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"There's something fun about discovering a film, or a good friend of yours whose taste you trust saying, 'You really need to watch this,'" he says. "That's how I was introduced to a lot of my favorite films growing up. Some friend passing you a VHS tape. I think there's a charm to that, and an organic love that sprouts from that, and I don't think we would have had the same kind of following had we gone with a big theatrical release."Perhaps because of this slow burn, Sam has become the movie's breakout star and the inspiration behind merchandise ranging from action figures to novelty sweaters, not to mention a bunch of tattoos. "I remember seeing a waitress at a restaurant who had a full sleeve of the movie," Dougherty says. "Her whole arm was Sam and other characters and scenery from the film. And she's not alone. I just can't think of a greater compliment than seeing somebody tattoo their body forever with your character. I'll take that over a gold statue any day." A long-rumored sequel is in the works, too, Dougherty recently confirmed—as soon as he's finished with the Christmas-horror film Krampus, starring Adam Scott. (Unlike Trick 'r Treat, Krampus will be getting a theatrical release.)His biggest accomplishment with Sam, he says, is preparing a whole new generation for horror fandom. "I've seen videos of kids who are introduced to the character via an action figure or something," he says, "and there's sort of this very wary look on their face when they see him, and then something sparks and they instantly fall in love with him." He's also seen kids dressed up as his best-known character and says, "That makes me the happiest. I'm still waiting for the Halloween when some kid shows up at my door dressed as Sam."Follow Miles on Twitter.On Motherboard: The Science of Being Scared to Death