Update: Dougherty has posted the following message on his blog : “Two announcements are coming. One in June, the other at Comic-Con in July. Fun stuff that makes me smile…and finally relax. Thanks for all of your messages and support.”

Screenwriter Michael Dougherty’s (X2, Superman Returns) feature directorial debut Trick R Treat has been sitting on the shelf for almost two years. The film earned great reviews and buzz from a handful of screenings, but Warner Bros has been reluctant to release the film in theaters.

A new trailer has surfaced on About.com (found via Shock ), which ends with the words “Coming to Blu-ray & DVD This October”. It is unclear if the film will be released theatrically before then, but it is very likely that Warner Bros is sending the film direct-to-home video. It’s a shame because I know a lot of people who were interested in seeing this film on the big screen. Anna Paquinhas gained a larger fan following thanks to the HBO show True Blood, and it seems like this film would be an easy sell to the audience.

Plot Synopsis: It is said that Halloween is the night when the dead rise to walk among us and other unspeakable things roam free. The rituals of All Hallows Eve were devised to protect us from their evil mischief, and one small town is about to be taught a terrifying lesson that some traditions are best not forgotten. Nothing is what it seems when a suburban couple learns the dangers of blowing out a Jack-o-Lantern before midnight; four women cross paths with a costumed stalker at a local festival; a group of pranksters goes too far and discovers the horrifying truth buried in a local legend; and a cantankerous old hermit is visited by a strange trick-or-treater with a few bones to pick. Costumes and candy, ghouls and goblins, monsters and mayhem…the tricks and treats of Halloween turn deadly as strange creatures of every variety—human and otherwise—try to survive the scariest night of the year.

The movie stars Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Dylan Baker, and Leslie Bibb.