Trick or Treat is a 1986 American horror film that marked the directorial debut of noted character actor Charles Martin Smith, starring Marc Price, Tony Fields, and Lisa Orgolini, with special appearances by Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne.
The plot involves Eddie "Ragman" Weinbauer, a high school outcast and fanboy of devil-worshiping rock & roll icon, Sammi Curr, who died in a hotel fire. Devastated by his hero's death, Eddie receives the only surviving copy of Curr's last and only unreleased album, "Songs in the Key of Death" from "Nuke", a local DJ who knew Sammi personally. Nuke plans to play the album in its entirety on-air at midnight on Halloween as tribute to his dead friend. However, it turns out the tape is possessed by Sammi's ghost, who Eddie makes contact with. Sammi encourages Eddie to get revenge on his bullies at school, but over time murder becomes involved. With the help of his best friend Roger, Eddie plans on ridding himself of the tape and hence Sammi, but Sammi has other plans.
The film was released theatrically in the United States by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group in October 1986.
Not to be confused with 2007 horror film Trick 'r Treat.
This film provides examples of:
- Alpha Bitch: Gennie.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Eddie starts out as an outcast.
- Anti-Hero: Eddie started out as this.
- Achilles' Heel: Sammi's spirit can only travel through radios. Also with his electric powers, water doesn't work well for him.
- All Part of the Show: During the climax, it takes eight people to die for the crowd to realize what's happening.
- Asshole Victim: Tim
- A downplayed example would be the priest (ironically played by Ozzy Osbourne) who is preaching on the evils of rock and roll.
- Another downplayed example would be Gennie.
- Attempted Rape: Tim attempts to rape Leslie during the climax.
- Ax-Crazy: Sammi's true nature. According to Nuke, who knew him better than anyone, he was always like this.
- Big Bad: Sammi Curr.
- Big "SHUT UP!": Curr shows up at Eddie's friend Roger's house, pins him against the wall, and this exchange takes place:Roger: I am a big fan of yours. I have all your albums—Sammi: SHUT UP!
- Black Comedy Rape: Downplayed. Gennie's molestation isn't necessarily played for laughs, but it is played for fanservice.
- Body Horror: Gennie's ears begin to melt after her molestation.
- Part of Sammi's face is burned and scarred.
- The Bully: A lot of kids, but especially Tim.
- Casting Gag: Ozzy Osbourne as a virulently anti-rock priest. Gene Simmons to a lesser degree as the DJ who gives Eddie the cursed LP.
- Covers Always Lie: The DVD release of the film puts Ozzy Osbourne and Gene Simmons right on the cover, even though their roles in the film are relatively minor.
- Creator Cameo: Director Charles Martin Smith appears as the principal at the school dance.
- Dirty Coward: Tim has made it his life's mission to humiliate and torture Eddie to a horrific extreme. Once Eddie starts getting involved with dark magic, Tim yells spinelessly to him to stay away from him.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Sammy's voice.
- Dark Is Evil: Sammi Curr, the films Big Bad, and a devil-worshiping rockstar.
- Deal with the Devil
- Fanservice: Gennie strips naked under an orgasmic trance induced by Curr. Then her eyes flutter open and she sees a green gargoyle-like monster sitting on her.
- Faux Affably Evil: Sammi Curr.
- From Bad to Worse: At first, Sammi and Eddie's retaliation against the bullies was harmless, then Sammi began to get more violent.
- Heroic BSoD: Roger goes into one during Sammi's massacre.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Subverted. Eddie drives off an unfinished bridge to destroy Sammi once and for all and survives.
- I Shall Taunt You: Eddie defeats Sammi by taunting him so that he enters the police car he is driving, which soons falls on the greatest body of Sammi's weakness, the sea.
- Knight of Cerebus: The film has plenty of comic quirks, but they gradually dwell into Cerebus Syndrome thanks to Sammi.
- Lovable Alpha Bitch: Leslie, who likes Eddie despite facing scorn from the others.
- Manipulative Bastard: Curr. Until he reveals himself to Roger and outright threatens him into his bidding.
- Ms. Fanservice:
- Gennie, while in her trance.
- Before the climax, Leslie strips down into a bikini and her underwear, before Tim tries putting the moves on her.
- Murder by Inaction: Averted. Eddie briefly (and absolutely justifiably) considers when Tim is about to suffer a hideous death but ultimately decides against it and saves him. This led to Tim attempting to rape Leslie during the climax and Eddie tried to save him again, but this time Karma had another opinion..
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One-Scene Wonder: Gene Simmons plays a radio host at the very beginning of the movie, and Ozzy Osbourne shows up for a few seconds as a televangelist. - Pop-Star Composer: All the rock music in the film were provided by the band Fastway.
- The Power of Rock: Sammi Curr returns from the dead by the power of playing his record backwards.
- Subliminal Seduction: This movie is based on this as a plot point.
- Took a Level in Badass: Eddie and Roger in the climax.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Tim still acts like a dick toward Eddie, even when it's clear that he saved his life, among others, during Sammi's final rampage.
