Trick 'r Treat
Douglas Pipes
" Treat it most definitely is "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Every year there's the tradition of Halloween. Nothing more sacred then to go out, ranging doorbells, opening your pockets and shouting trick or treat, so that candy may be given to you. But what if this year, it wasn't the safest time to go out for trick or treating? What if several people may find that this year, it may not be so safe as they would want it to be?
That was the main general idea behind Trick 'r Treat, a movie written and directed by Michael Doughtery and starring Dylan Baker, Anna Paquin and Brian Cox. The music luckily was kept to someone who already had some experience in the horror genre, namely Douglas Pipes. While Monster House was the only score we ever heard from him, it nonetheless left a firm impression upon most people. So strong it made Trick 'r Treat so impatiently delicious.
For Douglas Pipes this might be already tested ground, it nonetheless sounds remarkably inspired by all those lovely horror efforts of the past. And luckily for us, this candy's fully orchestral. It opens and closes scary enough with the main sound of the entire story, namely shrieking violins, delightful brassy stings and Elfmanish vocals, all making you uneasy at the very sound of it. "Main Titles" and the expanded "End Credits" are then of course strong openers and closers.
The score is eerie and moody enough to make you uneasy, and devilish and brassy enough to make you afraid. Opening tones like Sam's theme in "It's Halloween, Not Hanukkah" suddenly (yet briefly) rise through lovely strong orchestral music. There's some Poltergeist in the begin of "Father and Son", but it's the eerie, creepy music that's leading to a brief climax in the end that makes it delightfully unraveling in the film.
The lovely almost childlike theme in "Meet Rhonda" and the lovely rise of choir over the strings in "To the Quarry" almost inject Trick 'r Treat with a most welcome colorful emotion, but that is soon put to the test once we face "The Halloween Schoolbus Massacre", leaving Pipes' music over the edge with some excellent potent dramatic music (including most welcome drums).
The continuation of this massacre story continues in the excellent "Halloween Prank" where Pipes shows us where he left his Monster House music, meaning with vocal breathing effects, stings and brass that begin to form loud and impressive horror music. This is reprised in "Not a Trick / Red and Black", ending sadly too soft to become one happy ending.
In "Laurie's First Time" the Elfman vocals return, but these whisper away soon once we see why it is dangerous to go out in the dead of night, especially once it is enhanced by Steven's theme and effective electric guitar shrills. The main story however of the entire Trick 'r Treat movie is the one of Mr. Kreeg, and this becomes apparent once we see how it connects the entire story together. And so it is only fitting his episode receives the scariest and above all longest track of the entire album. "Pumpkin Shooter / Meet Sam" is a combination of eerie, mystery, suspense, brass and revelation. Especially the moment when Sam's theme gets an orchestral crescendo, you're mighty impressed in the end.
The short cues that link themselves with the "End Credits" suite are nice enough (especially "The Neighborhood" cue), explaining everything of the entire story in general.
Trick 'r Treat was delayed for a long time, as movie and as album as well. Why I don't know, but for some reason it was meant to scare you at one evening of Halloween. This album will most definitely do the trick for you, especially if you know what it represents. It has enough returning motifs and various themes to please you for a Halloween spin, but I found it to be more pleasing once I knew what it all had to represent. Like Monster House, Trick 'r Treat is a strong album from Douglas Pipes, leaving behind the impression that horror might be his niche after all.
Tracklisting
1. Main Titles (2.20)
2. Meet Charlie (0.45)
3. It's Halloween, Not Hanukkah (3.12)
4. Charlie Bites It (1.42)
5. Father and Son (6.18)
6. Meet Rhonda (1.33)
7. To the Quarry (1.42)
8. The Halloween Schoolbus Massacre (4.55) Excellent track
9. The Elevator / Laurie on the Prowl (2.02)
10. Halloween Prank (4.25) Excellent track
11. Not a Trick / Red and Black (3.51) Excellent track
12. Laurie's First Time (2.48)
13. Old Mr. Kreeg (1.52)
14. Pumpkin Shooter / Meet Sam (12.03) Excellent track
15. The Bus Driver (0.39)
16. The Neighborhood (1.51)
17. Trick 'r Treat (0.30)
18. End Credits (6.41) Excellent track
Total Length: 59.18
That was the main general idea behind Trick 'r Treat, a movie written and directed by Michael Doughtery and starring Dylan Baker, Anna Paquin and Brian Cox. The music luckily was kept to someone who already had some experience in the horror genre, namely Douglas Pipes. While Monster House was the only score we ever heard from him, it nonetheless left a firm impression upon most people. So strong it made Trick 'r Treat so impatiently delicious.
