Whether one agrees or not, some of the screen’s best Horrors centrally function off a stylistic gimmick.
For example, Jason Voorhees – though born of human flesh – is depicted as nearly immortal in the endless parade of Friday The 13th thrillers: like the Energizer Bunny, he’s an unstoppable force that won’t surrender regardless of what his opponents throw at him. By contrast, Freddy Krueger prefers to contain his bloody escapades to the world of mankind’s nightmares, using his singular ability to manipulate reality to the detriment of those caught sleeping on the job. Jigsaw – the famed psychopath from the Saw franchise – can’t help but construct some of the most elaborate puzzles to present to his potential victims, giving them a chance – slim, at best – to escape his wrath or suffer the gory consequences. As one can see, each madman has his respective gizmo or approach; and this is why fans return to witness the madness with each subsequent film. What they do is part and parcel of their separate and Horror’s collective appeal. Consider it movie magic.
Initially, it’s hard to attribute any similar narrative ‘hook’ to 1986’s Trick Or Treat; and – in all honestly – screenwriters Rhet Topham, Michael S. Murphey, and Joel Soisson don’t make it any easier across the film’s 98-minute running time. There are hints that heavy metal rockstar Sammi Curr’s demonic return is tied to energy – electricity gets strongly suggested in several of his lethal shenanigans – and perhaps the flick might’ve been better received had the makers chose one fatal tactic and stuck with it consistently. In the end, there may not be as much structure as could’ve elevated the resulting depravity; but given the fact that it retains an uncharacteristic wholesomeness here and there I’ll forgive the sin for what it is.
After all, “God gave rock’n’roll to you,” but they say it’s the devil who took the musician’s soul in exchange for the talent required to make legendary music.
Never forget that.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
For example, Jason Voorhees – though born of human flesh – is depicted as nearly immortal in the endless parade of Friday The 13th thrillers: like the Energizer Bunny, he’s an unstoppable force that won’t surrender regardless of what his opponents throw at him. By contrast, Freddy Krueger prefers to contain his bloody escapades to the world of mankind’s nightmares, using his singular ability to manipulate reality to the detriment of those caught sleeping on the job. Jigsaw – the famed psychopath from the Saw franchise – can’t help but construct some of the most elaborate puzzles to present to his potential victims, giving them a chance – slim, at best – to escape his wrath or suffer the gory consequences. As one can see, each madman has his respective gizmo or approach; and this is why fans return to witness the madness with each subsequent film. What they do is part and parcel of their separate and Horror’s collective appeal. Consider it movie magic.
Initially, it’s hard to attribute any similar narrative ‘hook’ to 1986’s Trick Or Treat; and – in all honestly – screenwriters Rhet Topham, Michael S. Murphey, and Joel Soisson don’t make it any easier across the film’s 98-minute running time. There are hints that heavy metal rockstar Sammi Curr’s demonic return is tied to energy – electricity gets strongly suggested in several of his lethal shenanigans – and perhaps the flick might’ve been better received had the makers chose one fatal tactic and stuck with it consistently. In the end, there may not be as much structure as could’ve elevated the resulting depravity; but given the fact that it retains an uncharacteristic wholesomeness here and there I’ll forgive the sin for what it is.
After all, “God gave rock’n’roll to you,” but they say it’s the devil who took the musician’s soul in exchange for the talent required to make legendary music.
Never forget that.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“A bullied teenage boy is devastated after the death of his heavy metal idol, Sammi Curr. But as Halloween night approaches, he discovers that he may be the only one who can stop Sammi from making a Satanic comeback from beyond the grave.”
Take note, folks: rock’n’roll has always suffered from some unwarranted controversy over the years.
Of course, a good deal of this historically extends from the days of Elvis Presley when the performer’s hip gyrations were said to put mankind on the path to – ahem – unnatural sexual proclivities. In the 1960’s, rock was seen by some to represent a rejection of social norms wherein whites and blacks were joined together in dance to raucous tunes that celebrated things that would make grandma blush. The 1970’s saw music embrace even more explicit sexual imagery, and the growing sub-culture of drugs and other mind-altering substances were celebrated with some bands dedicating entire albums to exploration of such flights of fancy. This era, too, introduced Heavy Metal to the masses; and the real attack on counterculture and its widening movement was set for an inevitable showdown (or sorts) in government and abroad in the 1980’s.
