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Trick 'r Treat: Days of the Dead
From the twisted imagination of creator Michael Dougherty (director of the upcoming Krampus and Trick ‘r Treat, screenwriter of X-Men 2 and Superman Returns) and a top-notch team of artists including Fiona Staples (Saga), Stephen Byrne (Buffy/Angel), Stuart Sayger (Bram Stoker’s Death Ship) and Zid (Son of Merlin) comes this 4-part collection that paves the way for the Trick ‘r Treat film sequel.
Days of the Dead ventures through the ages for this chilling collection of Halloween-time stories: from old-world lovers whose romance takes a darker turn, to pioneers who discover more than they bargained for out West, to an edgy 1950s Los Angeles tale dripping with horror noir, and straight through the heart of small-town America to teach a couple of a trouble-making pranksters a lesson they'll never forget.
Across the centuries of Halloween horror, wherever fear lies, Sam will be waiting.
Days of the Dead ventures through the ages for this chilling collection of Halloween-time stories: from old-world lovers whose romance takes a darker turn, to pioneers who discover more than they bargained for out West, to an edgy 1950s Los Angeles tale dripping with horror noir, and straight through the heart of small-town America to teach a couple of a trouble-making pranksters a lesson they'll never forget.
Across the centuries of Halloween horror, wherever fear lies, Sam will be waiting.
144 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2015
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379 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
September 25, 2021
Trick 'r Treat is one of my all-time favorite films, so naturally, I had to pick up this graphic novel, and I'm so glad I did! It's set up like an anthology, like the film, and it tells different Sam-related tales throughout time. Much as you'd expect, the general theme follows individuals who have some pretty negative views of Halloween, for one reason or another, and they are given the chance to learn the error of their ways, or find their due comeuppance. I wish Sam himself had been on-page a little bit more, but also content with the way the stories were told, and found myself overall entertained by each story in the collection. I definitely recommend this for anyone who's a fan of the movie!
June 20, 2020
For those of you who haven't seen the movie TRICK R TREAT, you need to rectify that. It's a great, old school type horror anthology movie that I think is very underrated.
This graphic novel is a sequel of sorts to the movie. An actual sequel to the movie is being planned, and I'm not sure if this graphic novel is an adaptation of the script, or it stands alone. Either way, it's a very good horror comic anthology.
Included in the four stories is both a Weird Western tale as well as one loaded with monsters, which are my bread and butter. The art is good as well, particularly the painted art in the last story.
If you enjoy horror comic anthologies, and/or liked the movie Trick R Treat, you should check this book out. I read this on Halloween day, which was a perfect read!
This graphic novel is a sequel of sorts to the movie. An actual sequel to the movie is being planned, and I'm not sure if this graphic novel is an adaptation of the script, or it stands alone. Either way, it's a very good horror comic anthology.
Included in the four stories is both a Weird Western tale as well as one loaded with monsters, which are my bread and butter. The art is good as well, particularly the painted art in the last story.
If you enjoy horror comic anthologies, and/or liked the movie Trick R Treat, you should check this book out. I read this on Halloween day, which was a perfect read!
October 20, 2025
Fun collection of 1 issue halloween stories.
September 5, 2017
Al igual que la película (de culto) que da origen a este cómic, Trick 'r Treat: Days of the Dead es una verdadera carta de amor al Halloween.
Las cuatro historias que componen esta obra se desarrollan en un punto histórico distinto. Comenzamos en el viejo continente (como el Halloween mismo) con una historia trágica de amor y brujas, después llegamos al salvaje Oeste norteamericano, en donde la historia girará en torno al encuentro entre los nativos americanos y los vaqueros, posteriormente, la década de los 50 es representada con una historia detectivesca tipo noir y terminamos con un Halloween celebrado en nuestros días.
Desde mi punto de vista, la mejor de las historias es la segunda, titulada The Corn Maiden, aunque la primera también logró ganarse mi corazón. Las últimas dos son más bien regulares. Una crítica extra que haría a este cómic es que no sentí que hubiera una conexión tan orgánica como lo que ocurre con las historias presentadas en la película.
Sin embargo, considero que este es un título que no debe faltar en las estanterías de cualquier amante del Halloween, el arte es maravilloso y todo el volumen te da esa increíble sensación de estar leyendo campfire stories .
Las cuatro historias que componen esta obra se desarrollan en un punto histórico distinto. Comenzamos en el viejo continente (como el Halloween mismo) con una historia trágica de amor y brujas, después llegamos al salvaje Oeste norteamericano, en donde la historia girará en torno al encuentro entre los nativos americanos y los vaqueros, posteriormente, la década de los 50 es representada con una historia detectivesca tipo noir y terminamos con un Halloween celebrado en nuestros días.
Desde mi punto de vista, la mejor de las historias es la segunda, titulada The Corn Maiden, aunque la primera también logró ganarse mi corazón. Las últimas dos son más bien regulares. Una crítica extra que haría a este cómic es que no sentí que hubiera una conexión tan orgánica como lo que ocurre con las historias presentadas en la película.
