Trick 'r Treat: Tales of Mayhem, Mystery, and Mischief [Hardcover]

John Griffin (Author), Michael Dougherty (Introduction), Bryan Singer (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 2007

Trick 'r Treat delves into the four stories that make up the feature film, Trick 'r Treat releasing in October 2007. It reflects Dougherty's personal take on the filmmaking process, details how the ideas and art came together, and presents it with exclusive special features in a unique format. The genre encompasses drama, horror, thriller...mixed with a good dose of twisted humor.

Set in a small suburban town, Trick 'r Treat explores Halloween traditions while following a group of people trying to survive the most terrifying night of the year. From a serial killer who specializes in poisoning candy; to a group of mischievous kids who unearth their town's dark secret; to a young woman hunted by masked stalker at the local festival; to a cantankerous old hermit confronted by a demonic trick-or-treater, the film is filled with horrifying surprises, nervous laughs and strange creatures of every variety--human or otherwise.

The atmosphere Dougherty creates on film mirrors the flavor of his art--whimsical, yet eerie. It seems welcoming from a distance, but the closer you look, the more you see the twisted, dark side of Dougherty's mind. Dougherty's third-grade teacher once remarked on a report card that his behavior exhibited "early evidence of what may be an extraordinary morbid ingenuity." Years later, his drawings and doodles of the youthful, eerily pumpkin-headed character, Sam--a kind of ghost of Halloweens past--along with a number of other creepy, unforgettable characters, have made it to the big screen. There, Dougherty's art and storytelling promise to take a fresh twist. At the launch of his career he's already got a loyal following eagerly awaiting his next spooky project.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Dougherty is an artisit, writer, and filmdirector. He was the screenwriter for Superman
Returns and X2. He is also writing four prequels to the Superman Returns Comic Seriesfor DC Comics. Dougherty was born on Halloween. Originally from Ohio, he lives in Los Angeles.

John Griffin has written and produced documents for A& E biography, Turner Classic Movies, and E! Entertainment Television. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, son, and a strange black cat.

Bryan Singer (Foreword) is a film director; his work includes The Usual Suspects, X-Men, and Superman Returns. He is the producer for Trick 'r Treat the movie.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 110 pages
• Publisher: Insight Editions (September 29, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933784512
• ISBN-13: 978-1933784519
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 10.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #870,545 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Halloween Treat second to none., October 30, 2008

By 

Shannon "pahvog" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Trick 'r Treat: Tales of Mayhem, Mystery, and Mischief (Hardcover)

I love Halloween. If you know me than that is what you know ABOUT me...I LOVE HALLOWEEN. So, when I saw this book on a friend of mine's desk, I flipped. I hadn't heard of the movie, hadn't seen the trailer on line, and with the exception of a couple of pieces of art that I had seen in a Halloween Art show the previous year (see what I mean?), I had NO exposure to what lay inside.

The cover was inticing as all Halloween treats should be. Like a witch's gingerbread house you cannot resist but to go inside. And what lurks there?

More than a "making of" book. More than a book about Halloween....Oh, so much more. The photos from this film (it was unreleased at the time of my reading this book), the preproduction art, all of it was fantastic. No, it was more than fantastic. It was inspiring. Exhilarating. But as I enviously perused the pages of my friend's copy of the book, it started offering treats: Comic books, post cards, MASKS!

I needed to OWN this book. Not sometime in the distant future. I needed it NOW. A real "Veruca Salt" moment if you will. So, you can imagine how I felt when my friend showed me how inexpensive it was on AMAZON. I ordered it immediately and waited INpatiently for its arrival.

And now the real kicker. My wife is indifferent to Halloween. She is supportive and will put on a simple costume if necessary, but to her Halloween is my day. She watches patiently as I drag the decorations out, fiddle with my old Super 8mm projectors to conjur ghosts in our windows, listen to old Halloween records and she does it with a smile. Every year in September she asks: "Are you starting Halloween ALREADY?"

I remind her that, in general, these days CHRISTMAS decorations are in stores in September. So, when the book arrived in the house, I expected her to be indifferent. When she saw it, her jaw dropped.

She couldn't believe how beautifully presented, how stuffed with goodies it was and what really knocked her over was the price. She felt that with what this tome offered it could easily be twice as much as the original cover price and still satisfy its readers.

So if you're on the fence with the other black cats wondering if this book will turn out to be a dreaded Halloween trick, do not be fooled - If you are a fan of Halloween, monster movies, and things that go bump in the night than this book is definitely for you! Don't just sit there, ORDER IT!

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Frightening good book, December 3, 2008

By 

Parka (Singapore) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Trick 'r Treat: Tales of Mayhem, Mystery, and Mischief (Hardcover)

Length:: 0:41 Mins

The moment I saw the cover and the publisher, Insight Editions, I had very good feeling about the book. Why? Because Insight Editions had previously published one of the very best art books, The Art and Making of Monster House, which I liked very much.

This book is also frightening good. Wait a minute, Monster House was also a horror movie. What a coincidence.

This is a scrapbook style art book for the live action movie, Trick 'r Treat. The movie is written and directed by Michael Dougherty, who also contributed to some of the art in the book.

First part of the book is about the making of the movie. It's a behind the scenes look at how the movie was produced and shot. Included are details like how Michael Dougherty came up with the script, drew the art and pitched the movie. There are challenges with costume designs because they had to avoid trademarked characters. Also very interesting are how they set up scenes visually and create special effects like the exploding a bag of pumpkin-like goo.

The second part are the five short stories in the movies. In between these stories are accompanying quotes from movies and captions from the staff. There are also pages devoted to several aspect of Halloween, for example the origins of Jack o' Lanterns, the significance of 31 October, what's with the black cat and many other interesting stuff.

Throughout the book is filled with lots of goodies. They include little booklets, stickers, postcards, pumpkin paper cutouts, a Halloween mask and a poster at the back. It's scrapbook goodness. So much that I really had a hard time doing the flipping-page video.

The hardcover book comes in a soft cardboard casing. The glossy pages are of amazing paper stock. The high resolution photos and artwork are reproduced brilliantly. I must also add that the page design and layout are fantastic. The author John Griffin has done a fantastic job with the book. This book is a visual delight.

Once in a while, there will be a book so good it will appeal to everyone. This is that book.

It's highly recommended to all, except those who don't like movies or art.

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have Item for a Great Halloween Movie, October 24, 2008

By 

Gary Goodwin "Film Geek" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Trick 'r Treat: Tales of Mayhem, Mystery, and Mischief (Hardcover)

This book is a great in-depth look at the best halloween movie to come out in a long time. The movie itself is an atmoshperic homage to 80's horror, a suspenseful and very, very scary celebration of Halloween. In the vain of Tales from the Crypt or Creepshow, with great performances by the ensemble cast. The book includes plot synopsis, character designs and inspirations, costume sketches, movie stills, paper masks, stickers, storyboards, postcards and comic strips. I was lucky enough to recieve mine at a screening sponsored by AintitCool News and I can't say enough what a great experience this movie was!