‘Trick R’ Treat: Sam’s 10th Anniversary Collection’ (review)

Trick R’ Treat: Sam’s 10th Anniversary Collection
Written by Marc Andreyko
Based on Trick R’ Treat by Michael Dougherty
Art by Mike Huddleston, Grand Bond,
Christopher Gugliotti, Fiona Staples
Published by Legendary Comics

In 2007, Michael Dougherty’s Trick R’ Treat perfected the horror anthology genre with a near perfect holiday movie perfect for the Halloween season.

Delightfully mean spirited and filled to the brim with serial killers, poisoned candy, werewolves, wannabe vampires, and cursed kiddos, Trick R’ Treat was a mixed bag of Halloween goodness that became an instant classic.

But the comic…not so much.

Following in the footsteps of the Creepshow comic, the Trick R’ Treat comic book is an exact play by play of the movie.

But unlike the Creepshow comic, no comic is referenced with the subject matter to make owning the comic a fun necessity for horror fans. Instead, fans of comics and the movie are given a full-color version of the storyboards. No deviations, no character development, no additional stories.

Just frame by frame exactly what you see on screen.

So, this begs the question: why was this made? For who was this made?

Fans of the movie might pick up the comic, but it lacks the novelty held by the Creepshow book, which was a direct reference to the comic featured in the movie. But as a stand alone comic, the book is missing the whimsical and darkly comic edits from the movie that take the view by surprise.

Little Sam seems out of place as he is no longer lurking in the background of scenes and shots.

Instead, the dark comedy of the movie is almost lost completely as the comic misses the small nuances of the performances and the edits of the movie.

That said, the comic itself is well crafted, with art and coloring that is appropriately moody and slightly sinister to match the mood of the subject matter. The breakup of the panels perfectly matches the source material, creating a clear and concise story arc that is divided by four distinct styles of the different artists.

All in all, Trick R’ Treat is a well made comic that neither enhances the original movie nor acts like a companion piece to the feature. Instead, it just echoes the themes of the film, copying each scene, each frame, and each bloody kill.

For megafans of the film who enjoy collecting Sam memorabilia, this is a nice addition to the collection. But for casual comic readers and folks who enjoy their yearly dive into the Halloween classic, this is just an unnecessary outing that can easily be skipped.