Trick 'r Treat: 5 Halloween Horrors that Will Keep You Entertained

"The dark months", encompassing late autumn and the beginning of winter, are perhaps the most conducive atmosphere for fantasies of all things otherworldly and eerie. No other holiday plays with the supernatural theme as actively as the recently passed Halloween, and Hollywood contributes its fair share by releasing top-notch horror films close to the Halloween weekend. To fully immerse the audience in the October 31 atmosphere, some directors intentionally incorporate this date into their movie plots. You may be familiar with the gory "Halloween" franchise, but the Halloween theme goes far beyond that. Today, we'd like to talk about such films. 

"Murder Party", (2007)

A young loser named Christopher (Chris Sharp), spending lonely evenings in front of the TV with his cat Lancelot, receives an invitation to a Halloween costume party with the innocent name "Murder Party." Delighted at the opportunity to have fun with people, Chris has no idea what role awaits him. The party is organized by a group of New York performance artists, who plan to kill Chris as part of an art project to impress their wealthy patron, Alexander. However, things don't go as planned, and it soon becomes clear that the colleagues secretly despise and hate each other. Fueled by alcohol and drugs, they start settling scores, turning the art project into a chaotic and bloody mess. "Murder Party" (2007) is the first full-fledged directorial work of Jeremy Saulnier, who started with amateur horror short films and later directed the brilliant "Green Room" (2015). This satirical sketch exposes the vices of the American art community (envy, pretentiousness, grant hunting). While it couldn't secure significant funding, Saulnier financed it himself with his childhood friends. Budget constraints led to a 75-minute runtime and noticeable limitations in special effects, but these can be forgiven, considering the entire film cost around $200,000. The strengths of "Murder Party" include its dark humor, charming absurdity, a great soundtrack, and solid cinematography.

"Hell Fest", (2018)

After succumbing to her friends' persuasion, student Natalie (Amy Forsyth) agrees to visit Hell Fest – a traveling thematic amusement park filled to the brim with horror attractions. She finds it boring; the fake witches, demons, and vampires don't scare her. But everything changes when she realizes that a real serial killer is hiding among the costumed monsters and zombies. Unnoticeable and indistinguishable in the crowd, he brutally murders park visitors, making bystanders think it's all part of the show. From the moment the killer takes an interest in the beautiful Natalie, she also lands on his list. This is one of those rare instances where an editor steps into the director's chair and feels quite confident. Before making "Hell Fest" (2018), Gregory Plotkin participated in the editing of several blockbuster films, including "Happy Death Day" (2017), "Out" (2017), and the "Paranormal Activity" sequels (2007). He clearly learned a lot along the way. Fans of the genre should be impressed by the somewhat unconventional ending and an early cameo by the iconic actor Tony Todd, capable of enhancing any horror film with his presence.

"Haunt", (2019)

Somewhere in rural Illinois, college student Harper (Katie Stevens) and three of her dormitory friends meet a couple of attractive guys in a bar. This takes place on Halloween, so the group decides to continue the evening at a haunted house-themed escape room known as "Haunted House." The eerie neon sign beckons from a nearby forest. Before entering, everyone has to sign a waiver accepting responsibility for any consequences and surrender their mobile phones. The students don't sense any danger, but soon they regret their carelessness. The "Haunted House" turns out to be a maze of deadly traps, and its staff, dressed in creepy masks and armed with sharp objects, is determined not to let anyone out alive. "Haunt" (2019) is written and directed by the creative duo of Bryan Woods and Scott Beck, who previously worked as screenwriters on the popular horror film "A Quiet Place" (2018). This claustrophobic and quite brutal production was produced by Eli Roth, the creator of the "Hostel" trilogy (2006). Roth's influence on the film is noticeable and adds to its appeal.

"31", (2016)

In the autumn of 1976, a group of carnival workers travels across America in their van, preparing to service attractions at another fair. On Halloween night, they encounter a line of mannequins blocking the road. When they attempt to clear the blockade, armed assailants attack their van and take them captive. The heroes find themselves in a large, abandoned building, facing a trio of elderly individuals dressed in old-fashioned attire and powdered wigs. Their leader (Malcolm McDowell) explains that the captives must participate in a survival game called "31" and try not to be killed over the next 12 hours while the organizers watch and place bets. Within the maze of corridors and rooms, the carnival workers are hunted by malicious clowns, including an Italian dwarf disguised as Hitler, psychopathic brothers wielding chainsaws, and other deranged killers thirsty for blood. Rob Zombie is famous not only as a rock star but also as a director of cult horror films featuring maniacs, killers, and sadists ("House of 1000 Corpses," "The Devil's Rejects," the remake of "Halloween"). According to his own admission, he decided to make "31" (2016) after reading in the newspaper that more people go missing in the United States on October 31, Halloween day, than on any other day. Zombie crowdfunded the film with the help of his fans and had to cut the final product twice to avoid receiving the most restrictive NC-17 rating, removing the bloodiest scenes and explicit language. Critics' opinions were divided: some criticized the film for its simplistic and clichéd plot, while others appreciated its ostentatious violence and lack of finesse as a love letter to old-school "exploitation cinema," which is why the story is set in the 1970s. The promised unrated version has yet to be released, but Rob Zombie's fans remain hopeful.

"Trick 'r Treat", (2009)

Warren Valley, Ohio. On Halloween night, the town experiences five interwoven supernatural storylines. Externally, it's an ordinary youth holiday with pumpkin carving and candy collecting, but the initial impression is deceptive. Underneath every carnival costume in Warren Valley, there might be a ghost, vampire, maniac, werewolf, and they will eventually reveal their true selves. In each of the tales, a character named Sam appears – a supernatural being with a burlap sack on his spherical head and button-like eyes. He mostly observes what is happening, but if someone shows disrespect for the traditions of this dark holiday, the violator will not get away lightly. "Trick 'r Treat" effectively brings the atmosphere of a gruesome comic book to the screen, infused with black humor, which aligns it in spirit with the classic "Creepshow" (1982) by Stephen King and the "Tales from the Crypt" series. Michael Dougherty, a writer and director with Vietnamese-Irish-Hungarian roots, nurtured this project for many years. Sam first appeared in his animated short film "Season's Greetings" back in 1996, but the pumpkin-headed "spirit of Halloween" became a cult character only after the release of "Trick 'r Treat" (2009). Since then, his image has been embodied in children's toys, themed attractions, and Halloween costumes. For those who wanted to learn more about Sam and his backstory, Dougherty released a graphic novel, "Trick 'r Treat: Days of the Dead" (2015). A sequel in the form of a new film also seems inevitable.