Sin embargo, considero que este es un título que no debe faltar en las estanterías de cualquier amante del Halloween, el arte es maravilloso y todo el volumen te da esa increíble sensación de estar leyendo campfire stories .
December 30, 2019
Despite some nice artwork, found this "Trick 'r Treat 1.5" to be lackluster overall. Only the fourth and final story (which also featured superior art by far) felt like something that would fit into the world established by the film. Quite puzzling as to why the other stories here were chosen for inclusion.
Only recommended for completists.
Only recommended for completists.
October 30, 2015
I am one of Trick 'r Treats' biggest fans. I just needed to put that out there first thing. I don't just watch it, religiously, once a year, but during the year as well, to bring me that Halloween feeling, as well as to marvel over the craftsmanship with which the movie was made. So when I saw that Days of the Dead was being released, I had to have it! And I do, thanks to my birthday (yesterday) and my very generous best friend!
Like the movie, the graphic novel follow four different stories; unlike the movie, the stories aren't interconnected, except for the appearance of Sam, and that was a bit of a disappointment, but understandable, considering they had different writers, and different artists, with Dougherty coming up with the overall picture and supervising.
Seed - The most disappointing of the four. I don't think Trick 'r Treat ever needed a tragic love story, but I still could have gone along with it if it weren't for the immense historical inaccuracies. Pumpkins were indigenous to North America and didn't catch on in Europe for a long, long time; they wouldn't be in Ireland in the 17th century. And there was no great witch inquisition in Ireland, either; there were witch finders, and, oh! There were burnings. But the concentrated effort shown in this story is fallacious. What I would have liked to see from this story is the origin of Sam's earthly form, and I think that was supposed to be the implication (?), but it was poorly done and I was left underwhelmed.
Corn Maiden - Now this is more like it! Though, again, it's a little too early in American history to be celebrating Halloween (and to have traditional candy, to boot!)--curse my historical knowledge of this holiday!--but it's a good story, well told, with a macabre twist. I can't help but feel that there's too much of a righteous feel to Halloween at this point, however, which is directly in contrast to the message of the movie, that Halloween is capricious and has its own rules. And one of those rules: Always checky our candy!
Echoes - Now we're talking! With bizarre, almost mind-bending artwork, this story was when the fire really began for me, when it caught and started to blaze. Again, Halloween is surprisingly benign, and it feels as if they're trying a bit too hard, as in Seeds, to show a modern, more progressive form of witchcraft (I'm Wiccan and this still slightly bothered me, because it felt preachy). But the suspense, the art, the writing, it all works so well! The only thing I might criticize is that I occasionally got lost. Characters speak from off panel, and it wasn't always easy to follow who was saying what; it lent it a dreamlike quality, but also a little confusion. I felt as if a page were missing somewhere along the story, and that's a problem, but otherwise, so solid and beautifully done, I couldn't really fault it.
Monster Mash - My favorite. The art is fantastic, and the use of costumes for two little boys to walk among real monsters is so very much in the spirit of traditional Halloween, as is the fact that one of them decides to stay. And the religious push against modern Halloween adds the perfect touch of Halloween history to the story. And I loved how it tied into the very beginning of the story. Perfectly done!
And this will now become a yearly read, as the movie is a must-watch. And it will tide me over until the sequel is made!
Like the movie, the graphic novel follow four different stories; unlike the movie, the stories aren't interconnected, except for the appearance of Sam, and that was a bit of a disappointment, but understandable, considering they had different writers, and different artists, with Dougherty coming up with the overall picture and supervising.
Seed - The most disappointing of the four. I don't think Trick 'r Treat ever needed a tragic love story, but I still could have gone along with it if it weren't for the immense historical inaccuracies. Pumpkins were indigenous to North America and didn't catch on in Europe for a long, long time; they wouldn't be in Ireland in the 17th century. And there was no great witch inquisition in Ireland, either; there were witch finders, and, oh! There were burnings. But the concentrated effort shown in this story is fallacious. What I would have liked to see from this story is the origin of Sam's earthly form, and I think that was supposed to be the implication (?), but it was poorly done and I was left underwhelmed.
Corn Maiden - Now this is more like it! Though, again, it's a little too early in American history to be celebrating Halloween (and to have traditional candy, to boot!)--curse my historical knowledge of this holiday!--but it's a good story, well told, with a macabre twist. I can't help but feel that there's too much of a righteous feel to Halloween at this point, however, which is directly in contrast to the message of the movie, that Halloween is capricious and has its own rules. And one of those rules: Always checky our candy!
Echoes - Now we're talking! With bizarre, almost mind-bending artwork, this story was when the fire really began for me, when it caught and started to blaze. Again, Halloween is surprisingly benign, and it feels as if they're trying a bit too hard, as in Seeds, to show a modern, more progressive form of witchcraft (I'm Wiccan and this still slightly bothered me, because it felt preachy). But the suspense, the art, the writing, it all works so well! The only thing I might criticize is that I occasionally got lost. Characters speak from off panel, and it wasn't always easy to follow who was saying what; it lent it a dreamlike quality, but also a little confusion. I felt as if a page were missing somewhere along the story, and that's a problem, but otherwise, so solid and beautifully done, I couldn't really fault it.
