January 8, 2016

Ever since it was announced as part of a special TRICK ‘R TREAT Beyondfest screening back on October 28th of 2013, horror fans have been eagerly and patiently been awaiting TRICK ‘R TREAT 2. But very little progress has happened on the sequel to the surprise anthology cult favorite that won our hearts by perfectly encapsulating the spirit & mischief of the Halloween season – Until now!

With KRAMPUS out in the world and officially a success, it looks like TRICK ‘R TREAT 2 could very well be next for director Michael Dougherty. The filmmaker was a guest on this week’s episode of Killer POV, a weekly horror podcast co-hosted by yours truly, along with Elric Kane from Inside Horror and Blumhouse.com editor-in-chief Rebekah McKendry, and when asked about the status of the sequel, Dougherty laughed and replied, “I guess I’m out of excuses! I better get on that!”

He continued, “I keep saying that (Sam) is my Frankenstein creature and he’s always haunting me. He wants more life and keeps coming back and soon will want a bride! But now that KRAMPUS is out of the way, the paths are clearing.”

When pressed for details on potential sub-genres he’d like to have in the sequel (in the way that the first had everything from ghosts to werewolves to vampires and beyond), he narrowed it down more to the idea of exploring specific areas, “I’m really fascinated with the way that Halloween is celebrated in different geographic locations. And time periods, which is why in the comic book we explored things that we’d never be able to afford in the Trick R Treat films! So going back to ancient Ireland or the Old West, and telling those stories.” He’s referring to the TRICK ‘R TREAT: DAYS OF THE DEAD graphic novel that was released by Legendary Comics last September. But again, because of how expensive it would be to fully realize Halloween in other countries and time periods, he emphasizes the movie sequel would primarily stay local.

“You always want to retain a certain suburban quality to it because that’s just synonymous with the holiday and trick or treating,” Dougherty explained. “I remember moving from Ohio where Halloween is very traditional and you go trick or treating from house to house with your siblings and your parents, to New York where it’s the New York Halloween parade. Where it’s really decadent and you have all these giant puppets. And then I remember spending a Halloween in the Pine Barrens, hearing camp fire stories about the Jersey Devil. And then hearing about how they do it in New Orleans. It really fascinated me the way that every city has their own recipe for what Halloween is supposed to be, so I’m hoping that the next movie will draw upon that.”

We’ll keep you posted on the progress of TRICK ‘R TREAT 2 as we hear it! In the meantime, be sure to listen to the entire episode of Killer POV with Michael Dougherty where they discuss KRAMPUS, TRICK ‘R TREAT, as well as real life myths, urban legends and paranormal stories. You can find it on iTunes or directly on Geeknation!