Little Burlap Sam is one of Halloween’s most recognized ambassadors much like he is through each story in Michael Dougherty’s seasonal anthology movie Trick ‘r Treat. But not much is known about Sam’s origin. That was one of the topics in a Q&A with Collider where interviewer Perri Nemiroff asked him about the little guy’s past but the question didn’t yield a lot from the director. Instead, Dougherty points viewers to a short titled November 1.
When asked if there is anyone on the planet he has revealed Sam’s origin story to, Dougherty confirms that he has not. However, he says if you watch the short there is a scene where you see Sam’s dead body among the Halloween debris and trash from the night before.
“Like you see this wilted, withered corpse of what was Sam in his pajamas,” Dougherty says in the interview. “Then you see sort of like see the pumpkin seeds and guts laying in the dirt. Then you see sort of one seed sort of like, giggle and plant itself into the dirt. So in my mind, he dies every November first, but with the help of certain others, seeds or guts are retained and he grows back every October.”
@perrinemiroff Had to at least try to get a lil Sam backstory info during our TRICK ‘R TREAT Q&A for the Scary Perri Horror Series. 🙃 Catch the full Q&A with Michael Dougherty on the Collider Interviews YouTube channel now! And if you want to check out the November 1st short he’s referring to, it’s on the FEARnet YouTube titled “Trick ‘r Treat – The Day After.” #trickrtreat #michaeldougherty #sam #halloween #filmmaking #interview #horror #horrormovie #horrortok #fyp ♬ original sound – Perri Nemiroff
Although that information isn’t exactly the answer to Sam’s origin story, it at least gives a reason for why he is around on Halloween night in the film.
In that same Collider interview, Dougherty also confirms that there is a Trick ‘r Treat sequel in the works although it can’t move forward just yet thanks to the actor’s strike. The next chapter will also star Sam as the anthology tour guide but will feature a villain even more challenging than the first movie’s Mr. Kreeg; Sam’s arch-nemesis.
You can watch November 1 below under the alternate title Trick ‘r Treat The Day After.