Trick 'r Treat

Background

The original score is composed by Douglas Pipes. Dougherty listened to his score for Monster House (2006) and liked the eerie atmospheric setting which led to his involvement in the project. The score was recorded at the Warner Bros. Eastwood Scoring Stage in July 2007. Pipes composed a children's playground sing-sing like melody for the main themes which had a darker twist by the orchestra. As the film was primarily a horror score, the music utilized a lot of creepy elements including solo cello, low piano, scary percussion effects and breathing sounds, as well as a choir and a limited use of electronics. The 65-piece orchestra was conducted by Bruce Babcock who also orchestrated it with Jim Honeyman and Jon Kull, the lead orchestrator. The 60-minute score was recorded within two days. It was recorded and mixed by Brad Haehnel who used a tight close-miked sounds to hear the nuances in the orchestral performance. Dougherty was present in the sessions providing feedback to Pipes regarding the cues, where any minor tweaks or adjustments would be made.

Release

The soundtrack was released in CDs through La-La Land Records on September 29, 2009. A vinyl edition of the album was published by Waxwork Records which released it on October 2014. The album featured additional tracks from the score being compiled into double album.

Reception

Jonathan Broxton of Movie Music UK wrote "With Trick 'r Treat, and with Monster House before it, [Pipes] is proving to be one of the most exciting American composers to emerge in years, with the orchestral knowledge and the theme-writing prowess to compete with the best. Despite the delay, Trick 'r Treat was definitely worth the wait – it's another contender for 2009's score of the year honors." Scott A. Johnson of Dread Central wrote "With the grace of [John] Williams and the emotional intensity of Danny Elfman, this soundtrack hits a home run." Thomas Glorieux of Maintitles wrote "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."

William Ruhlmann of AllMusic wrote "far more ambitious than one might expect for a picture that isn't even being given a theatrical run, but it demonstrates the composer's talent and will add to the enjoyment of horror fans who seek the film out in its digital, home video, and television distribution." Paige F. MacGregor of Fandomania wrote "From the piano in "It's Halloween, Not Hanukkah" to the chorals in "The Halloween Schoolbus Massacre" and the screeching strings of "Main Titles," the first track on the disc, Trick 'r Treat delivers time and again."

Scorekeeper of Ain't It Cool News listed it one of the best film scores of 2009, writing "Pipes' score for Trick 'r Treat is the perfect consequent phrase to the antecedence of Monster House. The later of the two masterworks casts an impressive net over Halloween and manages to snare a comprehensive cornucopia of colors, tones, sights, emotions, and flavors embodying and emboldening the very nucleus of Halloween [...] this is one of the many facets of Pipes' masterful scoring skills which separates him from the humdrum Hollywood rank-and-file."

Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting listed it as one of the best horror film scores, and wrote: "Composer Douglas Pipes somehow manages to blend clever nostalgia of horror classics like Psycho with thematic Halloween melodies. He also balances the playful whimsy of the holiday with malicious, biting humor. In other words, it's a perfect theme (and score) for this epic holiday horror comedy." Joseph Morpugo of Fact listed it at one of the best horror film scores, adding "Pipes' most celebrated work remains 2006's kid's flick Monster House, but Trick 'R Treat shows his music isn't just for nippers and softies."

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes: