Sequels in the horror genre are almost all but guaranteed. The killer is never really dead. The final girl lives to fight again. And even if you go ahead and call your movie Halloween Ends, there’s usually a backdoor way that filmmakers can continue the horror movie franchise, so long as there is money on the table to be earned. The lack of potential profit is probably what prevented Michael Dougherty’s anthology movie Trick ‘R Treat from earning a sequel. This fan-favorite Halloween staple has an incredible reputation for being shared by horror enthusiasts by word-of-mouth recommendations. (It really is one of the best horror anthology films.) But now that the movie is coming back to theaters, plans for a follow-up film finally are heating up.
Michael Dougherty stopped by our ReelBlend podcast to talk about Trick ‘R Treat, because it’s coming to AMC Theatres starting today as part of the company’s Thrills and Chills program. Tickets are available for fans to finally see this classic on the big screen with a huge crowd. So when Dougherty appeared, we asked him a question he has been receiving often… when is the sequel happening? And he told us:
We're working on it. That's all I can say right now, unfortunately. Legendary is super excited. Obviously they've been paying attention to what the movie's become over the years. We're working on it. We're trying. It's tough, because it's not an easy movie to make. Anthologies are already challenging because you're juggling so many characters and storylines. I think we really captured lightning in a bottle, and so it's all about balancing that – the scares and the laughs and the horror and the dark fairytale elements.
When Trick ‘R Treat planned its release back in 2007, the studio heads at Warner Bros. were scared of the negative test screenings that the film was earning. The movie, which we thoroughly enjoyed, tells five short stories that are set on Halloween, and they are all loosely connected by the presence of a “young” character named Sam, who wears pajamas and has a sack around his head. It’s pretty disturbing. As Trick ‘R Treat started to play film festivals, the buzz around the movie swirled. But it never got a theatrical release due to the studio’s cold feet. Which is why it’s very cool that AMC Theatres is giving Trick ‘R Treat new life with theatrical screenings.
Dougherty also defended the amount of time that it has taken to get Trick ‘R Treat 2 off of the ground. As the filmmaker explained:
I would never want to make a sequel if I felt like conditions weren't just right. It has to at least match the intensity and scale of the original. Because the last thing I would want to do is suffer the same fate of a lot of horror properties, where the sequel is disappointing. I'm very protective of the title, so I really want to make sure conditions are right before we bring them back.
The entire conversation with Michael Dougherty is worth the listen, so dive into the latest ReelBlend episode here:
And then keep the horror train rolling as October comes to a close by either seeing Smile in a movie theater, scan the list of upcoming horror movies for an evening at the theater, or scan the various streaming services for the best of the scariest features available to you.
