Movies
Remember When Sam Returned for a Series of Official ‘Trick ‘r Treat’ Shorts?
Believe it or not, it’s been over 10 years since we first met the lovable pumpkin boy known as Sam in Michael Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat, made in 2007 but not widely released on home video until October of 2009. In these past 10 years, Halloween masks, action figures and comic books have propelled Sam to iconic status within the horror genre; Dougherty’s plan all along was to create a Santa Claus-like figure for the Halloween season, and it’s safe to say that he has done just that.
Unfortunately, despite being initially announced back in 2009 and further teased at various points throughout the past 10 years, Dougherty has yet to make the sequel to Trick ‘r Treat that he’s long been itching to make. After directing the Halloween anthology film, Dougherty embraced the Christmas spirit with Krampus, and he later directed Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Dougherty is now currently attached to both Hellraiser and Nightbreed TV shows.
But Sam actually *did* come back for a series of official short films that were put together by the now-defunct FEARnet several years back. Beginning in 2011, FEARnet turned Trick ‘r Treat into the A Christmas Story of the Halloween season by airing a 24-hour marathon of the film every Halloween day between 2011 and 2013. And to promote that marathon each year, they released a handful of short films that brought Sam back in fun and unique ways.
One series of shorts laid out the rules of Halloween, while others saw Sam brought into other holidays like Father’s Day, Easter and Christmas. Most of the shorts were even directed by Michael Dougherty himself; “They’re almost like minute-long sequels to Trick ‘r Treat,“ he noted during a behind the scenes video for one of the shorts.
We may not yet have an official sequel, but these fun shorts continue to tide us over!
This article was originally published on September 22, 2017.
Movies
SCREAMBOX Investigates UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Several Documentaries Streaming Right Now!
As someone who is obsessed with UFOS (or more recently known as UAPs) and the concept of extraterrestrials, I love a good documentary. Sightings have been on the rise since the 1940s, with the atomic bomb seemingly acting as a catalyst for new visitors. But what are these UFOs/UAPs? Is there an explanation or are they simply beyond our explanation? Why are they here? Who are they? How much do our governments know? The questions are endless and so are the documentaries that attempt to uncover the secrets behind decades of sightings and alleged confrontations.
Whether you’re a seasoned viewer or new to the rabbit hole, there’s always a handful of interesting documentaries to get your neurons firing and leave you with sleepless nights. SCREAMBOX is investigating with the addition of several docs, all streaming now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered service. Here’s the breakdown:
Aliens (2021): Beam into this unidentified streaming documentary for a glimpse into Extraterrestrial life. Aliens are hypothetical life forms that may occur outside Earth or that did not originate on Earth.
Aliens Uncovered: Origins (2021): Before Area 51, hidden deep in the desert, the military discovered a hidden gem that helped them create Project Bluebook.
Aliens Uncovered: ET or Man-Made (2022): The crash of Roswell wasn’t meant for New Mexico. In 1947, a neighboring state had 3 major sightings that were swept under the rug.
Aliens Uncovered: The Golden Record (2023): In the late 70s, the US government launched a message to our distant neighbors.
Roswell (2021): This high-flying documentary examines the July 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Theories claim the crash was actually that of a flying saucer, but what is the truth?
Also check out:
The British UFO Files (2004): Since the 1940’s the British Government has been investigating the Flying Saucer phenomenon. High-ranking military and government personnel, speak out for the first time, offering unique eyewitness accounts and inside information.
Alien Abductions and Paranormal Sightings (2016): Amazing Footage and stories from real people as they reveal their personal encounters of being abducted by Aliens.
And do not miss Hellier (2019): A crew of paranormal researchers find themselves in a dying coal town, where a series of strange coincidences lead them to a decades-old mystery.
These documentaries join SCREAMBOX’s growing library of unique horror content, including Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Here for Blood, Terrifier 2, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, The Outwaters, Living with Chucky, Project Wolf Hunting, and Pennywise: The Story of IT.
Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.