Trick or Treat

Sammi Curr was a famous, devil-worshiping rock star who died under mysterious circumstances. Now he wants to come back to life. Doing so requires possessing radio waves and automobiles and making a few human sacrifices.

I was not familiar with this film, and had no idea what it was about. Today, if you say "Trick or Treat", people will think of "Trick 'r Treat", if they know their horror films at all. But right from the start, I liked what was going on here, a rock and roll horror film set in the heavy metal 1980s when rock went head to head with the PMRC.

Unfortunately, the film does not quite live up to the early promise, and is not helped by some irritating music. (I like heavy metal, but some of the tracks on here are awful.) We get a story that is a bit like "Shocker" and a bit like "Rock and Roll Nightmare", though very much its own story... worth a peek, though perhaps not the lost treasure I wish I was.

Eddie Weinbauer (Marc Price), an awkward high school student, faces relentless bullying from the "cool" kids. Eddie retreats into his private world of heavy metal. When Eddie's idol, Sammi Curr (Tony Fields), is killed, Eddie is beyond devastated. Things seem as bleak and dark as they can get - until Eddie begins hearing Sammi's voice speaking directly to him on his latest album. It seems that Sammi doesn't want to be dead. He wants Eddie to help bring him back to life, regardless of how many people have to die.

It's difficult for me to explain my reasoning, but I've always found Trick or Treat an effective little horror film. For whatever reason, it creeps me out. It might be the demonic nature of the subject matter or Tony Fields' incredibly effective performance or the atmosphere director Charles Martin Smith creates - I'm not sure. Whatever, this is a film that fills me with a real sense of unease.

Another big plus for me as far as the film goes is the performance of Marc Price. It's hard to imagine Skippy from Family Ties giving a performance like this. You'd never know he was capable based on his time on television. He plays Eddie as a complicated, multi-layered character. He makes Eddie seem "real". Whether it's a scene where he's being bullied or a scene where he's defiant and confident with the strength he gets from Sammi or a scene where he's running scared, Price delivers. It's good stuff.

A couple of other things I'll mention before I end this: 1. Gene Simmons is fantastic. I've seen him do some other things, but here, he's really good. I can't, however, say the same for Ozzy. 2. I got a real kick out of seeing Elaine Joyce in the film as Eddie's mother. She was always a favorite of mine from the 1970s-era game-show circuit.

This movie is a gem, not talked about as much and should of got more recognition than it did this movie deserves another look. Very rare that you rock legends in the same movie such as, Ozzie Osborne and Gene Simmons.

TRICK OR TREAT is a fine example of Hollywood jumping on the "backwards messages in metal music" bandwagon that Tipper Gore and her Washington Wives kick-started in the mid-'80s (other, less successful entries in this mini-genre include the awful BLACK ROSES and silly THE GATE). I was a sophomore in high school when TRICK OR TREAT came out and couldn't wait to see it. It seemed to disappear from video stores by the end of the '80s, but I finally picked up a budget-priced DVD copy a short while ago and it brought back many pleasant metal memories from back in the day. Any teenage metal nerd could relate to the trials of Eddie "Ragman" Weinbauer (Marc Price of "Family Ties")in this film as he is persecuted by the preppie "beautiful" people in his high school for his heavy metal fashions and musical taste. Eddie's favorite rock star is Sammi Curr (who looks a lot like Tommy Lee of Motley Crue), who is killed in a hotel fire early in the movie. Eddie is inconsolable till he receives a test pressing of Sammi's final, unreleased album from a radio DJ (Gene Simmons of Kiss in a brief cameo). Eddie soon discovers that this LP, when played backwards, allows him to communicate with the undead spirit of Sammi Curr himself! Soon Sammi is giving Eddie advice on how to get even with his preppie torturers but when the messages escalate in scariness ("Waste'em ALL... no false metal!") Eddie tries to destroy the album, which results in Sammi coming back to life via Eddie's stereo speakers. Sammi rampages to the big dance at Eddie's high school and takes the stage to rock the crowd and disintegrate a few unlucky "false metallers" before Eddie arrives to save the day and the girl of his dreams. (SIGH) No, it's not terribly scary in 2006, it wasn't even scary in 1986, but TRICK OR TREAT is a movie that will bring a smile to the face of any 1980s metaller and has a kick-ass soundtrack courtesy of the cult band Fastway. Well worth seeking out if you've ever banged your head or have a taste for B-grade horror movies (or both, like me).

I noticed many of the comments on this movie came from people who saw it during the last five years and bought it out of a bargain bin of $5 or $6 DVDs. I saw it when it came out in 1986 and was quite entertained. I learned long ago when it comes to watching horror flicks, you can't take them seriously. In this case, it's simply a sign of the times. During the 1980s when the concern over music's lyrics was at it's peak and Tipper Gore was on her PMRC crusade, this movie fit perfectly.

Please don't judge it in the 21st century. That's why you haven't seen it in a bargain bin until now. It just doesn't fit anymore. I give it a 3.5 out of 5 for its entertainment value.