Monster Mash - My favorite. The art is fantastic, and the use of costumes for two little boys to walk among real monsters is so very much in the spirit of traditional Halloween, as is the fact that one of them decides to stay. And the religious push against modern Halloween adds the perfect touch of Halloween history to the story. And I loved how it tied into the very beginning of the story. Perfectly done!
And this will now become a yearly read, as the movie is a must-watch. And it will tide me over until the sequel is made!
July 15, 2016
I didn't see the movie, but I think this was entertaining. The graphics of the third story were awful, hence the 4 stars instead of 5. I liked the first two stories the most because they had a historical reference to them as well as a strong moral. I didn't really understand the moral of the last story? Maybe that if some people won't accept you as you are, somebody else will love you as you are? I did like the graphics of the last story the most though.
This was nice to read on a day I'm too tired to read a novel.
This was nice to read on a day I'm too tired to read a novel.
October 26, 2018
I really hope they take some of these stories and include them in the sequel (when and if it ever comes out!)
June 4, 2017
Tuve la suerte de adquirir este comic literalmente el último día de mi viaje a Estados Unidos y me sentí de lo más afortunada: solo quedaba ese ejemplar, y supe que en definitiva me estaba esperando. Para el que sepa algo de mí, creo que no es ninguna novedad el hecho de que Trick 'r Treat es una de mis películas favoritas del género, por lo que nunca desperdicio oportunidad de difundirla y recomendarla a todos. El comic pretende ser una especie de snack, un placebo para todos los que estamos esperando ansiosos la continuación de la película y sabemos que aún llevará su tiempo.
Michael Dougherty, quien dio vida al legendario Sam, la criatura del Halloween que hoy en día es lo más fiel y significativo que conserva la festividad, abre este comic con un mensaje directo a sus seguidores de una forma muy amena. Creo que pocas veces he visto esta celebración tan bien representada como en la obra de este director. Respeta y conoce tanto el folclore de Samhain, lo traduce de una forma tan hermosa, pintoresca y espectral, como seductora, que aún sin amar el Halloween (herejía), cualquiera podría enamorarse de sus tradiciones. Pasea por costumbres que absolutamente todos conocemos (al menos por el mundo del cine) tales como el pedir caramelos (actividad que le da nombre a la película), disfrazarse, asustar y asustarse, calar calabazas, y más. Como también le da vida a viejas historias, como la de mantener prendida la vela de la calabaza hasta que Halloween termine oficialmente, o incluso el homenaje a las leyenda urbanas con sustos de por medio.
En lo que respecta al comic en sí, creo que nuevamente me encontré con historias alucinantes, algunas abordando temas como el viejo oeste, la brujería, los monstruos y demás criaturas de la noche que cobran fuerza durante el 31 de Octubre. Iba a elegir mis favoritas, pero honestamente me di cuenta que estaba eligiendo 3 de 4, así que directamente elijo mi favorita, que fue: Corn Maiden. El resto también son excelentes, con ilustraciones increíbles que inevitablemente traen la esencia de la película.
En resumidas cuentas, si disfrutan del Halloween por sus raíces, Trick 'r Treat: Day of the Dead es un must, en especial para aquella noche única para todos los amantes del terror.
Michael Dougherty, quien dio vida al legendario Sam, la criatura del Halloween que hoy en día es lo más fiel y significativo que conserva la festividad, abre este comic con un mensaje directo a sus seguidores de una forma muy amena. Creo que pocas veces he visto esta celebración tan bien representada como en la obra de este director. Respeta y conoce tanto el folclore de Samhain, lo traduce de una forma tan hermosa, pintoresca y espectral, como seductora, que aún sin amar el Halloween (herejía), cualquiera podría enamorarse de sus tradiciones. Pasea por costumbres que absolutamente todos conocemos (al menos por el mundo del cine) tales como el pedir caramelos (actividad que le da nombre a la película), disfrazarse, asustar y asustarse, calar calabazas, y más. Como también le da vida a viejas historias, como la de mantener prendida la vela de la calabaza hasta que Halloween termine oficialmente, o incluso el homenaje a las leyenda urbanas con sustos de por medio.
En lo que respecta al comic en sí, creo que nuevamente me encontré con historias alucinantes, algunas abordando temas como el viejo oeste, la brujería, los monstruos y demás criaturas de la noche que cobran fuerza durante el 31 de Octubre. Iba a elegir mis favoritas, pero honestamente me di cuenta que estaba eligiendo 3 de 4, así que directamente elijo mi favorita, que fue: Corn Maiden. El resto también son excelentes, con ilustraciones increíbles que inevitablemente traen la esencia de la película.
En resumidas cuentas, si disfrutan del Halloween por sus raíces, Trick 'r Treat: Day of the Dead es un must, en especial para aquella noche única para todos los amantes del terror.
