Trick or treat painting concept

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Trick ‘r Treat Director Shares Original Concept Art from the Cult Halloween Movie

The life of Michael Dougherty’s Halloween anthology film Trick ‘r Treat has shown remarkable resilience for a movie that the studio had no faith in and put on a shelf for a few years. Finally released direct to video in 2007, the movie has gone on to have a life of its own, spawning official merchandise, attractions at Halloween Horror Nights, and continued talk of a sequel. The Godzilla: King of the Monsters director took part in a live-tweet Watchalong online, revealing new details about the making of the movie including a host of original and creepy concept art from the film.

Dougherty also opened up on the development of his idea for the character of Sam, revealing: “I was always bummed that Halloween didn’t have a singular mascot character like Christmas had Santa or Easter had the Easter Bunny, which is partially where the idea for Sam came from. Halloween has always had a lot of icons surrounding it: witches, vampires, ghosts, and black cats. but it always felt like it needed something that truly captured its strange spirit. That odd childlike mix of fear and wonder.”

He continued, “I also always felt bad for Linus. Waiting in the pumpkin patch all night for the enigmatic Great Pumpkin to rise. Always knowing he’d be disappointed in the end. But what if Linus was right? And the Great Pumpkin, or his equivalent, was real? What if there really was a spirit of Halloween? Rising from a pumpkin patch every year for centuries, wandering the streets dressed like a kid in orange footy pajamas. Making sure we respect the rules of the holiday. That we respect the dead. Because that’s what Halloween is really about. Honoring those that have passed on. Because this is the one night when they might come back to pay us a visit. “

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Trick ‘r Treat Director Shares Original Concept Art from the Cult Halloween Movie

Trick or treat painting concept

Those eager to keep the vibe of Halloween going throughout the weekend can tune into Shudder’s annual Ghoul Log which takes its cues from Trick ‘r Treat with references to the movie and a Jack O’Lantern front and center that looks like Sam himself.

It remains to be seen when we’ll get Trick ‘r Treat 2 since Dougherty and company announced the sequel in October of 2013 but updates since then have been sporadic. When offering his annual update on it last year, Doughterty said: “Listen, I’m intrigued by the idea and it’s completely up to Legendary. It’s been a few years since we initially talked about it and there’s been a regime change since then. They still have the property and they love it and there’s still a long line of merchandise and a continuing line of comic books based on the film but the ball is in their court. The moment they say they’re interested and ready to go, we’ll see if the stars align.”

In the meantime, check out this incredible concept art from the original Trick ‘r Treat!