Horror movies opening around Halloween time are as traditional as blue jays in the spring, but few are set during Halloween anymore.

This should give Trick 'r Treat, the directorial debut of X2 and Superman Returns screenwriter Michael Dougherty, an advantage over the competition: Saw V and the [REC] remake Quarantine.  But parent studio Warner Bros. doesn't seem to care either way, because numerous sites (like CHUD) are reporting the film (already postponed from last year's release schedule) is being auctioned off to a new distributor, with negotiations still taking place.

All this certainly implies that Trick 'r Treat isn't worth releasing, but having seen the film last December at Harry Knowles' annual Butt-Numbathon, I can tell you this isn't the case.  While it's not the most original movie ever, Trick 'r' Treat, an anthology set on Halloween night in a small Ohio town, is full of great Halloween atmosphere and a Creepshow-style sense of fun. It wants the audience to have a good time being scared and its dark sense of humor separates it from a lot of other horror films in the market these days. 

Continue reading "Trick 'r Treat May Not Haunt Halloween This Year" »

It's still too early to be able to tell much about Repo! The Genetic Opera except that the folks behind it clearly had a blast making it. This is especially clear from the film's new website, which strives to pack in as many sights and sounds as possible (adjust your volume before you click) from the cult-classic in the making.

I get pretty tired of visiting film sites that exist just to prop up the same tired trailer everyone's already seen, so it's exciting to explore something that some actual work went into. You'll find message boards,  artwork and background info on both the film and theatrical versions of Repo! on the site. Their music page is still under construction, but you'll get quite an earful just by navigating the site (did I mention that you should turn your volume down?). The Repo! publicity team had better watch out -- their campaign has been so effective that people are actually starting to have high hopes for their humble film -- might as well call it "The Little Organ-Harvesting Musical That Could."