During the ’80s, I met up with a bunch of punk kids from Wilmington who would visit Raleigh when there were cool shows at the Brewery or a major party. What made them exciting to hang around was their stories of working on various movies. During the ’80s, Dino De Laurentiis had built his DEG studios in Wilmington and proceeded to crank out a bunch of films for his indie distribution company. The films often needed teenagers for background extras or featured extras. While none of the Wilmington punks were actors, they could sit around in scenes looking like punks hanging out at school or other functions. They appeared in King Kong Lives and Jon Cryer’s Hiding Out. It was a good parttime gig. I’m not sure if they’re in Trick Or Treat, but there’s a lot of teenagers in this film about a heavy metal legend who refuses to die.
Things aren’t going good for high schooler Eddie “Ragman” Weinbauer (Marc Price best known as Skippy on Family Ties). He’s a bit of a loner at school who lives for when he can put on his Walkman headphones and listen to some sweet heavy metal. School is hell. He is the target for jock bullies led by Tim Hainey (Desperate Housewives‘ Doug Savant). At one point they throw Eddie naked into the gym during a girl’s class. Polaroids are taken (since they didn’t have cellphone cameras in 1986). One of the preppy girls, Leslie (Shining Through‘s Lisa Orgolini) likes Eddie. But her kindness makes him a target for more of Tim’s nastiness. And then the bottom falls out of Eddie’s day when he sees on the TV news that his favorite heavy metal star has died in a hotel fire. Sammi Curr (A Chorus Line‘s Tony Fields) once went to the same high school that Eddie attends. The heavy metal icon was supposed to play at town’s Halloween Ball, but uptight parents banned the show. A mourning Eddie drops by the local radio station where DJ Nuke (Gene Simmons of Kiss) understands the pain. Nuke knew Sammi. He has an advance copy of what has become Sammi’s final album. Nuke gives the vinyl to Eddie since he already made a reel-to-reel tape copy. While listening to the last songs, Eddie detects odd noises that turn out to be backward masking. When Eddie turns his record backwards, he hears a message from Sammi. What’s shocking is that the messages are for him. Sammi uses the vinyl to communicate from the great beyond. He wants to help Eddie get revenge on the Tim and the bullies. At first it is fun, but then Eddie realizes Sammi wants too much revenge. When Eddie holds back, Sammi comes through the speakers to perform the Halloween Ball concert that the town feared.
Trick Or Treat brings the metal edge to Halloween. You do want to bang your head and scream at the high school nightmare. I don’t recognize any of the Wilmington punks in the high school footage. They could have possibly been deep in the crowd shots. Eddie is the only non-preppie depicted in the film. He is alone amongst the preppie and jocks. Marc Price really knows how to play the loser metalhead. It feels like he did listen to Judas Priest between takes. If you’re only used to Doug Savant as the nice neighbor on Melrose Place, you’ll be impressed by how well he plays an utter jerk. You’ll want to punch him in the face during his close ups. Both heavy metal cameos are great. Gene Simmons seems like the kind of guy working at a radio station in his hometown. The movie predicts a future where FM radio stations are all on tape (or digital as we experience now). Ozzy Osbourne gets to play against type as a minister raving against metal. Lisa Orgolini makes Leslie seem like the girl interested in Eddie even if the other girls see him as a freak. Director Charles Nelson Smith had portrayed a great high school outcast in American Graffiti. He brings that sensibility to this tale to make us feel that Eddie is not a cool kid acting like an outlier. Trick Or Treat remains a Halloween classic for anyone that digs ’80s movies and heavy metal bands.
The 4K UHD is region free so no matter where you are in the world reading this review, you can order the movie.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. You’ll get to see all the details of the metal lifestyle. The Audio is English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0. You’ll hear the metal through every speaker in your home system.
Audio commentary with director Charles Martin Smith, moderated by filmmaker Mark Savage gets into how he went from actor to director on this project. He had written and acted in Never Cry Wolf so he learned a lot about the process. He got word they needed a director on Trick Or Treat and put his name into the hat. Smith was not a fan of horror. He enjoyed science fiction. The producers wanted it to be more satirical than horror which worked for him.
