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Trick or Treat
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Red Shirt Video Review written by and copyright: Eric Cotenas (17th April 2025). |
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The Film
 The constant victim of bullying by the "braindead and airheads" of his school, Eddie Weinbauer (Family Ties' Marc Price) worships heavy metal artist Sammi Curr (A Chorus Line's Tony Fields), a school alumni whose music truly speaks to him. He is angered when the PTA cancels Curr's planned Halloween performance at the school over claims of obscenity and then devastated when he learns his idol has died in a hotel fire. He accepts an invitation to an after hours pool party from unrequited love interest Leslie (The Two Deaths' Lisa Orgolini), but after his chief bully Tim Hainey (Masquerade's Doug Savant) and his buddies humiliate and nearly kill him, he believes Leslie is in on it and feels even more isolated. Local DJ Nuke (singer Gene Simmons) plans to honor Curr by playing his unreleased final album "Songs in the Key of Death" at midnight on Halloween and gifts Eddie with the original acetate master. Playing the record, Eddie hears strange sounds that he realizes is backmasking – the practice of burying messages recorded backwards in a song that can only be understood by turning the record in reverse – and he comes to believe that the message "nail them all" is specifically for him while Eddie's buddy Roger (Glen Morgan) believes he is falling for a mareketing gimmick.. At school, he plays a prank on Tim that gets him and his buddies in trouble and turns to the record for further advice in anticipation of Tim's retaliation. When Tim attacks Eddie in metal shop and is nearly killed in a freak accident with a lathe, Eddie starts to believe that he is in contact with Sammi's vengeful spirit. When Tim's girlfriend (Elise Richards) is hospitalized in a prank meant for Tim that turns out deadlier than before, Eddie tries to destroy the record, but Sammi has special plans for the entire school on Halloween night with or without him. The directorial debut of actor Charles Martin Smith (American Graffiti), Trick or Treat was one of the few non-Stephen King horror efforts from producer Dino De Laurentiis who had moved stateside with a remake of King Kong and a string of big budget (David Lynch's Dune) and medium-budget (Amityville II: The Possession and Amityville 3-D) productions throughout the eighties, utilizing Earl Owensby's North Carolina film studio before building his own studio in Wilmington. Although on the surface the film has echoes of the archetypal bullied teen takes telekinetic revenge film Carrie, the film's story is actually quite of the zeitgeist, dealing with the hysteria over "rock pornography" and the "Satanic panic" over supposed messages hidden in heavy metal that informed contemporaries like The Gate, Rock and Roll Nightmare, and Black Roses, and the overbearing talking heads of moral concern embodied here by satirically by the likes of Pee Wee's Big Adventure's "Large Marge" Alice Nunn as a smug representative of the PTA and Ozzy Ozbourne lampooning the evangelists that started popping up on television in the eighties. The high school scenes feel rather generic – lacking the tension of similar scenes in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge from the same producers/co-writers Micheal S. Murphey (District 9) and Joel Soisson (Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence) who also produced The Boys Next Door and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure before both went on to produce franchise sequels for Miramax and Dimension Films – but Price is a compelling protagonist and the scenes of him on his own and communicating with the record voice are the best ones in the film. The other aspects of the film feel underdeveloped as to underline their obligatory presence, from his relationships with Roger and Leslie – the charming performances of Morgan and Orgolini in later scenes making it more apparent that the film really could have used more of them – as well as Eddie's with his mother (Motel Hell's Elaine Joyce), and even his relationship with the bullies (Savant's Tim is the only one whose name or face you will remember) so their comeuppance has no resonance even when Eddie is trying to save him. On the other hand, a more realistic film about such a character's isolation might have been darker and grimmer; and, indeed, co-writer Rhet Topham would take some of the film's concepts in darker directions with his Robert Englund's directorial debut 976-EVIL. The film's effects work by Kevin Yagher (Child's Play) and Doug Beswick's studio are proficient but not really the raison d'etre of the the film, but the film's best asset is the photography of Robert Elswit (Nightcrawler) who would move on to bigger things. The original score by genre heavyweight Christopher Young (Hellraiser), on the other hand, is overshadowed by the songs. 
Video
Due to the bankruptcy of De Laurentiis Entertainment Group and indifferent theatrical distribution from Lorimar and their video distribution deal with Warner, Trick or Treat remained a cult item to be discovered on videotape well into the digital era with the various DVDs popping up around the world from video sources including the domestic Platinum DVD. A Blu-ray appeared in various mediabook forms in Austria utilizing a 35mm print but this Blu-ray – and concurrent 4K UltraHD – from extras producer Michael Felsher's Red Shirt Video (distributed by Synapse Films) comes from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative and is a stunner, transforming what seemed on video like a bland-looking TV movie (appropriate given Price's presence and where De Laurentiis' theatrically-intended Sometimes They Come Back ended up). The eighties backlighting and smoke no longer flattens the imagery of Eddie's bedroom shrine to Sammi Curr whose poster is backed by deep blacks that he could step out of, although the Halloween dance climax is more subject to those cinematographic elements as well as chaotic editing and overlaid optical effects. There is a shot here and there where the focus is not rock solid but this three million dollar production finally looks like a studio film (even if it's De Laurentiis' Wilmington studio). 
Audio
Newly remixed DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and original Ultra Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 options are included. The 2.0 mix gets the point across with some nice umph to the music while the 5.1 track is a respectful rechanneling of the audio stems with an added sense of depth with the surrounds enhancing some of the explosions and electrical effects. Dialogue is always clear, and Simmons' soft-spoken radio DJ delivery sends a shiver in the opening. Optional English SDH subtitles are included that also transcribe lyrics. 
