Michael Dougherty Says TRICK ’R TREAT 2 Has a Finished Script and Storyboards, but Its $20 Million Budget Is Holding It Back
I've been waiting for Trick ’r Treat 2 for years, and as someone who considers the original Trick ’r Treat my all-time favorite Halloween movie, it's both exciting and frustrating to hear just how much work has already gone into the sequel.
Writer and director Michael Dougherty has a script, he's storyboarded the entire movie, and he's even developed a collection of concept art. Unfortunately, getting the movie financed continues to be a problem.
During a Q&A at the FilmQuest Film Festival, moderated by Bill Earl of Variety, Dougherty opened up about the long-awaited sequel and why it still hasn't happened, despite years of development.
When Earl asked about the status of Trick ’r Treat 2, Dougherty explained: “It's a weird time in Hollywood, obviously. As much as the horror genre is doing really well, it's still very much a fear-based industry.
We have a great script. I think so. I brought in two of my co-writers from Krampus, Zach Shields and Todd Casey, and storyboarded the entire thing. I don't usually do this. When you storyboard, you usually just hit the set pieces, stuff with action and visual effects. But I was like,’"Fuck it. I love storyboards.’
“It's like a comic book or graphic novel. Why not just storyboard the entire thing?”
That's a pretty awesome level of preparation for a sequel that hasn't even been greenlit. He also reunited with artist Breehn Burns, who has been involved with Trick ’r Treat since the original film, to develop the sequel's look.
Dougherty continued: “Then I did a bunch of color concept art with Breehn Burns. Breehn has been working on Trick ’r Treat stuff since the beginning, since the 2007 film. He did an amazing set of concept art for part two. It's just sort of been in limbo right now.
“Budgetarily, it's not low-budget. But it would cost about what the first movie would cost with inflation, which is roughly around $20 million. That number tends to scare a lot of accountants for whatever reason.”
Dougherty and his team have already put a tremendous amount of creative work into the project. The biggest obstacle appears to be convincing the people controlling the money that it's worth a roughly $20 million investment.
What's frustrating is how beloved the original movie has become over the years. Warner Bros. famously shelved its planned theatrical release, and the film eventually found its audience through home video and word of mouth. Since then, it's grown into a Halloween staple, with Sam becoming one of the most recognizable modern horror characters.
Dougherty created something special with Trick ’r Treat. The interconnected stories, the twisted sense of humor, the creepy atmosphere, and the way the movie celebrates Halloween's darker traditions make it one of those films I have to revisit every October.
It's also the kind of horror movie that feels like it has an endless supply of stories left to tell. That's what makes the anthology format so appealing. There are so many different Halloween legends, traditions, and nightmares Dougherty could explore, all while Sam lurks somewhere in the background, making sure everyone follows the rules.
Knowing that Dougherty has already storyboarded the entire sequel makes me even more curious about what he's planning. I'd love to see that concept art from Burns, too. If the original movie is any indication, there are probably some wonderfully creepy ideas waiting to be unleashed.
But, until the financing comes together and the project gets a green light, Trick ’r Treat 2 remains in development limbo. This all comes after the sequel was officially announced by Legendary back in 2016!
Still, it's encouraging to know that Dougherty hasn't given up on it. He clearly has a vision for the next chapter, and he's already invested a ton of creative energy into bringing it to life.
Now somebody just needs to give the guy his $20 million so we can finally get another Halloween adventure with Sam!