A high school loner considering himself the biggest fan of a rocker seems himself stuck when said rocker passes away and comes back through his music to haunt and kill.
From a story by Rhet Topham, a screenplay by Michale S. Murphy, Joel Soisson, and Topham, with uncredited writing by Glen Morgan and James Wong, and directed by Charles Martin Smith, Trick or Treat is a take on many things that were trendy in the mid-1980s including heavy metal, glam rock, the satanic panic, and good old slasher films (in this case with a supernatural element of course). There is a lot in here and some might say it will be just right for just about everyone who dares to take a peek and spend quality time with Samm Curr. The writing and direction here are very much 1980s style, full of extra bits and flashing things along with a bunch of kills and a killer soundtrack. The film here is one that is very much of its era, but it works great within that.
The cast here is fun but uneven in their performances. The cameos are the least of our worries here and thankfully the least on point performances. The main cast here is decent with performances that fit well with the film and its overall mood and tone, teenagers being teenagers, slasher slashing, the main cast sells the story quite well. The man of main interest here is definitely Tony Fields as Sammi Curr, closely followed by the young man playing his biggest fan Marc Price as Eddie Weinbauer. Rounding out the main bunch is Lisa Orgolini as Leslie Graham who stands tall with the other two. These three sell the film and make it what it is now through their performances that help the film be of interest outside of the 1980s. These folks are selling you the story here and making it all work in a somewhat logical manner.
In technical terms, the film here is more than decent, especially considering its age. Of course, the wardrobe and hairstyles/makeup at dated as can be, but they are a lovely time capsule of the era. The special effects, the practical ones that is, have aged decently but the computer generated, or visual effects, have not aged as well. To the film cinematography here works well with Robert Elswit’s cinematography looking still rather good. The sound design, the score, and the soundtrack help complement the images just right. Of course, it’s all dated, but it’s perfectly dated and right on point for the year of its release.
The extras on this release are top notch, including a new 4K transfer from the original negatives, a new sound mix, a solid audio commentary by the film’s director, a few interviews, a making of feature, a filming locations tour, a music video, trailers, tv spots, a vintage electronic press kit, and a whole bunch more. There is so much on here that fans of the film and fans of horror should have lots to watch. Even Gene Simmons makes an appearance.
Trick or Treat is a fun mid-1980s slasher film that brings a killer soundtrack along to make it great overall. Of course, some folks won’t be into it, but for the 80s horror crowd, this is just about a perfect release.