October 31, 2022
CW: body horror, blood, violence, murder, death, colonialism, racism (against indigenous peoples), casual ableism, child abuse
SEED: 3/5☆~ this one was decent. love me a good witch story and the art style was nice. also reminds my of the video for the song The War by SYML. at least the end part, but only a little 😅
CORN MAIDEN: 3/5☆~ white settlers gotta be awful to indigenous tribes, as they do. fun story, wonderful art style, not the biggest fan of the ending, but still.
ECHOES: 1/5☆~ I like the premise, that's it. apparently a more crime noir style with witch elements, but the story's chaotic, the art style is awful, and I did not enjoy. NEXT PLEASE
MONSTER MASH: 5/5☆~ by far my favourite and the best part of the collection. fun, spooky, heartbreaking & touching. it ties into the framing device established at the beginning & has the most pleasing art style. big fan!
the extra treats in the end are nice, some full colour pages of art & sketches from the artists of each story. overall, an ok addition to the Trick r Treat world. love the movie, hopefully that real sequel comes to be. at least theres the comics, for now. even if they aren't all hits.
overall: a 3.5/5☆ (adding up & averaging all stories then an addition 0.5 for the bonuses in the end that I liked)
SEED: 3/5☆~ this one was decent. love me a good witch story and the art style was nice. also reminds my of the video for the song The War by SYML. at least the end part, but only a little 😅
CORN MAIDEN: 3/5☆~ white settlers gotta be awful to indigenous tribes, as they do. fun story, wonderful art style, not the biggest fan of the ending, but still.
ECHOES: 1/5☆~ I like the premise, that's it. apparently a more crime noir style with witch elements, but the story's chaotic, the art style is awful, and I did not enjoy. NEXT PLEASE
MONSTER MASH: 5/5☆~ by far my favourite and the best part of the collection. fun, spooky, heartbreaking & touching. it ties into the framing device established at the beginning & has the most pleasing art style. big fan!
the extra treats in the end are nice, some full colour pages of art & sketches from the artists of each story. overall, an ok addition to the Trick r Treat world. love the movie, hopefully that real sequel comes to be. at least theres the comics, for now. even if they aren't all hits.
overall: a 3.5/5☆ (adding up & averaging all stories then an addition 0.5 for the bonuses in the end that I liked)
October 9, 2016
Michael Dougherty's "Trick 'r Treat" might be the best Halloween movie ever. No other film I've heard of - and trust me, I've searched - evokes that feeling of the Halloween season better than "Trick 'r Treat" does.
While we all wait patiently for the sequel (which Dougherty states in the introduction to this book is indeed in the works), this graphic novel anthology of four stories acts as somewhat of a stopgap.
Unfortunately, it kind of sucks.
Look, maybe my expectations were off. Just about everything about the film that made it satisfying is essentially absent here. Rather than taking place in modern-day suburbia - a big selling point for the movie - these unrelated stories are set throughout history (which means that the 'Pulp Fiction'-style chronology is also gone). That in and of itself certainly isn't a dealbreaker by any means whatsoever, as it provides plenty of opportunity to dig into the history of Halloween or even to build on the mythology of Sam (the franchise's embodiment of the spirit of Halloween, in the form of a creepy little button-eyed burlap dude). Building this graphic novel anthology from these conceptual starting points could have made this a great collection and a worthwhile companion to the film.
The stories seem to make the occasional attempt to do both, but fails, if you ask me. There are brief and occasional mentions of the origins of the holiday, and Sam *does* appear (in some way or another) in all four stories. But ultimately, they're just...stories. Stories set on or around Halloween, sure, but they don't ooze that Halloween vibe like the film does. And me being someone who's somewhat familiar with the origins of Halloween traditions, it somewhat pains me to see that an historical anthology about this very holiday would choose to include a story about a private investigator in 1950's Los Angeles ("Echoes", the worst story of the bunch, whose illustrator is clearly way too in love with Frank Miller's muddy 'What exactly am I looking at?' style) but not a story about, say, the Ancient Celts or the folklore surrounding the history of Jack o' lanterns.
I wish I could say that I at least saw what Dougherty was trying to accomplish with this volume, but I don't. At least then I could give it three stars for its 'swing-and-a-miss' attempt at a follow-up for the movie. There's no cohesion whatsoever, nor is there anything about any of these stories that I'd be inclined to call 'memorable'. I don't know whether this was some studio-mandated project that had to be pushed out to meet a deadline, but I'll say this: if that wasn't the case - if Dougherty sat down on his own to pen four new stories and this was him putting his best foot forward - then my faith in his ability to give us a worthwhile follow-up to "Trick 'r Treat" is definitely somewhat shaken.
While we all wait patiently for the sequel (which Dougherty states in the introduction to this book is indeed in the works), this graphic novel anthology of four stories acts as somewhat of a stopgap.
Unfortunately, it kind of sucks.