As the story goes: Tipper Gore – then the wife of long-term climate alarmist Al Gore – sat down and listened to Prince’s Purple Rain, an album that was all the rage with youth of the day. What she learned from the experience was that kids were listening to tracks celebrating a great amount of morally promiscuous behavior, and she felt the time was ripe for a change. With the help of some other Washington wives, she founded the Parents Music Resource Council, a group taxed with the sole purpose of informing families about which albums contained such explicit lyrics. Furthermore, she stated that the record industry should have its own ratings system not unlike what the motion picture industry was required to do long ago.
Without going down this rabbit hole any further than is absolutely necessary, it was heavy metal artists that took the greatest ‘hit’ from the resulting Congressional hearings; and it’s into this territory that Trick Or Treat (1986) establishes a firm, relatable foundation. Some of this commentary might otherwise escape modern audiences – if nothing else, SciFiHistory.Net strives to also present arguments in the proper historical context – and that’s why I’ve given this brief summary. Ultimately, I think it helps us to understand and appreciate the film better, and I strongly suspect those who’ve embraced it over the years agree.
Heavy metal artist Sammi Curr (played by Tony Fields) has always lived life on the edge, so much so that he can’t help but go out in his own personal blaze of glory: he commits suicide by setting his hotel room ablaze and seemingly taking a few others along with him in the process. Why we’re not given any wider context for the reason Curr wanted to die, there are loose suggestions that he’d come to a crossroads in life tied to Lakeridge High School’s refusal to let him play at their Halloween dance – it was his alma mater, after all – and took the easy way out. What matters here is that he’s gone – crossed over, some would say – and his fans are left to deal with the aftermath.
“A bullied teenage boy is devastated after the death of his heavy metal idol, Sammi Curr. But as Halloween night approaches, he discovers that he may be the only one who can stop Sammi from making a Satanic comeback from beyond the grave.”
Take note, folks: rock’n’roll has always suffered from some unwarranted controversy over the years.
Of course, a good deal of this historically extends from the days of Elvis Presley when the performer’s hip gyrations were said to put mankind on the path to – ahem – unnatural sexual proclivities. In the 1960’s, rock was seen by some to represent a rejection of social norms wherein whites and blacks were joined together in dance to raucous tunes that celebrated things that would make grandma blush. The 1970’s saw music embrace even more explicit sexual imagery, and the growing sub-culture of drugs and other mind-altering substances were celebrated with some bands dedicating entire albums to exploration of such flights of fancy. This era, too, introduced Heavy Metal to the masses; and the real attack on counterculture and its widening movement was set for an inevitable showdown (or sorts) in government and abroad in the 1980’s.
As the story goes: Tipper Gore – then the wife of long-term climate alarmist Al Gore – sat down and listened to Prince’s Purple Rain, an album that was all the rage with youth of the day. What she learned from the experience was that kids were listening to tracks celebrating a great amount of morally promiscuous behavior, and she felt the time was ripe for a change. With the help of some other Washington wives, she founded the Parents Music Resource Council, a group taxed with the sole purpose of informing families about which albums contained such explicit lyrics. Furthermore, she stated that the record industry should have its own ratings system not unlike what the motion picture industry was required to do long ago.
Without going down this rabbit hole any further than is absolutely necessary, it was heavy metal artists that took the greatest ‘hit’ from the resulting Congressional hearings; and it’s into this territory that Trick Or Treat (1986) establishes a firm, relatable foundation. Some of this commentary might otherwise escape modern audiences – if nothing else, SciFiHistory.Net strives to also present arguments in the proper historical context – and that’s why I’ve given this brief summary. Ultimately, I think it helps us to understand and appreciate the film better, and I strongly suspect those who’ve embraced it over the years agree.
Heavy metal artist Sammi Curr (played by Tony Fields) has always lived life on the edge, so much so that he can’t help but go out in his own personal blaze of glory: he commits suicide by setting his hotel room ablaze and seemingly taking a few others along with him in the process. Why we’re not given any wider context for the reason Curr wanted to die, there are loose suggestions that he’d come to a crossroads in life tied to Lakeridge High School’s refusal to let him play at their Halloween dance – it was his alma mater, after all – and took the easy way out. What matters here is that he’s gone – crossed over, some would say – and his fans are left to deal with the aftermath.
Enter Eddie ‘Ragman’ Weinbauer (Marc Price).
