Trick ‘R Treat Dropped By Warner Bros., Currently in Distribution Limbo

Posted on Monday, April 7th, 2008 by Hunter Stephenson

trt.jpg

Boo! in a duel sense. Bloody Disgusting reported over the weekend that Legendary Pictures has screened their nicely buzzed Halloween-themed anthology flick, Trick ‘R Treat, in hopes of picking up a new distributor. According to STYD, Warner Bros. (Where the Wild Things Are, ahem) has categorically removed the film from its 2008 schedule for theatrical and home entertainment releases after pushing the film off its original October ‘07 release date. What gives?

Not only is the film a much needed shot of original horror in a time of glossy mall-kid remakes (Prom Night, April Fool’s Day) and sequels (Saw, TCM), but it boasts respected, recognizable faces (Anna Paquin, Dylan Baker, Brian Cox) and tested through the roof with fanboys. AICN has loudly championed writer/director Michael Dougherty’s film for practically ages now. Moreover, mainstream awareness was boosted by the inclusion of a Trick ‘R Treat trailer attached to DVDs of 300. There is speculation on the Nets that an Idiocracy-like situation has gone down, but there’s no evidence as of yet.

The latest release date was set for October ‘08, which was a no-brainer. “If It’s Halloween, It Must Be Saw” is the old dude in the club. Warner Bros. had a great opportunity to build a franchise and new moviegoer tradition with this real estate, and a new Creepshow would be next levs. Let’s hope Legendary finds a proper replacement. More on this as it develops…

Discuss: Are you aware of Trick ‘R Treat? If so, what have you heard? Why do you think Warner Bros. put the kibosh on it?

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  • the_tin_man
    What exactly does this article have to do with "Where the Wild Thigs Are"?
  • Herty!
    I am dissapointed in warner bros. I had a very lucky chance to see this movie back in '07 and it is a refreshing horror. Not like halloween remakes or friday the 13th, it is like a modern day creepshow but more darker in tone. It definately should be released but hopefully they wont make numerous sequels out of it as it is a very good film and would hate to see it go bad.
  • Ben
    Yeah, I've definitely heard of it and I saw that trailer in front of the 300 DVD that you mentioned. It actually looks pretty decent from what I remember, so here's hoping that Legendary (what a sweet company) gets their stuff together and finds a distributor in time for a 2008 release.
  • Thomas
    I have been looking forward to this film for over a year. I was so disappointed when it failed to come out last October and am even more disappointed to hear this. Honestly, how hard could it be to market a horror movie titled, "Trick 'r Treat" around in October?
  • Moviola
    I wonder who exactly has a problem with this film. I wanted to see it last year, I still have a copy of the trailer on my hard drive. It looks awesome. Considering it's a Halloween movie, I guess they can only release it once a year. That's a nightmare. Imagine directing a film and it being rejected, then having to wait an entire year before it can be released.

    I find the remakes and sequels of horror films pretty offensive, I don't know what is offensive about this? They should release it, I think it will make money.
  • AntiHero
    There was also toys for this at Toyfair. I doubt it will be lost in Limbo. I'm thinking Anchor Bay or someone will pick it up or in a unprecedented purchase, Asylum buys it then releases it theatrically. Imagine the headlines!! ^_^
  • Eddie
    For the record, Idiocracy needed to be dropped. This, however, sounded like a great flick. I hope it comes to the theater sooner rather than later.
  • thats
    That's unfortunate since the early reviews for this were really good.
  • Davezilla
    what are you talking about, Eddie?
  • Larry Leonardo
    Trick or FAIL
  • Davezilla
    Honestly, I'm getting dissapointed in WB. I'm sure they'll drop 'Where the Wild Things Are' too. Infact, It's better if they didn't touch it and let another studio release then!
  • I was so looking forward to seeing this as well, this sucks.

    PLEASE SOMEONE DISTRIBUTE THIS FILM!
  • Eddie
    @ Davezilla

    I'm talking about the post...
    "There is speculation on the Nets that an Idiocracy-like situation has gone down..."
  • Eddie
    Oh, and has anyone seen the NECA Trick or Treat action figure? Wonder what will happen to that licensing agreement if the film gets whacked.
  • M&Co
    "The latest release date was set for October ‘08, which was a no-brainer. “If It’s Halloween, It Must Be Saw” is the old dude in the club. Warner Bros. had a great opportunity to build a franchise and new moviegoer tradition with this real estate, and a new Creepshow would be next levs. Let’s hope Legendary finds a proper replacement. More on this as it develops…"

    WHAT? Am I crazy or is that paragraph nonsense?
  • I, for one, would like to hear more about the early non-AICN reviews. Maybe AICN is the go-to website for horror reviews, but I'd take anything they say (about any movie, actually) with a bucketful of salt.