Look, maybe my expectations were off. Just about everything about the film that made it satisfying is essentially absent here. Rather than taking place in modern-day suburbia - a big selling point for the movie - these unrelated stories are set throughout history (which means that the 'Pulp Fiction'-style chronology is also gone). That in and of itself certainly isn't a dealbreaker by any means whatsoever, as it provides plenty of opportunity to dig into the history of Halloween or even to build on the mythology of Sam (the franchise's embodiment of the spirit of Halloween, in the form of a creepy little button-eyed burlap dude). Building this graphic novel anthology from these conceptual starting points could have made this a great collection and a worthwhile companion to the film.
The stories seem to make the occasional attempt to do both, but fails, if you ask me. There are brief and occasional mentions of the origins of the holiday, and Sam *does* appear (in some way or another) in all four stories. But ultimately, they're just...stories. Stories set on or around Halloween, sure, but they don't ooze that Halloween vibe like the film does. And me being someone who's somewhat familiar with the origins of Halloween traditions, it somewhat pains me to see that an historical anthology about this very holiday would choose to include a story about a private investigator in 1950's Los Angeles ("Echoes", the worst story of the bunch, whose illustrator is clearly way too in love with Frank Miller's muddy 'What exactly am I looking at?' style) but not a story about, say, the Ancient Celts or the folklore surrounding the history of Jack o' lanterns.
I wish I could say that I at least saw what Dougherty was trying to accomplish with this volume, but I don't. At least then I could give it three stars for its 'swing-and-a-miss' attempt at a follow-up for the movie. There's no cohesion whatsoever, nor is there anything about any of these stories that I'd be inclined to call 'memorable'. I don't know whether this was some studio-mandated project that had to be pushed out to meet a deadline, but I'll say this: if that wasn't the case - if Dougherty sat down on his own to pen four new stories and this was him putting his best foot forward - then my faith in his ability to give us a worthwhile follow-up to "Trick 'r Treat" is definitely somewhat shaken.
October 28, 2017
I’m a fan of the Trick ‘r Treat movie and when I found out last year that they we’re making a sequel I admittedly got excited. Then I found the graphic novel on Book Outlet and found out that the graphic novel is the sequel and still planning on making the actual movie, I don’t know when the movie will come out but I’m still looking forward to catching it in the future.
Now for my review of Trick ‘r Treat: Days of the Dead, it’s a very fun read and the illustrations are incredible! I really loved the stories and how spooky they were. Overall it’s a great read to get into the halloween spirit.
Now for my review of Trick ‘r Treat: Days of the Dead, it’s a very fun read and the illustrations are incredible! I really loved the stories and how spooky they were. Overall it’s a great read to get into the halloween spirit.
August 23, 2017
The art of the detective story was confusing and overly busy. The first story set in Ireland was forgettable. The Native American story, as a Native American was offensive. The last story was excellent and the only one I would consider "good." Overall, it was a huge disappointment, and Sam had little to do with this story. I still, despite all of its faults, enjoyed reading it, and if you're a huge Trick 'R Treat fan, it's not much time out of your life to check it out... and there is some really cool art inside.
July 26, 2018
I was able to read this graphic novel in an hour, very short and quick.
I absolutely love Trick r Treat, I think the movie, and the whole franchise in general is so underrated.
This serves as a very interesting plot from the movie. It’s very similar but also very different.
I found that some parts, the beginning especially was really slow for me. I love graphic novels that grip you right away. But in the end, I’m not complaining. I love Sam and this graphic novel definitely filled my heart with more Sam love!
I absolutely love Trick r Treat, I think the movie, and the whole franchise in general is so underrated.
This serves as a very interesting plot from the movie. It’s very similar but also very different.
I found that some parts, the beginning especially was really slow for me. I love graphic novels that grip you right away. But in the end, I’m not complaining. I love Sam and this graphic novel definitely filled my heart with more Sam love!
November 2, 2016
Featured Trick 'r Treat on my Top 5 Horror List in the video link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gYCr...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gYCr...
October 5, 2025
The 2007 movie Trick ‘r Treat movie quickly became one of my favorite Halloween movies when it came out and I was excited to read this because it’s supposed to be a “spiritual sequel”. Honestly, I walked away kind of disappointed. None of the stories are necessarily bad, but none were fantastic either. “Corn Maiden” was probably my favorite story and felt in line with how the movie felt. “Monster Mash” was also fun and I enjoyed the ending which I didn’t see coming. Only really recommended if you like the movie like I do and want to see the continuation.
April 8, 2017
Damn good reading!
April 20, 2017
"Corn Maiden" was my overall favorite.
October 18, 2017
Fun read for the season. 3rd story was a little off, and drawings were not the best, but the other three were great!
November 2, 2015
I wish the stories were more interconnected than just thematically. But, I guess that's hard to do since they take place over different eras.
The tales themselves are a bit deeper than I was expecting, and most of the art is pretty fantastic.
If this is what Mr. Dougherty has in store for the (hopefully) eventual Tricj R Treat 2, it should be good.
The tales themselves are a bit deeper than I was expecting, and most of the art is pretty fantastic.