Audio interviews with writer/producer Michael S. Murphey and writer Rhet Topham, moderated by film historian Michael Felsher. They are informative, but not scene specific. Michael S. Murphey worked on the film with his producer partner Joel Soisson. Dino wanted them to make a movie about heavy metal that mixed with Halloween.
Audio Commentary with Paul Corupe and Allison Lang, authors of Satanic Panic: Pop-Cultural Paranoia in the 1980s so they get into the Satanic teasing in the film. They remind us when Churches went after rock music, cartoons and horror movies were recruiting children to worship the devil. Even Oprah was part of it.
Rock & Shock: The Making of “Trick or Treat” (81:16) gives us everything about the film. Charles Martin Smith talks about directing his first movie after being in so many films. He almost didn’t make this since Penelope Spheris (Wayne’s World and Decline and Fall of Civilization) was the original director. The film was a response to the attacks from Tipper Gore and her prude patrol and people fearing backward masking on rock albums. Charles Martin Smith gets a lot of praise from people who worked on the set and the actors. Marc Price explains what he did to land the role so the casting people didn’t think he was only Skippy from Family Ties.
In The Spotlight: A Tribute to Tony Fields (15:07) features interviews with the late actor’s family and friends. He was part of Debbie Reynold’s nightclub act when he found work as a dancer on Solid Gold. This led to him appearing in Queen’s “Body Language” video and Micheal Jackson’s “Beat It” and “Thriller.” His acting and dancing came together in the movie version of A Chorus Line. His family and friends recount Tony’s life and career. They were thrilled to see him in Trick Or Treat even if it was a scary movie. Tony passed away in 1995.
Horror’s Hallowed Grounds: The Filming Locations of “Trick or Treat” (26:31) has host Sean Clark visiting Wilmington, NC to find the locations. He even drops by both high schools that were used as Lakeridge High in the film. We get to see the bridge and even the gym for the big concert. Sean Clark does an amazing job giving a now and then view for fans.
“After Midnight” music video (3:46) is Sammi Curr ready for MTV. Not sure if this played on Headbanger’s Ball. The actual band is Fastway with lead singer Dave King. I do believe they were played on NC State’s WKNC-FM’s Chainsaw Rock block. For some strange reason, the soundtrack album was released a month after the movie came out. They didn’t use the music to lure in the audience.
Theatrical Trailers (3:26) is two trailers that swear rock and roll will never die this Halloween.
TV Spots (1:06) has 2 commercials.
Radio Spots (2:00) has three commercials that DJs would play as you were driving around looking for the perfect Halloween costume. Ozzy and Gene are pushed as the stars.
Still Gallery (24:28) featuring optional audio interview with still photographer Phillip V. Caruso. He gets into what it is like to be the still photographer working around the director and cinematographer. He started as a camera assistant so he had a sense of how to do it. He is there to survey and archive the action for the promotion of the film. He wants to match the cinematographer’s lighting so his photo reflects what’s in the movie. He worked on other DEG films shot in Wilmington, NC. He landed this gig because Dino’s cousin didn’t want to fly to America after a bombing at Rome’s airport.
Vintage electronic press kit (5:09) has Charles Martin Smith point out that this is a rock and roll monster movie. This is what your local tv station would play on their entertainment show or segment on the news. Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne chime in.
Limited edition O-Card slipcover is only available on FIRST PRESSING ONLY!
Reversible Cover Art so you can pick your side.
Red Shirt Home Video and Synapse Films present Trick Or Treat. Directed by Charles Martin Smith. Screenplay by Joel Soisson, Michael S. Murphey and Rhet Topham. Starring Marc Price, Tony Fields, Lisa Orgolini, Doug Savant, Elaine Joyce, Glen Morgan, Clare Torao, Gene Simmons, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Nunn & Charles Martin Smith. Running Times: 98 minutes. Rating: Rated R. Release Date: March 11, 2025.