Extras
Extras start off with an audio commentary by director Charles Martin Smith, moderated by filmmaker Mark Savage in which he discusses being a child actor and then wanting to direct after working alongside director Carroll Ballard (Fly Away Home) on the long production of Disney's Never Cry Wolf for which he had also written the narration. Casting director Mike Fenton (Blade Runner) had actually informed him about a horror production looking for a new director and that he had Elswitt to lean on with the technical aspects when he got the job, although he also reveals that two other cinematographers he had wanted were Russell Carpenter (Titanic) and Daryn Okada (Mean Girls) but the studio judged that they were not experienced enough, having just recently lensed (respectively) the likes of Lady in White and Phantasm II. He also discusses the moral panic over heavy metal at the itme and the practice of backmasking, as well as finding a balance between horror and satire, deliberately pulling back. Smith also reveals that it was Soisson's and Murphey's idea to cast writer Morgan as Roger and that he and partner James Wong (Jet Li's The One) had also done some revisions on the script. Another alternate track over the feature is actually a pair of audio interviews with writer/producer Michael S. Murphey and writer Rhet Topham, moderated by film historian Michael Felsher in which Murphey recalls working as a production runner on films in Los Angeles where he met Soisson and their early work for Sandy Howard as well as nearly blowing off New Line's Robert Shaye when he offered them the Elm Street sequel. De Laurentiis offered them the project after confirming the low budget of the Freddy film, stipulating the strict budget of three million dollars and offering them a pair of treatments which they did not like. The pair tried writing the script themselves before being recommended Topham who had already written a script about backmasking and heavy metal. He also reveals that The Boys Next Door's Penelope Spheeris was originally intended to direct it. He also discusses the casting – including Simmons and Osbourne – shooting in Wilmington, the film's special effects, and the poor distribution. Another alternate track features an audio conversation with Paul Corupe and Allison Lang, authors of "Satanic Panic: Pop-Cultural Paranoia in the 1980s" in which they discuss the eighties Satanic Panic and its earlier roots, the emphasis on family roles – particularly mothers working away from home and parents' concerns over not knowing what their kids are doing – the greater availability of music and movies as home media, recovered memories, false prosecutions and evangelists becoming both talking heads and "rock stars" of a fashion; the latter going into entertaining detail on some of the people who made their names then and some who continue to this day in spite of being debunked.  The disc also includes Felsher's brand new feature-length documentary "Rock & Shock: The Making of Trick or Treat" (81:17) features actors Price, Morgan, Richards, and Larry Sprinkle (Firestarter) who plays the talk show host in the scenes featuring Osbourne, director Smith, producer Soisson – who reveals that one of the treatments Di Laurentiis gave them that they deemed awful was penned by Stephen King – writer Topham, costume designer Jill Ohanneson (Six Feet Under), assistant set costumer Francine Decoursey who passed away earlier this year, construction foreman Tom Jones, Jr. who crewing Halloween Kills when he was cast as Dr. Samuel Loomis, special make-up effects artist Everett Burrell (Freddy's Nightmares), music executive producer Stephen E. Smith (Thir13en Ghosts), composer Young, Felsher himself discussing the social context of the film during his youth, and a "special appearance" by Simmons that may have been shot at some other point. The multiple perspectives address the scripting, the production at Di Laurentiis' studio, the film's special effects, and its reception and "afterlife". Of particular interest is the casting of dancer Fields, the contrasting attitudes of Simmons and Osbourne to the project, and the music by Fastway, a British heavy metal band who recorded the music in Ireland at U2's studio and though that the film would be their big break. "In The Spotlight: A Tribute to Tony Fields" (15:08) is a series of recollections of Fields' mother, sister, cousin, and friends about his childhood interest in theater and dance, driving to L.A. after high school and living in his car while auditioning, his work on Debbie Reynolds' touring show, A Chorus Line, and the TV variety Solid Gold where his friends and family at home could tune in and see him weekly. They also share their recollections of his HIV-related cancer and final days before his early death in 1995. "Horror's Hallowed Grounds: The Filming Locations of Trick or Treat" (26:31) is a 2022 episode of Sean Clark's show in which he revisits the North Carolina locations including the schools and suburban houses used in the film, the downtown Wilmington locations, along with the former De Laurentiis studios which now belong to Screen Gems (Clark cites construction foreman Jones in clarifying what was shot on sets). Its less picturesque than some of Clark's location visits of other films but it is interesting to see what remains and what has been remodeled beyond recognition. Clark does note that actress Richards was in a music video by W.A.S.P. whose Blackie Lawless was also considered to play Sammi Curr but he did not want to lip sync someone else's voice. Clark also notes that the soundtrack also includes Only Child's "Scream Until You Like It" which W.A.S.P. would re-record for Ghoulies II the following year. The disc also includes "After Midnight" (3:47) is a music video of one of the Fastway songs featuring Fields and what appears to be the musicians from the film's climax intercut with clips form the film, a still gallery featuring an optional audio interview with still photographer Phillip V. Caruso (24:28), the original vintage electronic press kit (5:10) featuring talking heads including Osboure and Simmons ridiculing the notion of Satanic heavy metal, and 2 theatrical trailers (3:37), 2 TV spots (1:08), and 3 radio spots (2:01). 
Overall
Heavy metal actually raises hell in the eighties horror cult film Trick or Treat finally restored in 4K on Blu-ray and 4K UltraHD.
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