If this is what Mr. Dougherty has in store for the (hopefully) eventual Tricj R Treat 2, it should be good.
July 2, 2018
If you love the movie, you're going to love this follow up. Each tale is a great, spooky tribute to Halloween and the art for each story fits each very well. This had been on my to-read list for a very long time and I'm glad I finally got around to buying a copy.
October 12, 2015
Enjoyable but more than a bit disjointed. Needs more Sam, I think.
December 28, 2017
The first and last tales were the best. I was very happy to see Fiona Staples in this collection!
June 24, 2019
I am a huge fan of the film Trick 'r Treat. I think it was a clever, underrated classic, and it's quickly become one of my repertoire for Halloween. Sometimes I think fondly of it and wish there was a sequel. There isn't, alas, but there is this book.
Like the film, Trick 'r Treat: Days of the Dead tells several different stories, though they're not connected like they are in the film, and they span several centuries rather than one night. The first goes back to witch hunts in Ireland; the second, a wickedly cruel story set in the Old West; the third, a Halloween noir story set in Los Angeles in 1955; and the last, a more modern story of two kids who get caught up in the literal magic of Halloween.
The art styles vary from story to story, and there are some fairly well-known artists and authors who worked on this. The Irish story was probably the weakest for me; it felt weirdly anachronistic, particularly when the "witch" quotes the Wiccan rede when Wicca didn't really come about until much later. The ending also felt sort of meh.
The strongest of them was probably the Old West one, which has fairly simplistic art with clean lines and is heavily influenced by its art palette. The story was delightful, and caught some of the thrill of the wicked twists that made the film so imminently watchable.
The third was so-so. The art was wonderful in static, but the rough edges and dark shadows made it hard to tell exactly what was going on in several panes that relied more on action. I had a really hard time figuring out what happened toward the end. The story was pretty good, with a kind of dark humor that reminded me of a hardboiled detective novel, particularly with the reveal of the villain.
The final one wrapped it all up nicely and left it on an intriguing note.
Overall, it was a solid effort, but didn't quite hit the spot of recreating the magic of the film. The different art styles worked sometimes, but in the instance of the 1955 story, also could make it confusing to follow the story. The main problem was that, with the exception of the Old West story, there just weren't a whole lot of wicked, delightful twists that kept you guessing, and none of them were particularly gruesome or horrifying (again, with the exception of the Old West one).
Like the film, Trick 'r Treat: Days of the Dead tells several different stories, though they're not connected like they are in the film, and they span several centuries rather than one night. The first goes back to witch hunts in Ireland; the second, a wickedly cruel story set in the Old West; the third, a Halloween noir story set in Los Angeles in 1955; and the last, a more modern story of two kids who get caught up in the literal magic of Halloween.
The art styles vary from story to story, and there are some fairly well-known artists and authors who worked on this. The Irish story was probably the weakest for me; it felt weirdly anachronistic, particularly when the "witch" quotes the Wiccan rede when Wicca didn't really come about until much later. The ending also felt sort of meh.
The strongest of them was probably the Old West one, which has fairly simplistic art with clean lines and is heavily influenced by its art palette. The story was delightful, and caught some of the thrill of the wicked twists that made the film so imminently watchable.
The third was so-so. The art was wonderful in static, but the rough edges and dark shadows made it hard to tell exactly what was going on in several panes that relied more on action. I had a really hard time figuring out what happened toward the end. The story was pretty good, with a kind of dark humor that reminded me of a hardboiled detective novel, particularly with the reveal of the villain.
The final one wrapped it all up nicely and left it on an intriguing note.
Overall, it was a solid effort, but didn't quite hit the spot of recreating the magic of the film. The different art styles worked sometimes, but in the instance of the 1955 story, also could make it confusing to follow the story. The main problem was that, with the exception of the Old West story, there just weren't a whole lot of wicked, delightful twists that kept you guessing, and none of them were particularly gruesome or horrifying (again, with the exception of the Old West one).
October 26, 2018
Trick r Treat: Days of the Dead wasn’t bad, but it’s source material could also have been handled a lot better. It’s setup was similar to the movie it’s based on, although this anthology of stories wasn’t connected and they span throughout several periods of time. Due to it being an anthology and each story being written by a different writer (I’m assuming,) I’ll review the stories individually.
Seed: 3 stars
This one was fairly enjoyable. Any artwork by Fiona Staples is always welcome and the story was pretty good. It kind of danced back and fourth on being predictable, but it was entertaining.
Corn Maiden: 3 stars
This one was a pretty simple story and probably the most predictable. It was still a pretty fun read though and it probably felt the most like a true “Trick r Treat” story out of the bunch.
Echoes: 0 stars
Yikes. This one was a mess. The art style was hard to interpret half the time and the other half didn’t matter because the story was just as hard to piece together. I think the author had a little too much faith in the reader’s ability to keep up with what was going on. And the twist ending just for the sake of a twist ending was just... meh. It also felt more like something out of Sin City than this book.
