There’s a chill in the air here in Chicago. The daylight is dwindling. The sunsets seem more golden. The trees are turning vibrant yellows, reds and oranges.

It is enough to stir the soul of any mere mortal into a state of frenzy over the coming Allhallows’ Eve.

But when you’re no mere mortal immersed in low-grade horror movies 365 days a year, sometimes you need a swift spiritual kick to the head to get you in the mood–a deep soaking in the culture and tradition of all things Halloween to spark that inner jack-o’-lantern of ghoulish delight.

“Trick ‘r Treat” on Blu-ray was that caramel apple, that dry-leaf scented blood-splattered hearth warmer for me.

Essentially this film features four individual but intertwined stories that are just unpredictable enough to keep you from guessing how it all ends. To give too many details spoils the pumpkin guts. At their barest skeletal remains the stories are about a school principal who is also a serial killer, some prankster tweens, a young woman looking for her “first” special someone and an old neighborhood crank stuck with a dark past that explains why he became an old crank to begin with.

The storytelling is as festive for the season as it gets. Its gorgeous set design is like a Halloween heaven with hundreds of lit pumpkins, creepy bare trees, rustling dry leaves and loads of costumes and decorations. It is my dream citywide Halloween party.

There are great nods to “Tales from the Crypt,” “Sleepy Hollow” and tons of classic themes from horror movie history. As it understands and is one with those themes, it is not simply a rip off of older movies. It remains original with a love of O. Henry/Hitchcock/M. Night Shyamalan plot twists and turns. Writer-director Michael Dougherty makes good use of suspense in this clearly lovingly made movie.

It is bloody and violent. I could have used more blood. Some things never change.

“Trick ‘r Treat” stars Anna Paquin, Dylan Baker and Brian Cox. All of them do a great job, keeping their roles understated. As much as I love camp and some over-the-top acting in B-horror, sometimes it is just better to play it straight. This is one of those times.

That’s not to say that some of the FX here weren’t a little weak, but they are old-skool, which helps keep it real.

Before you go costume shopping or start pumpkin carving this weekend, I highly, highly recommend this mood setter!