Is Trick 'R Treat 2 Finally Happening? The Latest On Sam's Long-Awaited Return
It's not easy to produce a Halloween movie classic, but that's precisely what director Michael Dougherty did with "Trick 'r Treat." Released in 2009 (even though it was finished in 2007), the film was produced by Legendary Pictures and sort of dumped on home video by Warner Bros. Despite that, the horrific tales anchored by the pumpkin-headed boy Sam managed to find an audience and the film is now a bonafide spooky season staple for many.
In the years since the movie's original release, there has been much talk of a sequel. Even though it was first announced way back in 2013, nothing has materialized, save for lots of merchandise and some comic books. So, is the sequel still happening? Is Sam going to return for another round of Halloween tales? We're going to break everything down, including what Dougherty has said, what the status of the sequel is right now, and more. Let's get into it.
Why hasn't Trick 'r Treat 2 happened yet?
There are various reasons that "Trick 'r Treat 2" has stalled out in the years since the original arrived. Let us not forget that "Trick 'r Treat" sat on the shelf before Warner Bros. eventually just released it on DVD. From there, it became a cult hit, and that's when talk of a sequel truly got going. But it's not as though this was some huge theatrical hit. It's kind of been an underdog from the very beginning.
More than that, issues behind the scenes at the studio also got in the way. As director Michael Dougherty explained to ComicBookMovie.com in 2019, some of the delay had to do with regime changes at Legendary Pictures, which produced the original anthology film:
"It's been a few years since we initially talked about it and there's been a regime change since then. They still have the property and they love it and there's still a long line of merchandise and a continuing line of comic books based on the film but the ball is in their court. The moment they say they're interested and ready to go, we'll see if the stars align."
The other thing to consider is that Dougherty has been quite busy since 2013, when the sequel was first announced. He directed the Christmas horror hit "Krampus" and 2018's MonsterVerse entry "Godzilla: King of the Monsters," as well as wrote HBO's "Hellraiser" TV show that never materialized. So the stars have yet to align.
Everything Michael Dougherty has said about Trick 'r Treat 2
Director Michael Dougherty has spoken quite a bit about the potential sequel over the years. Most recently, during a screening of "Trick 'r Treat" at Beyond Fest in 2022 (per Bloody Disgusting), the filmmaker revealed that the follow-up is in "very active development." At the same time, he was also careful to note that they hadn't officially received the green light from the studio, meaning it's not a sure thing just yet.
Prior to that, Dougherty also addressed the possibility of a sequel back in 2016. At that point, he made it sound like the studio is very much on board, while also expressing a strong desire to revisit the franchise personally:
"It is very much my intention to make the sequel. Legendary is very committed to making the movie. Creatively, it's in process. When it actually happens, I don't know. But, hopefully, stuff like this — the digital decorations, the comic books, the merchandise, and what have you — will tide people over and I can finally get around to making it. Nothing would make me happier than returning to that universe."
At a post-screening Q&A in the fall of 2023, Dougherty confirmed that work had reaffirmed the project's status in the wake of the WGA strikes that had halted production across the industry over the summer (via Collider). "They've been really wonderful, like, great collaborators," he said of Legendary Pictures. "But so much of it is timing, and as you know, we just got out of a strike, so the next step, fingers crossed, would be looking at budget, of course, schedule, and all the rest."
The filmmaker added that there was a "really, really great script for a sequel" that he had written with his "Krampus" co-writers Zach Shields and Tom Casey, as well as a "fat stack of concept art" by Breehn Burns.
What could happen in Trick 'r Treat 2?
Up to this point, Dougherty has not shared any potential plot details for "Trick 'r Treat 2." But the original movie was an anthology that featured several different stories all taking place on Halloween that loosely tied together. That opens up the playbook quite a bit for a sequel, as an anthology format allows for a wide variety of stories to be told. Speaking in 2009 about the sequel before it was official, Dougherty explained his original intention was to explore Halloween through different lenses with the sequels:
"Because it's an anthology film, it lends itself to telling another four stories which would intertwine — but I think you could take the film and explore how Halloween was celebrated in different locations, different time periods, and the one consistent character would be Sam, the mascot."
Sam would be the consistent thread tying all of these different anthologies together, whatever the stories may be. Speaking in 2013 after the sequel was initially announced, Dougherty said that the idea was to make these movies fairly regularly, and that he at least wanted to make a trilogy:
"The idea was, 'Well we could probably do a 'Trick 'r Treat' movie every year or every other year, and that it would sort of just be a new batch of stories and characters. And the common link between all of them would be Sam.' Initially, that was the plan, and then things changed as the first film had a very delayed, strange journey. I put those dreams on hold for a little while, so it feels good to go back to that initial plan. ... I think it'd be great to make it a trilogy, at least. So fingers crossed."
Who will the stars of Trick 'r Treat 2 be?
It sounds very much like Dougherty would be quite happy to keep the franchise going if the first sequel could ever truly get off the ground in a meaningful way. Even if he doesn't direct every entry in the series, it's the sort of thing that could be passed along to other directors, sort of like the "V/H/S" franchise. But let's not get too ahead of ourselves, as "Trick 'r Treat 2" isn't even a thing yet.
One of the bigger questions is who might star in a potential sequel. Would any of the original actors return? Or would it be with an entirely new cast? Speaking to Nerdist in 2022, Dougherty addressed that topic, saying that original actors would likely not return, but they also wouldn't go with the "American Horror Story" approach, so to speak:
"No, because I feel like that's very much 'American Horror Story's' approach and style. I'd rather stay consistent. If I'm bringing cast members back, it would be in the same roles, not that that's currently a plan within the piece. To me, it would throw me off. I do like it in 'American Horror Story.' I think it works for them, but it'd also feel like we're just ripping them off if we did that."
"Trick 'r Treat 2" does not currently have a release date.