait for everyone to get their act together. Writer/director Michael Dougherty was also behind the film Krampus, which I could not enjoy no matter how hard I tried, and is the writer/director behind next year's Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Hopefully, his next project is the follow up for Sam!

I should tell you up front...I am NOT the target audience for "Trick 'r Treat". I usually don't watch horror films and I am far from being a teenager. Keep this in mind as you read the review.

The film is broken into several different stories. But unlike most anthology films, they are not entirely separate stories. The film might explore one and then return to it later. It also shows characters from one story in the midst of another. In other words, the characters all live in the same community and as Halloween progresses, you see how each group of people or persons deal with holiday....and in most cases, this means VERY bad things happening to them....and often because they deserve it.

Some parts of the film are good and feature interesting tales. But mostly I felt like the stories should have been hashed out more or simply were designed to be gory and gratuitous....with lots of blood and vomit...which is not my thing. Despite this, it kept my attention and was modestly entertaining.

TRICK 'R TREAT is a wonderful anthology film set during one Halloween night that best resembles the highs of the George Romero anthology CREEPSHOW. In other words, it's the kind of old-fashioned horror film of the kind you thought they didn't make anymore, and it's pleasing to see this was well received on its release.

In total, there are five separate stories taking place. There's a slight wraparound tale about a Halloween-hater who learns that certain forces aren't best pleased when she refuses to get into the spirit of things. The second story, and my personal favourite, finds Dylan Baker excelling as a kid-hating headteacher up to some murky business in his back garden. Baker, one of those geeky-looking actors usually wasted in supporting roles, finally gets a chance with a role he can really sink his teeth into and he has a ball with it.

The third story involves a woodland all-female party menaced by a vampire, with a notable twist, while the fourth, and most elaborate, involves a bunch of trick 'r treaters investigating a local legend about a submerged school bus. The final story is a virtual reprise of EVIL DEAD II, with Brian Cox of all people taking on the Bruce Campbell role, playing a miser who finds himself menaced in his own home by a sinister pumpkin-headed spirit.

These stories don't play out singularly but are instead mixed together, overlapping in places and tying together in others. Although the effect isn't as well achieved as in something like the indie film 11:14, I found it added to the quality immeasurably. Dougherty pulls together a cast who give it their all, and I can't tell you how refreshing it is to find a horror film that doesn't involve masked slashers or people being tortured. TRICK 'R TREAT is a rare beast indeed and a movie that's definitely worth tracking down.