Early last month, I posted a photo from director Michael Dougherty’s twitter feed. The picture showed Sam, the now iconic personality from the 2007 anthology horror film Trick ‘r Treat, being photographed and filmed for some unknown reason. While I posted it under the impression (with good reason) that it was for a sequel, I was quickly corrected when I spoke with Dougherty. So no, there wasn’t a sequel being filmed at the time, although who knows if anything has changed since then?

However, today I can finally tell you what was happening in that photo. But in order to have everything make sense, I’m going to have to go back a little bit and do some ‘splaining.

Let me start by introducing you to AtmosFX, a company that focuses on creating digital decorations. The company explains that these products are, “…animated displays that enable anyone to easily project dynamic moving images onto walls, windows, props and more.” They’ve been around for several years and have created nearly 20 original titles.

The reason I bring them up is because AtmosFX got an official licensing partnership with Legendary Pictures and Dougherty and filmed brand new sequences that include Sam, giving horror fans around the world the opportunity to showcase their love of the film with a brand new digital decoration pack! The awesome thing about this product is that it features, “…all-new vignettes featuring Sam who, just as he does in the film, seeks vengeance on those who do not adhere to the traditions of Halloween.”

I got the opportunity to speak with Dougherty as well as AtmosFX co-founders Pete Reichert and Pete Williams about this collaboration and, as it turns out, it was something a few decades in the making! You see, Reichert, Williams, and Dougherty actually all worked together at MTV Animation back in the 90’s. It was Dougherty’s love of Halloween that actually reconnected him with his old colleagues and started the process of bringing Sam back for another series of gruesome “lessons”.

Dougherty told me:

I started decorating my house for Halloween years ago and I’ve always been upping the ante. I’ve had cemeteries, fogs, lights, music, and something that I’ve always wanted was holographic ghosts, just like Disney’s “Haunted Mansion”. That was always a challenge until technology became better and you could buy projectors and I started making my own holographic ghosts for fun. But when I Google searched and found that there was a company that made professional quality ones, I bought it immediately.

After doing some digging, he soon realized that the company, AtmosFX, was owned by his old friends. He immediately reached out and reestablished a connection whereupon, soon afterwards, talks began on how they could work together. Thus, the idea of AtmosFX doing a digital decoration for Trick ‘r Treat was born. “The idea of letting Sam come into people’s homes and haunt their yards, windows, and doorways was a dream come true,” Dougherty excitedly explained. “That’s what I love about these decorations. They’re almost micro-movies that are really character driven, these little vignettes. What I love about them is that they feel like they could be taken out of the film,” Dougherty continues.

For the Petes, the resurrection of Sam was a huge moment. “Mike and Legendary were kind enough to donate the costume from the movie for us to use in this digital decoration. When we saw our little actor all dressed up and come out of wardrobe, it was like, “We’re seeing Sam in the flesh and he’s on our soundstage!” It was incredible!” Even Dougherty found himself thrilled at that time, telling me, “It was a real moment because I haven’t seen him “alive” in a long time. The kid who played him really got into it, into the spirit.”

I ended the interview by asking William about last year’s Krampus, another Dougherty creation, and the possibility of seeing AtmosFX bring that character to life for their AtmosCheerFX line. He stated, “We’d certainly love to explore Krampus invading someone’s home the same as Sam, so it all depends on certain agreements from here on out.”

Coming back to the photo that started everything, Michael sheepishly admitted that he broke embargo by posting it while both Pete’s laughed and stated that if anyone had the right to do so, it was him.

Below is a behind-the-scenes video documenting the filming experience and showcasing a rough cut of what we’ll see when the end product is released, which will be at the end of September.

The vignettes included will feature:

Responding to the neighborhood bully who attempts to trick-or-treat without an adequate costume

Exacting revenge at a residence where healthy snacks are given away for Halloween

Turning the tables on an old curmudgeon who steals candy from neighborhood kids

Re-decorating the home of a homeowner who removes his Halloween decorations before the night is complete

Conducting a mesmerizing symphony of fire from a cauldron of unwanted sweets.