We’re fast approaching Halloween, and there’s no better movie to help get you into the spirit of the season than Michael Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat.
Halloween just isn’t Halloween until you’ve watched that adorable pumpkin boy known as Sam deliver swift Halloween justice to those disrespecting the holiday, so make sure to do so – at least once – before the big day.
Think you know everything there is to know about Trick ‘r Treat? Take a break from your holiday festivities by checking out a list of ten things you just might be surprised to learn!
1) Writer/director Michael Dougherty’s original idea for the film was for it to be an anthology of stories that had no direct connections, tales that he envisioned would be directed by different horror filmmakers. Development executives weren’t so keen on the idea, which prompted Dougherty to repackage the concept – deciding to connect all of the individual stories into one seamless narrative. After years of working on the story, he also decided he didn’t want other filmmakers to bring his vision to life, feeling that his passion for the project made him the perfect person to direct the film.
2) It was actor Brian Cox who came up with the look for his character Mr. Kreeg, taking initial inspiration from old rockers like Jerry Garcia and David Crosby. The biggest inspiration for the look, however, was a man who knows a little something about Halloween: John Carpenter. Story goes that Cox had met Carpenter several years prior, taking note of the fact that he looked like he was plucked straight out of the 70s. That’s precisely the way Cox wanted Kreeg to look, and so various prosthetics were added to his face to make him look like Carpenter.
3) It’s common knowledge that it was 7-year-old Quinn Lord under the Sam costume, but did you know that Lord also has a cameo earlier in the film, before Sam even pops up? During the scene where Laurie and the gang are getting ready in the Halloween shop, there’s a little boy dressed as a monkey who is briefly seen peeping in on them as they’re changing into their costumes. That’s Quinn Lord, whom Dougherty was so impressed with that he wanted to feature him in the film outside of the costume!
4) In several scenes in the film, you can see trick or treaters roaming around and collecting candy in the background. Due to the fact that most of those scenes were filmed very late at night, when actual children weren’t available to work, dwarves were brought in to double as trick or treating children!
5) The look of Rhonda’s house was modeled after the White home from the original Carrie – a hint at the fact that Rhonda would soon be seeking revenge for her torment, much like Carrie did. Particular inspiration was taken from the scene towards the end of Carrie, where the home is lit by various candles in the windows. In fact, in the original concept art, an image of Carrie’s house was actually used to depict Rhonda’s house!
6) Before Laurie chooses Principal Wilkins as her very first victim, her sister calls her up and tips her off to a potential “date” – a big fat dude dressed up as a giant baby. C. Ernst Harth was the man in the baby costume, an actor who had several years prior played the role of ‘The Giant Child’ in the remake of Thirteen Ghosts, a character who was also a giant baby – a fun little homage to another Warner Bros. property!
7) While it’s hard to imagine the incredible werewolf transformation scene being accompanied by any song other than Marilyn Manson’s “Sweet Dreams,” Dougherty’s original plan didn’t actually include the song. It was Peggy Lee’s “Fever” that was his original choice, and that’s in fact the song that was playing on set while the scene was being shot. It was in the editing room that the decision was made to lay a more aggressive track over the action, a decision that Dougherty admits he wasn’t sure about. He intended on using a cover of “Sweet Dreams” from a female rock band but ultimately decided to go with the Manson version. He now cites the scene as one of his favorites in the entire film, right along with most of us fans!
8) Right before the aforementioned transformation scene, those with a keen eye will spot a woman dressed as a cat rolling around a man dressed as a hot dog in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. That woman is Mrs. Henderson from earlier in the film, Dougherty cluing in those who noticed to the fact that she’s a werewolf. In the scene where we first meet the drunk Mrs. Henderson, the man in the hot dog suit can be briefly seen in the background, dancing at the Halloween party she’s hosting – and having no idea of the fate that would soon befall him.
9) Pumpkins around the world will be happy to know that no real pumpkin guts were used for the fight scene between Kreeg and Sam. In the shots where Sam’s pumpkin guts were exposed, a mixture of string and K-Y Jelly was used in place of real pumpkin innards. That said, some pumpkins were harmed in the creation of the film’s many jack o’lanterns – some of which were real, while others were plastic.
10) Though it was Quinn Lord under the Sam costume in most scenes of the film, two different stunt performers were brought in for a few shots, mostly during the fight with Mr. Kreeg. An 8-year-old stuntboy doubled for Lord in some shots, while a four-and-a-half-foot, 90-pound adult gymnast by the name of Suzi Stingl (above) was put into the costume for the more dangerous stunts. Stingl often doubles for children and has also worked on films like The Butterfly Effect and Taken.
Armed with these fun facts, we encourage you to revisit Trick ‘r Treat with a fresh set of eyes, and we hope you all have the happiest of Halloweens this weekend!
