You Don't Know Jack

It's Halloween! It's Halloween!
The moon is full and bright
And we shall see what can't be seen
On any other night.

Skeletons and ghosts and ghouls,
Grinning goblins fighting duels,
Werewolves rising from their tombs,
Witches on their magic brooms.

In masks and gowns
We haunt the street
And knock on doors
For trick or treat.

Tonight we are
The king and queen,
For oh tonight
It's Halloween!

-Jack Prelutsky

I love that poem, because in a very short amount of time, it seems to get across everything that's so great about this holiday. The ghosts and ghouls, the trick-or-treating, the feeling that something is different from the other 364 days of the year. And most importantly, the power of being whoever or whatever you want to be, if only for one night. It's intoxicating.

However, it also points out something about Halloween that makes it unique among holidays (in fact, Daffy laid it out very well in his last post): there's no central figure of representation. All Hallow's Eve is truly an ensemble cast of monsters, spirits, and other grotesques, and I have to confess that I rather like it that way. It just seems to fit that the holiday for misfits and outcasts would include everyone on the bill. I know some people like to equate a popular horror movie villain with the role, but if their story isn't expressly ABOUT Halloween (and not merely taking place on Halloween night, Mr. Myers), I don't think it works. Many folks think that Sam from the film Trick 'r Treat would be the perfect mascot, and while I do love Sam, he hasn't been around long enough to do the job. Give it a few more decades and we'll see.

He is a cutie though.

Halfway to Halloween

Yesterday was Easter Sunday. For many, it marks the resurrection of their Savior Jesus from the dead (and no, He was not a zombie). For others, it's simply a good excuse to gorge on marshmallow Peeps and Cadbury's Creme eggs. For a select few, Easter means just one thing: we're halfway to Halloween! And thanks to director Michael Dougherty, we've got a real treat to celebrate the occasion. Watch and groan:

Isn't Sam just adorable with his bunny ears?

Despite the studio's wretched treatment of the film, Trick 'r Treat has managed to become one of the most beloved horror anthologies of all time. Its wicked humor, strong cast, and intersecting stories make for one frightfully funny flick, not to mention that the movie is actually about Halloween, instead of just being set on Halloween night. As if all that weren't enough, Dougherty has given us one of the most unique supernatural observers in cinema, making Sam (the spirit of Halloween, or Samhain) a mysterious and deadly creature in the form of a little tyke. If you don't follow the rules of the holiday, you can rest assured that Sam will stick you with more than coal in your stocking like some other festive icons. More likely, he'll stick you with a knife.

The film's official Twitter recently announced that Sam would return eventually. Fans are hopeful for an official sequel, but for now, this pastel-and-blood-colored short will have to suffice. FEARnet, the site that hosts this clip, says that they will be showing Trick 'r Treat for 24 hours this Halloween. Most gorehounds already own it on DVD or blu-ray (and if you don't, what's wrong with you?), but speculate that the marathon will feature new vignettes with Sam and his victims. We'll have to wait and see, I suppose.

On a semi-related topic, this short brings up an old argument: is there really a horror film for every major holiday? Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day and others are covered, but I can't remember any flicks that make mincemeat of Easter. Anyone?