Monster Mash: 4 stars
This one was probably my favorite out of the bunch, which is weird because it didn’t really feel like a “Trick r’ Treat” story at all. Sure, the movie definitely had monsters, but it wasn’t as in your face as this story was. This felt more in line with the recent Goosebumps movies. But it was still definitely fun, which is what the original film is all about.
Overall, I would say that it’s an entertaining read. Although it’s certainly not groundbreaking and you might only read it once instead of the yearly Halloween viewing of the original film (like I do,) it’s still worth the read.
Seed: 3 stars
This one was fairly enjoyable. Any artwork by Fiona Staples is always welcome and the story was pretty good. It kind of danced back and fourth on being predictable, but it was entertaining.
Corn Maiden: 3 stars
This one was a pretty simple story and probably the most predictable. It was still a pretty fun read though and it probably felt the most like a true “Trick r Treat” story out of the bunch.
Echoes: 0 stars
Yikes. This one was a mess. The art style was hard to interpret half the time and the other half didn’t matter because the story was just as hard to piece together. I think the author had a little too much faith in the reader’s ability to keep up with what was going on. And the twist ending just for the sake of a twist ending was just... meh. It also felt more like something out of Sin City than this book.
Monster Mash: 4 stars
This one was probably my favorite out of the bunch, which is weird because it didn’t really feel like a “Trick r’ Treat” story at all. Sure, the movie definitely had monsters, but it wasn’t as in your face as this story was. This felt more in line with the recent Goosebumps movies. But it was still definitely fun, which is what the original film is all about.
Overall, I would say that it’s an entertaining read. Although it’s certainly not groundbreaking and you might only read it once instead of the yearly Halloween viewing of the original film (like I do,) it’s still worth the read.
October 31, 2020
I'll be the first to tell you that I don't watch horror movies but I love horror comics! I don't usually write long reviews but I am reviewing this. I am a huge fan of Fiona Staples (Saga) so I figured I'd at least enjoy the art. Ok, this graphic novel has 4 parts and each part is a different section of a collective universe.
Spoilers:
Part one is a typical horror story. It takes place in a suburban neighborhood where kids and families are actively trick or treating. However, each family has a unnatural incident and the neighbors or unaware they each of them will experience a horror-filled night. The first story was sort of predictable but filled with gore. The second story involved a sadistic teacher who is also a father who gets his kicks off poisoning kids with candy. His kid is getting on his nerves as he digs graves in his backyard. His neighbor shouts out to him. Remember this neighbor.
Part two was my favorite. In typical horror tropes, women are assaulted. However a group of girls decide to attend a Halloween costume party and while most of the girls are dressed either sexy or scary, these friends are dressed as vanilla Disney princesses. They lure men into the forest and eat them alive because they are on their periods 😆😆😆.
Part three is the neighbor who was asking sadistic dad what hr was doing. Creepy kids target him and he's having the worse night ever.
Part four was surprising. Instead of continuing in the present neighborhood it takes you on a blast to the past. Think Salem witch lore and noir horror storylines.
I never saw the movie Trick R Treat so I can't say that this graphic novel did it justice. However, the graphic novel does motivate me to watch the movie.
read more of my review here: https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2020/1...
Spoilers:
Part one is a typical horror story. It takes place in a suburban neighborhood where kids and families are actively trick or treating. However, each family has a unnatural incident and the neighbors or unaware they each of them will experience a horror-filled night. The first story was sort of predictable but filled with gore. The second story involved a sadistic teacher who is also a father who gets his kicks off poisoning kids with candy. His kid is getting on his nerves as he digs graves in his backyard. His neighbor shouts out to him. Remember this neighbor.
Part two was my favorite. In typical horror tropes, women are assaulted. However a group of girls decide to attend a Halloween costume party and while most of the girls are dressed either sexy or scary, these friends are dressed as vanilla Disney princesses. They lure men into the forest and eat them alive because they are on their periods 😆😆😆.
Part three is the neighbor who was asking sadistic dad what hr was doing. Creepy kids target him and he's having the worse night ever.
Part four was surprising. Instead of continuing in the present neighborhood it takes you on a blast to the past. Think Salem witch lore and noir horror storylines.
I never saw the movie Trick R Treat so I can't say that this graphic novel did it justice. However, the graphic novel does motivate me to watch the movie.
