There may be no better way to spend Halloween night than with Sam. Regal is bringing Trick 'r Treat back to theaters on October 31, and this time it comes with a very special bonus for longtime fans.
Each screening will open with a brand new 4K restoration of Season's Greetings, the original 1996 animated short from writer and director Michael Dougherty that first introduced the burlap-masked trick-or-treater to the world. The event celebrates the 30th anniversary of Sam, the soul of Halloween himself.
Where Sam Got His Start
Long before Trick 'r Treat became one of the most beloved horror anthologies of the 2000s, Dougherty made Season's Greetings as a short animated project. The four-minute film is a darkly funny twist on Halloween memories that centers on the traumatic theft of a bag of candy on Halloween night, and Dougherty wrote, directed, edited and animated it himself.
The short went on to win Best Animated Short at Screamfest in 2003, and it laid the groundwork for the feature that would follow. Seeing it restored in 4K on the big screen right before the movie it inspired is a great chance to see just how much of Sam's personality was there from the very beginning.
The Halloween Movie That Refused To Die
Trick 'r Treat has one of the more famous release stories in modern horror. The film was finished and screened at festivals in 2007, but its theatrical release was pushed back again and again until it finally landed on home video in 2009. Instead of fading away, it found a passionate audience on DVD and Blu-ray and became a yearly Halloween tradition for horror fans.
The anthology weaves together four stories set on the same Halloween night in a small Ohio town. A high school principal hides a secret life as a serial killer, a college student might have found the one guy for her, a group of teenagers pull a cruel prank, and a bitter old recluse gets a visit from an uninvited guest. Through it all, Sam watches to make sure everyone respects the rules of Halloween.
The cast includes Brian Cox, Anna Paquin and Dylan Baker, with Quinn Lord under the mask as Sam. Douglas Pipes delivered the memorable score, and the film's mix of humor, scares and twisted morality is a big reason it has stuck around for so long.
A Big Year For Sam
The anniversary celebrations have been building all month. Earlier this October, Screamfest in Los Angeles hosted a screening of Trick 'r Treat with the Season's Greetings restoration and a Q&A with Dougherty. Attendees there also had a chance to get their hands on Trick 'r Treat: Witching Hours from Legendary Comics, which features four new stories starring Sam.
Now the rest of the country gets a chance to join in. Showtimes and participating locations can be found on Regal's website, and these kinds of one-night events tend to fill up quickly, so it is worth grabbing tickets early. If you are looking for even more ways to celebrate, AMC is also screening the first three Halloween movies this season.
Remember The Rules
If you have never seen Trick 'r Treat before, Halloween night in a packed theater is about as good as it gets. Just remember the rules: wear a costume, hand out treats, never blow out a jack-o'-lantern before midnight, and always check your candy. Breaking any of them tends to end badly, and Sam has a way of showing up when people least expect him, which makes him the perfect guest for a Halloween night screening.
Will you be catching Trick 'r Treat and Season's Greetings at Regal this Halloween?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.