By his own admission, Eddie remains Curr’s biggest and most loyal fan. His loft bedroom is adorned with posters of many of rock’s greatest poser, but – in his eyes – there are none better than Curr. So when local radio DJ Nuke (Gene Simmons, in a brief but spirited cameo) confides in Eddie that Curr’s last album – an unreleased collection titled ‘Songs In The Key Of Death’ – is in the studio’s hands, the young man can’t wait to haul the acetate original back home for a quality listen. When he does, Eddie discovers that Curr has interspersed the album with some lyrics recorded under backward masking (essentially recording words in reverse) and playing them opens a kinda/sorta portal into the headbanger’s demonic consciousness. Curr is back, and he’ll stop at nothing to – finally – host one night of rock’n’roll carnage for the youth of Lakeridge High.
Of course, there’s a bit more to the story as is always the case when Hollywood ventures into the world of disaffected teenagers. Eddie is the awkward social outcast amongst his peers, and he spends the bulk of these early moments on the receiving end of bullying from the school preppy/bully Tim Hainey (Doug Savant). Somehow, the misfit still manages to catch the eye of the class hottie Leslie Graham (Lisa Orgolini); and – if they can find a way to make a relationship work between the popular and the unpopular – they might come together. Hainey and his cohorts don’t make it easy as they nearly drown Eddie for simply showing up at a pool party, pushing our budding screen hero to initially take the devilish Curr’s advice and strike back … with deadly intent.
Naturally, Eddie embraces his dark side because who among us hasn’t wanted to exact a bit of revenge on those who treated us poorly? It’s practically one part of the human condition, especially in schoolyard parlance, and this is what makes audiences identify with such characters. The problem is that Eddie isn’t a bad guy – he never imagines hurting any of his classmates in any way before Curr’s spectral intrusion on his life – so he eventually manages to throw off such dark impulses in favor of staying true to himself. This turn of events enrages the ghostly musician who now emerges from whatever Hellscape he’s occupied, back in the flesh to make his former host pay dearly for rejecting his tutelage.
It’s easy to conclude that Trick Or Treat is, largely, little more than a loose rags-to-riches story, the kind wherein our lead must shake off his demons – and a literal one – in order to find happiness in the end. As such, the film never quite dabbles as darkly as have so many other chillers – frankly, I’m surprised that this one got an R-rating – in its pursuit of delivering on its limited potential. At times, Trick feels almost like a subversive counterpart to Robert Zemeckis’ vastly superior but somewhat squeaky-clean Back To The Future (1985), even going so far as having would-be rockers in pursuit of playing a show in front of a high school crowd. Eddie Weinbauer is no Marty McFly, but he’s a suitable substitute in a world wherein bullies are a bit more vicious than was Biff Tannen.
But the similarities don’t start and stop with the high school dance.
By his own admission, Eddie remains Curr’s biggest and most loyal fan. His loft bedroom is adorned with posters of many of rock’s greatest poser, but – in his eyes – there are none better than Curr. So when local radio DJ Nuke (Gene Simmons, in a brief but spirited cameo) confides in Eddie that Curr’s last album – an unreleased collection titled ‘Songs In The Key Of Death’ – is in the studio’s hands, the young man can’t wait to haul the acetate original back home for a quality listen. When he does, Eddie discovers that Curr has interspersed the album with some lyrics recorded under backward masking (essentially recording words in reverse) and playing them opens a kinda/sorta portal into the headbanger’s demonic consciousness. Curr is back, and he’ll stop at nothing to – finally – host one night of rock’n’roll carnage for the youth of Lakeridge High.
Of course, there’s a bit more to the story as is always the case when Hollywood ventures into the world of disaffected teenagers. Eddie is the awkward social outcast amongst his peers, and he spends the bulk of these early moments on the receiving end of bullying from the school preppy/bully Tim Hainey (Doug Savant). Somehow, the misfit still manages to catch the eye of the class hottie Leslie Graham (Lisa Orgolini); and – if they can find a way to make a relationship work between the popular and the unpopular – they might come together. Hainey and his cohorts don’t make it easy as they nearly drown Eddie for simply showing up at a pool party, pushing our budding screen hero to initially take the devilish Curr’s advice and strike back … with deadly intent.
Naturally, Eddie embraces his dark side because who among us hasn’t wanted to exact a bit of revenge on those who treated us poorly? It’s practically one part of the human condition, especially in schoolyard parlance, and this is what makes audiences identify with such characters. The problem is that Eddie isn’t a bad guy – he never imagines hurting any of his classmates in any way before Curr’s spectral intrusion on his life – so he eventually manages to throw off such dark impulses in favor of staying true to himself. This turn of events enrages the ghostly musician who now emerges from whatever Hellscape he’s occupied, back in the flesh to make his former host pay dearly for rejecting his tutelage.