For Douglas Pipes this might be already tested ground, it nonetheless sounds remarkably inspired by all those lovely horror efforts of the past. And luckily for us, this candy's fully orchestral. It opens and closes scary enough with the main sound of the entire story, namely shrieking violins, delightful brassy stings and Elfmanish vocals, all making you uneasy at the very sound of it. "Main Titles" and the expanded "End Credits" are then of course strong openers and closers.
The score is eerie and moody enough to make you uneasy, and devilish and brassy enough to make you afraid. Opening tones like Sam's theme in "It's Halloween, Not Hanukkah" suddenly (yet briefly) rise through lovely strong orchestral music. There's some Poltergeist in the begin of "Father and Son", but it's the eerie, creepy music that's leading to a brief climax in the end that makes it delightfully unraveling in the film.
The lovely almost childlike theme in "Meet Rhonda" and the lovely rise of choir over the strings in "To the Quarry" almost inject Trick 'r Treat with a most welcome colorful emotion, but that is soon put to the test once we face "The Halloween Schoolbus Massacre", leaving Pipes' music over the edge with some excellent potent dramatic music (including most welcome drums).
The continuation of this massacre story continues in the excellent "Halloween Prank" where Pipes shows us where he left his Monster House music, meaning with vocal breathing effects, stings and brass that begin to form loud and impressive horror music. This is reprised in "Not a Trick / Red and Black", ending sadly too soft to become one happy ending.
In "Laurie's First Time" the Elfman vocals return, but these whisper away soon once we see why it is dangerous to go out in the dead of night, especially once it is enhanced by Steven's theme and effective electric guitar shrills. The main story however of the entire Trick 'r Treat movie is the one of Mr. Kreeg, and this becomes apparent once we see how it connects the entire story together. And so it is only fitting his episode receives the scariest and above all longest track of the entire album. "Pumpkin Shooter / Meet Sam" is a combination of eerie, mystery, suspense, brass and revelation. Especially the moment when Sam's theme gets an orchestral crescendo, you're mighty impressed in the end.
The short cues that link themselves with the "End Credits" suite are nice enough (especially "The Neighborhood" cue), explaining everything of the entire story in general.
Trick 'r Treat was delayed for a long time, as movie and as album as well. Why I don't know, but for some reason it was meant to scare you at one evening of Halloween. This album will most definitely do the trick for you, especially if you know what it represents. It has enough returning motifs and various themes to please you for a Halloween spin, but I found it to be more pleasing once I knew what it all had to represent. Like Monster House, Trick 'r Treat is a strong album from Douglas Pipes, leaving behind the impression that horror might be his niche after all.
Tracklisting
1. Main Titles (2.20)
2. Meet Charlie (0.45)
3. It's Halloween, Not Hanukkah (3.12)
4. Charlie Bites It (1.42)
5. Father and Son (6.18)
6. Meet Rhonda (1.33)
7. To the Quarry (1.42)
8. The Halloween Schoolbus Massacre (4.55) Excellent track
9. The Elevator / Laurie on the Prowl (2.02)
10. Halloween Prank (4.25) Excellent track
11. Not a Trick / Red and Black (3.51) Excellent track
12. Laurie's First Time (2.48)
13. Old Mr. Kreeg (1.52)
14. Pumpkin Shooter / Meet Sam (12.03) Excellent track
15. The Bus Driver (0.39)
16. The Neighborhood (1.51)
17. Trick 'r Treat (0.30)
18. End Credits (6.41) Excellent track
Total Length: 59.18