Posted in: Horror, Movies | Tagged: film, halloween, horror, trick 'r treat

Trick 'r Treat Director Intends to Keep Sam's Origin Story a Secret

Published Tue, 18 Oct 2022 12:47:11 -0500

Trick' r Treat is a total Halloween cult classic, becoming an annual rewatch (for many, myself included), which has even resulted in a recent theatrical re-release to celebrate the horror film's stable audience. So with the news of a buzz-worthy sequel remaining a possibility, fans are eager to get every bit of Trick' r Treat content they can stomach… but don't expect that to include a big plot reveal for the film's irreplaceable mascot, Sam.

During a recent conversation with Nerdist, Dougherty was asked if he could select any character other than Freddy whose origin story wasn't tarnished by a reveal, to which the director shared, "I think Freddy works, but at the same time, we never saw it [the origin], I guess. I think Freddy's origin is an exception because it only made him scarier. To know who he was, this serial killer who went around killing kids and was eventually beheaded by justice only added to his mystery and his power."

He then added, "But I think a mistake they made was they kept explaining it. They kept adding more layers like, 'Oh, he also made a deal with these three dream demons.' It's one thing to create a fun, mysterious origin for a character, but I feel like a lot of studios over the years have sort of overthought it."

No Sam Flashbacks Required In Trick' r Treat

After delving into the complicated lore of the Halloween franchise by the sixth entry as another comparison, the Trick' r Treat director goes on to explain, "With Sam, there are definitely aspects of his lore and his mythology that we could expand on, and I hope to in terms of how he comes back year after year, where he goes to, and things like that, but I would never do any sort of flashback to ancient Ireland and show some kid being sacrificed and throw him to a pumpkin creature. That would just ruin his mystique."

Honestly, the idea of seeing Sam as anything other than what we know him as does feel a bit odd. Thankfully, Doughtery understands the assignment.

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