Michael Dougherty Offers Status Report On That Trick ‘R Treat Sequel

It’s coming up to a decade since director Michael Dougherty unleashed horror title Trick ‘r Treat upon the moviegoing masses, a low-key feature that went on to spawn a cult following. In the intervening years, the writer-director switched his lens from one season to another by offering up the gleefully twisted Krampus. But there’s always been that lingering proposition of a direct sequel to Trick ‘r Treat, and Dougherty has now turned in a status report to /Film.

Discussing plans for a potential follow-up alongside AtmosFX’s Pete Reichert, Dougherty conceded that Trick ‘r Treat 2 isn’t quite as far along as some fans would have hoped. But don’t fret, the filmmaker is evidently itching to get back to his beloved universe, a return that could eventually lead to the creation of a bona fide horror trilogy.

Per /Film:

I’m going to speak carefully about that [Laughs], because the moment I utter a word about the sequel, everybody starts salivating. 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. Like, I miss Sam. When we were shooting these vignettes, I was getting a little bit emotional because I would love nothing more than to hang out with Sam again for a year or two, bringing him back to the big screen.

Staying true to the anthology format, Dougherty goes on to discuss how each new installment could tackle “a different aspect of Halloween,” possibly expanding the scope of this budding horror franchise to new locations beyond the fictional Warren Valley. It’s an extension that could spell the inclusion of new monsters, too, after the filmmaker already explored werewolves, vampires, and zombies in the 2007 original.

Here’s the latest on the potential future of Trick ‘r Treat:

“I think it’d be great to make it a trilogy, at least. So fingers crossed. For me, I think every film should explore a different aspect of Halloween. Halloween is an amazing holiday because it evolves depending on where you live and the time period.”