Trick r' Treat and Scream

I have been so busy watching TV that I haven't seen a lot of movies lately. And those I have seen, I haven't commented on. Same with the books and even the plays, though I've seen terribly few of those.

That is going to change. I will find time to post on the things I watch as frequently as I watch them, all in the hopes that these will convince you either to take a look or to avoid at all cost.

Last night was Hallowe'en, and after a fun day in costume at work, I came home to watch some scary movies. The selections? Trick r' Treat and Scream.

For those of you who have not heard of Trick r' Treat, despite the mass advertising it's been getting lately at being a little known gem on websites like EW, I cannot say for sure whether or not you are missing out.

It's not terribly frightening, so if that's why you are into scary movies you might want to pass, but it is very interesting. 5 different plot lines interconnect on Hallowe'en night in the country. The overall theme is that Hallowe'en is sacred and ought to be hallowed and not mocked. Disrespecting traditions is certain to get you killed, as is assaulting the wrong person. Oh, and it is never a good idea to make out with a masked stranger deep in an alley.

Anna Paquin and Tahmoh Penikett are the most recognizable faces, playing a sweet virgin looking for a man and a Hallowe'en loving boyfriend respectively (not her boyfriend). One gets what he/she wants, and the other does not.

It was the perfect movie to watch on Hallowe'en though, as kids for whom I had no candy repeatedly rang my doorbell or knocked loudly. I was quite afraid by the end of it that someone or something was going to come and demand revenge that I was not abiding by the traditions of my favourite holiday.

Scream, on the other hand, is a classic. If you have somehow managed to miss seeing this and you like scary movies even a little bit, then stop reading my post and go and watch it this minute. The brilliance that Kevin Williamson created, which is looking to have a fourth chapter sometime in the next year, deserves all its acclaim. It takes a master to craft a slasher flick in which the most unrealistic or stupid part is that a psycho killer would emerge in a small town.

This movie makes fun of slasher flicks and indeed the whole horror genre while remaining a very scary movie. Even though I knew exactly when the killer would jump out, I still hid behind my blanket. But even while cowering, I was still laughing.

Have you seen Trick r' Treat? Do you love Scream? What is your favourite scary movie? And what did you do last night for Hallowe'en?