Trick 'r Treat (Blu-ray)

(Warner Home Video, 10.6.2009)

The directorial debut of X2 and Superman Returns co-writer Michael Dougherty is undisciplined, inconsistent and derivative. It's also an incredibly well-crafted, adventurous and rowdy good time. Applying some of the E.C. Comics affectations of George A. Romero's Creepshow to half-hearted, not especially memorable effect, Trick 'r Treat fails in its primary orientation as horror anthology. When Quentin Tarantino directed Pulp Fiction, he took inspiration from Mario Bava's omnibus classic Black Sabbath, adding his own taste for non-linear ensemble interconnectedness. Dougherty has attempted something similar, while also retaining the horror emphasis of Bava's film. However, this is where he does most of his stumbling. The film's structure is extremely sloppy, connecting stories, abandoning threads and zipping-through-time in a manner that seems arbitrary, rather than dramatically motivated. The good news? Dougherty does just about everything else right.

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