read more of my review here: https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2020/1...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2017
Trick 'r Treat was an anthology horror film with a star-studded cast (including Anna Paquin) that never received proper theatrical release and was shelved indefinitely. Being released directly-to-DVD produced a justifiable cult following that amassed enough popular support for a series of graphic novels and circulating rumors of a sequel. The film had sequences inspired by horror comic books, so the shift in medium sacrifices nothing, though I did find Trick 'r Treat: Days of the Dead to be a bit more optimistic and less grisly than the original film. Once again employing a series of connected stories with a framing device, like the film, the graphic novel is a bit predictable: a pagan woman persecuted by Christians and the one humane priest who falls in love with her seek to escape to the New World in order to salvage the magical pumpkin seeds of Samhain are confronted by the violence of supposedly righteous men, the Corn Maiden involves the only daughter of a railroad magnate who shares Halloween traditions with the indigenous people who become her friends, but gruesome betrayal force her to seek vengeance, children of conservative Christians unleash a Hellish Halloween carnival of carnage and find that they are turning into their monstrous costumes. In this slender volume there is simply not enough time for plot complexity, and though the tales are a bit cliched the artwork is stunning and I always appreciate seeing a progressive politics in the horror genre.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2017
3.3⭐ It's not Halloween without Sam
This graphic paperback was a good bit of fun. It's not the sequel I want to see, but the first thing I said after watching Trick 'r Treat was that it would have been an amazing animated film. This was a touch of that. (PS- to the hardcore fans, I have seen Sam's animated short. It was just too short. Imagine a Trick 'r Treat anime, stop motion, or 2D animation in similar styles to Iron Giant or Treasure Planet). The best story by far was the final story, Monster Mash, and not just because it tied the narrator into the anthology. It was the most fun. The other stories sincerely had a sense of trying to be something that Trick 'r Treat isn't. The first two stories were bogged down with a lot of weak political angles that have already been done to death in horror, and in my opinion, you can repeat themes in story telling, but these angles were not at service to their stories in a meaningful way. The third story was just out of place to me. It wasn't a bad story, but it didn't feel like it belonged to Trick 'r Treat. The plot was noticeably rushed. Monster Mash was Trick 'r Treat through and through, it was fun, and it still managed to make its point without being pretentious. I hope we get a sequel one day. This year mark's Trick 'r Treat's ten year anniversary. It's high time Sam comes back to teach another Samhain lesson.
This graphic paperback was a good bit of fun. It's not the sequel I want to see, but the first thing I said after watching Trick 'r Treat was that it would have been an amazing animated film. This was a touch of that. (PS- to the hardcore fans, I have seen Sam's animated short. It was just too short. Imagine a Trick 'r Treat anime, stop motion, or 2D animation in similar styles to Iron Giant or Treasure Planet). The best story by far was the final story, Monster Mash, and not just because it tied the narrator into the anthology. It was the most fun. The other stories sincerely had a sense of trying to be something that Trick 'r Treat isn't. The first two stories were bogged down with a lot of weak political angles that have already been done to death in horror, and in my opinion, you can repeat themes in story telling, but these angles were not at service to their stories in a meaningful way. The third story was just out of place to me. It wasn't a bad story, but it didn't feel like it belonged to Trick 'r Treat. The plot was noticeably rushed. Monster Mash was Trick 'r Treat through and through, it was fun, and it still managed to make its point without being pretentious. I hope we get a sequel one day. This year mark's Trick 'r Treat's ten year anniversary. It's high time Sam comes back to teach another Samhain lesson.
July 7, 2019
Trick 'R Treat is one of my favourite horror movies and I was excited to see what was in store when I read this book.
Unfortunately, the stories are really hit or miss; to be specific, half of them are well written while the other half aren't as good as I hoped. For the two lackluster ones, I'll get to those first;
The second story about a daughter of a crooked railroad developer befriending a tribe of native Americans is not the worst thing I've read, but it falls into a lot of neo-liberal tropes concerning their portrayals with some cultural appropriation towards the end.
The third story would've been a very good story if I could make out what was happening in the pages; the artist has a scratchy, hard to follow style that isn't really my cup of tea.
But for the positive, the first story and the final story are well written and well drawn , the final story probably being the best of the bunch and reminding me of Ray Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes".
Unfortunately, the stories are really hit or miss; to be specific, half of them are well written while the other half aren't as good as I hoped. For the two lackluster ones, I'll get to those first;
The second story about a daughter of a crooked railroad developer befriending a tribe of native Americans is not the worst thing I've read, but it falls into a lot of neo-liberal tropes concerning their portrayals with some cultural appropriation towards the end.
The third story would've been a very good story if I could make out what was happening in the pages; the artist has a scratchy, hard to follow style that isn't really my cup of tea.
But for the positive, the first story and the final story are well written and well drawn , the final story probably being the best of the bunch and reminding me of Ray Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes".
September 27, 2024
"Again, a proper sequel is very much on the agenda after Krampus finally arrives this Christmas, but hopefully Sam and his menagerie of monsters can keep you company on printed page until that day comes. And hopefully it won't be another seven years...."
IT'S BEEN MORE THAN SEVEN YEARS, BESTIE. I'M BEGGING ON MY KNEES TRICK R TREAT 2 WHENNNN? I just need to remember that one day one of the most anticipated sequels of my lifetime WILL happen and I WILL be thriving.
also I'm obsessed with every story in this and if the movie that eventually comes sticks to this comic I won't be disappointed at all
IT'S BEEN MORE THAN SEVEN YEARS, BESTIE. I'M BEGGING ON MY KNEES TRICK R TREAT 2 WHENNNN? I just need to remember that one day one of the most anticipated sequels of my lifetime WILL happen and I WILL be thriving.
also I'm obsessed with every story in this and if the movie that eventually comes sticks to this comic I won't be disappointed at all
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