It’s easy to conclude that Trick Or Treat is, largely, little more than a loose rags-to-riches story, the kind wherein our lead must shake off his demons – and a literal one – in order to find happiness in the end. As such, the film never quite dabbles as darkly as have so many other chillers – frankly, I’m surprised that this one got an R-rating – in its pursuit of delivering on its limited potential. At times, Trick feels almost like a subversive counterpart to Robert Zemeckis’ vastly superior but somewhat squeaky-clean Back To The Future (1985), even going so far as having would-be rockers in pursuit of playing a show in front of a high school crowd. Eddie Weinbauer is no Marty McFly, but he’s a suitable substitute in a world wherein bullies are a bit more vicious than was Biff Tannen.
But the similarities don’t start and stop with the high school dance.
Tainey and his mates chase Eddie is a key sequence not dissimilar from that involving Tannen, his gang, and McFly around the town square. Eddie’s pal Roger Mockus (Glen Morgan) is the teenage brainiac who kinda/sorta tries to steer his buddy on the right path as Doc Emmett Brown did in the Zemeckis picture. Hell, there’s even a near-assault of Leslie by Hainey that bears a passing resemblance to how Tannen schemed to get his hands on young Lorraine Baines, Marty’s teenage mother. I could go on, but I hope my point is clear: structurally, the two films follow a similar progression from start-to-finish, so much so that I can’t help but highlight how they feel aesthetically drawn from the same cultural zeitgeist of the 1980’s.
Where Trick stumbles a bit is that it’s never quite clear what exactly is going on supernaturally, and this is usually wherein I struggle with a great many Horrors: they don’t go far enough to both define their universe and, then, stick to those rules.
Director Charles Martin Smith’s best bits are delivered when Eddie discovers that Curr has become an entity that somehow – through nothing more than a turntable – has the ability to reach out from the other side. The audience watches as the teen finds these backward snatches of lyrics and begins exploring them; and they – like Eddie – are equally aghast when the record player succumbs to the demon’s incantations, becoming (practically) a living being. This device is the stuff of pure cinema, and while some might dismiss it as a bit of screen trickery they should remember that it isn’t nice to fool Mother Nature. Of course, by satirizing the political argument of the day – that backward masking was the work of the Devil – they’ve quite possibly proven that rock music’s harshest critics may very well have known what they were talking about … because Eddie, literally, raises a devil incarnate.
Still, it’s all a bit too uneven for me to accept that such rules were conceived and properly executed.
For example, Trick’s earliest moments of retribution were done – at least, in part – by Eddie. Did he know that Curr – in spectral form – would be lying in wait for Hainey in the shop class, and did he know just how far the spirit would take matters? If so, then why did Eddie save his enemy from Curr’s wrath? Later, Eddie stands defiantly against Hainey on his front porch, and he – somehow – musters a power to raise fire with the wave of his hand. Was this Eddie’s doing, or was Curr possessing the teen’s body in some devilish twist? Eventually, Eddie makes a mix tape that he gives to Tim as a peace offering, only to have it summon yet another grim demon in the backseat of Hainey’s car, one that seemingly has its way with the bully’s girlfriend. There are also a few sequences involving Eddie’s mother – Angie (Elaine Joyce) – where she draws the unwanted attention of the vengeful Curr, but there’s just not sufficient enough explanation in the script for me to know beyond a shadow of a doubt why the demon felt such a turn was absolutely necessary.
Where Trick stumbles a bit is that it’s never quite clear what exactly is going on supernaturally, and this is usually wherein I struggle with a great many Horrors: they don’t go far enough to both define their universe and, then, stick to those rules.
Director Charles Martin Smith’s best bits are delivered when Eddie discovers that Curr has become an entity that somehow – through nothing more than a turntable – has the ability to reach out from the other side. The audience watches as the teen finds these backward snatches of lyrics and begins exploring them; and they – like Eddie – are equally aghast when the record player succumbs to the demon’s incantations, becoming (practically) a living being. This device is the stuff of pure cinema, and while some might dismiss it as a bit of screen trickery they should remember that it isn’t nice to fool Mother Nature. Of course, by satirizing the political argument of the day – that backward masking was the work of the Devil – they’ve quite possibly proven that rock music’s harshest critics may very well have known what they were talking about … because Eddie, literally, raises a devil incarnate.
