Director Michael Dougherty has launched Sam: The Soul of Halloween, a new multimedia platform built around the 30th anniversary of Sam, the burlap-masked mascot who first appeared in Dougherty’s 1996 short Season’s Greetings before headlining his 2007 anthology film Trick ‘r Treat.
The project centres on a newly restored 4K edition of Season’s Greetings, which will screen throughout October at more than 30 festivals and independent venues, including Screamfest in Los Angeles, the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, Chicago’s Music Box Theatre, the Telluride Horror Show and Toronto’s Revue Cinema, with additional dates still being added. Alongside the screenings, Dougherty is rolling out new animated shorts and illustrations through the project’s website and social channels over the course of the month, with contributions from a roster of collaborating artists.
A limited run merchandise shop opened October 1, offering t-shirts, posters, pins and stickers tied to the project, several built from the collaborating artists’ designs.
Dougherty frames the initiative as a return to Sam’s scrappy, handmade origins, noting that Trick ‘r Treat was not the character’s first appearance and will not be the final word on him either. There is no word yet on whether the anniversary push connects to Dougherty’s long-rumoured Trick ‘r Treat sequel, which has remained in limbo for years; the director has not commented on that project as part of this announcement.
Full screening dates and shop details are available at samthesoulofhalloween.com.