    That said, this did look like it had promise, but given its premise and limited release window, I can see why a studio would hesitate in releasing it in October against Saw. Look at Halloween last year: released in August (seriously). Hopefully, the Saw franchise will wear out its welcome in the next year or two (or three) and we can get back to a steady stream of horror flicks in late September through October.
  • steve
    I see imdb says the movie will be released in 2009, Ive waited tooooooooo long to see this movie, bet ur life we gotta wait till 2010.
  • Eric
    This is definetly a huge dissapoitment, I'm a horror fan, and will watch any horror flick you throw in my face, only problem is, they all suck, originals are the best, not this whole new teeny bop scary movie, wheres the good stuff like Nosferatu, best remake so far, was Rob Zombies Halloween, anyway, this movie looks amazing,especially for being a horror fanatic, and for being 18 and still trying to find a way to celebrate Halloween, it better come soon, it'll hit big, it won't flop like everything else, horror movies have become nothing more then something for a 12 yr. old to take his girlfriend to go see after they get out of school so she'll hug his arm, and then his mom will bake them cookies after, this movie looks like it could bring us fanatics back
  • Larry D.
    I know why the movie hasn't come out it was pro Hezbala.
  • Larry D.
    We are making a ton off the Saw franchise and don't want to cut into the sales of a our Saw franchise which is releasing number 5 this coming fall. The less we offer the public the less they will demand. Who would have ever believed there was an intelligent shark chasing three men on a boat if we had released Pirates of the Caribbean featuring the hammerhead pirate first. The audience would have never taken the "Jaws" concept serious. We are molding the goyim to be be sensitive to our income and foreign policy needs. Grooming them takes decades. We are some 2,000 plus years ahead of you on the calendar. Everything has it time and its place.
  • TyFFiE
    It doesn't surprise me for a lot of people fail to realize that even Rob Zombie's "House of 1000 Corpses" was also dropped back in the day... Meanwhile, "HO1KC" was originally featured as a preview around the time "The Blair Witch Project" was spun in theatres (from the indie college flick it was)- ONLY to be shown in theatres like a year (or two or three) later- go effin' figure.
  • ZChicago
    This really sucks. Really wanted to see this movie.

    I heard it just got picked up to play as the opener at Screamfest. But apparently that only happens at one theater in the entire country. So when do the rest of us get to see this one?

    I'm pretty tired of the same fucking plot that they're giving us with Saw. Two of those movies were enough for me.
  • ZChicago
    Larry D,

    If they had timelines like that then why would they film movies like this so far in advance? Wouldn't it be better to wait so you could get actors and actresses who are currently hot at the time?

    Also I'm pretty sure if Jaws was made at the same time as Pirates, the graphics would have been way better and Jaws still would have been just as good.

    You're full of it, quit talking like you're the head of a major studio.
  • Ashley
    I agree this movie looks really sweet. I actually just saw the trailer and went to find information on it and am pretty dissapointed that it wont be seen for a while. Who cares if they can't release it in october! Just release considering people want to see it and there is a buzz about it!
  • this is a classic example of people with more money than they know what to do with (all involved) if i made this movie and owned the rights id wanna get my payday for my hardwork and a return on my investment after paying all the actors and for filming etc. you would think warner brothers or whomever is responsible would want to get it out there, obviously it would do very well and make a killing,they must have too much cash and clearly do not care about making the fans happy which is who made them all this money in the first place, do the right thing release it guys, in some type of format.
  • Sara
    Eric, sometimes for the production company involved with the film, just wanting to "get it out there" isn't enough; there are politics involved in dealing with studios and getting distribution. Of course the company wants a return on its investment, it's a business. The movie got greenlit for a reason. And they "clearly do not care about making the fans happy?" Things get in the way. Studios are, after all, corporations. Don't blame the producers just because they're stuck in a bureaucratic limbo.
  • Movie Goer
    I am disappointed that this movie did not come out in the State of Colorado. I was looking forward to seeing this movie, I saw the trailer on the 300 movie CD and was anticipating when this movie would make it to the big screen and/or the CD. Now, we have to wait for a buyer to "re-distribute" this film .... how long do we have to wait til 2020? Good movies are a rare these days... The Executives at Warner Bros. lost out on some huge profits.....
  • Sarah
    I saw the trailor for this movie and think it looks like a movie worth viewing! I'm a big fan of horror films and when I saw the trailor I was siked! I was really looking forward to seeing this new movie and am very dissapointed that Warner Bros. did not release it. What gives?? I think it would be a mistake not to release it for our viewing pleasure!
  • Sarah
    Somebody please pick this movie up and release it!!!!!!
  • Gene
    I watched the trailer for this movie looks great!!!! Still have no idea if it ever made it in 2008. I really hope someone picks this movie up and gets it out to us. So we all can enjoy this film.
  • abel
    I was wondering why the hell this movie wasn't out yet !!!
  • ~~Leilani~
    ~I keep checking the net for info on this movie and am disappointed to see that it's STILL not out for us to enjoy. I think it looks really unique and set apart from the typical "scary" movies out there currently. I want to for once see a true scary movie and I have to say the trailors for Trick R; Treat look awesome. They give me the chills and I cannot wait to actually go see this one~
  • So is this movie in distribution or not? And what's the reason for the delay? Looks great...tried to download it but had no luck. It looks hot and original...does anyone have any updates about this movie?
  • Cricket
    Whats going on. Been waiting since 2005. Did it not do so well in the theaters?
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