Still, it’s all a bit too uneven for me to accept that such rules were conceived and properly executed.
For example, Trick’s earliest moments of retribution were done – at least, in part – by Eddie. Did he know that Curr – in spectral form – would be lying in wait for Hainey in the shop class, and did he know just how far the spirit would take matters? If so, then why did Eddie save his enemy from Curr’s wrath? Later, Eddie stands defiantly against Hainey on his front porch, and he – somehow – musters a power to raise fire with the wave of his hand. Was this Eddie’s doing, or was Curr possessing the teen’s body in some devilish twist? Eventually, Eddie makes a mix tape that he gives to Tim as a peace offering, only to have it summon yet another grim demon in the backseat of Hainey’s car, one that seemingly has its way with the bully’s girlfriend. There are also a few sequences involving Eddie’s mother – Angie (Elaine Joyce) – where she draws the unwanted attention of the vengeful Curr, but there’s just not sufficient enough explanation in the script for me to know beyond a shadow of a doubt why the demon felt such a turn was absolutely necessary.
Ultimately, Eddie – in the same fashion that Luke Skywalker rejected the machinations of Emperor Palpatine to turn him evil in George Lucas’ Star Wars – rejects Curr; and I understand perfectly why – as a consequence – the demon emerges into our plane of existence to wreak havoc. All Hell breaks loose, and Smith – remarkable as a first-time director – shows that he’s been around enough projects to know exactly how to stage these antics for maximum effect. In this respect, Trick’s greatest strength comes alive as Fields in rather spectacular fashion proves he had the chops to merge the personae of the carefree rocker with an impish heavy. It’s a delirious performance – one that deserves a bit of celebration – that not only rescues the entire film from obscurity but also props it up as a ‘must see.’
Trick Or Treat (1986) was produced by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG). DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Synapse Films. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still see that visually there’s an awful lot of grain in several sequences of this UltraHD 4K upgrade restored from the original camera negative. Thankfully, it isn’t pervasive, but there are a handful of spots wherein its rather obvious that the source material hasn’t exactly aged well. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? In a word: wow. Synapse has ponied up an incredible three commentary tracks, an exceptionally good feature-length documentary on the making and legacy of the project, along with a solid assortment of extras that will keep enthusiasts busy for hours. It is an impressive assortment, so huge thanks to the distributor for going the extra mile on this release.
Highly Recommended.
Trick Or Treat (1986) is a surprisingly good Horror/Comedy that somehow stayed below society’s radar upon its original release but has built a faithful following – understandably so – in the years since. While it does suffer from some of the usual shortcomings with ideas serving second fiddle to more effective theatrics, there’s no denying the power of a good scene-chewing villain, and the late Tony Fields clearly had the talent and the sheer presence to make the hard-rocking Sammi Curr something worth watching. If anything, Trick suffers from having no real teeth – and very, very, very little gore – in the final estimation … and, yet, there’s an uncharacteristic wholesome appeal to it that proves audiences – especially cult ones – know a good thing when they see it.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Synapse Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Trick Or Treat (1986) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Trick Or Treat (1986) was produced by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG). DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Synapse Films. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still see that visually there’s an awful lot of grain in several sequences of this UltraHD 4K upgrade restored from the original camera negative. Thankfully, it isn’t pervasive, but there are a handful of spots wherein its rather obvious that the source material hasn’t exactly aged well. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? In a word: wow. Synapse has ponied up an incredible three commentary tracks, an exceptionally good feature-length documentary on the making and legacy of the project, along with a solid assortment of extras that will keep enthusiasts busy for hours. It is an impressive assortment, so huge thanks to the distributor for going the extra mile on this release.
Highly Recommended.
Trick Or Treat (1986) is a surprisingly good Horror/Comedy that somehow stayed below society’s radar upon its original release but has built a faithful following – understandably so – in the years since. While it does suffer from some of the usual shortcomings with ideas serving second fiddle to more effective theatrics, there’s no denying the power of a good scene-chewing villain, and the late Tony Fields clearly had the talent and the sheer presence to make the hard-rocking Sammi Curr something worth watching. If anything, Trick suffers from having no real teeth – and very, very, very little gore – in the final estimation … and, yet, there’s an uncharacteristic wholesome appeal to it that proves audiences – especially cult ones – know a good thing when they see it.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Synapse Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Trick Or Treat (1986) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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