[EDITOR’S NOTE: Seeing as how this Halloween falls in the year 2013 the crew at SKC decided to invite 13 of our blogging brethren for a monster-sized countdown, weekdays now until Halloween day, celebrating each person’s favorite Halloween movie or animated special.]
The movie Trick or Treat was released in late October 1986. As a fan of hard rock/metal and horror movies at the time I, of course, went directly out and saw the movie in the theater. I remember really liking it. I picked up a few Fangoria magazines that talked about it. As a matter of fact, in Fangoria #63 (1987) they actually had a pull out poster featuring Sammi Curr from the movie.
It was a lot of fun. However, surprisingly, I have not seen this movie since that one time in the theater back in 1986. I’ve listened to the soundtrack multiple times, but I’ve not watched the movie. So this Halloween, I decided to it was high time I revisited this forgotten 80s horror gem.
A synopsis of the movie: Eddie “Rag Man” Weinbauer (Marc Price) is the #1 fan of metal rocker Sammi Curr (Tony Fields). Eddie lives in Curr’s old home town and goes to the same high school. Eddie is teased in school and generally doesn’t fit in. After writing a letter to his favorite rocker Eddie discovers that Sammi died in a mysterious hotel fire. Devastated, Eddie visits a local DJ, Nuke (Gene Simmons), who actually knew Sammi and the DJ gives him an acetate of Curr’s only unreleased album. After a near drowning by a bully at school Eddie discovers that he can talk to the undead rocker through the acetate record. And that Sammi has plans for all the people in town.
The movie is a treasure trove of awesome 80s horror goodness. First of all, there are several recognizable faces within. Starting with the lead, Marc Price (no, not the former point guard of the Cleveland Cavaliers). Marc is probably most known as Skippy from practically every season of Family Ties. Yeah, Skippy gets to headline his own movie. The very next year, Scott Valentine, who played Nick on the later seasons of Family Ties, would get to star in My Demon Lover for an excellent one-two punch double feature of “C-List Family Ties Stars Attempt to Transition into Movies”.
Marc main nemesis in this movie is played by the snarling Doug Savant. Known to me as gay Matt from Melrose Place, he’s also been in a ton of other stuff like Desperate Housewives and Teen Wolf. Next we get great cameos by rock luminaries Ozzy Osbourne as an evangelical preacher and Gene Simmons as the local disc jockey, Nuke. I have a sneaking suspicion that both of these gentleman were considered for the Sammi Curr role but opted to only do cameos.
Speaking of Sammi Curr, that role is played by Tony Fields who was in A Chorus Line: The Movie, Captain EO and the Thriller music video. He also died back in 1995.
So anyway, does this movie hold up? I say YES. This movie is so ridiculous and fun and the soundtrack by Fastway is the perfect fit. Only an 80s horror movie would use the “playing records backwards brings back the dead” plot line. Is Marc Price any good? No, not really. He’s sort of bland. Especially for this role in which he’s supposed to be this weird heavy metal worshiper. But he’s serviceable at least. Fields as Sammi Curr is actually pretty good for what we get. The music is by Fastway, so Fields doesn’t actually sing, but he looks the part. Doug Savant as Tim is really only a subplot, but he works in a “poor man’s William Zabka” way. The love interest, Leslie, as played by Lisa Orgolini is good. She’s attractive and isn’t just window dressing. She gets involved.
And let’s talk about the soundtrack. It’s typical, 80s hair metal. Which, of course, I loved. Fastway featured the bassist from Motorhead and the vocalist from Flogging Molly. The songs are actually pretty good and a nice representation of the genre. And perfect for this movie. The standouts for me being Trick or Treat, After Midnight and Stand Up.
So, all in all, you will have a good time with a fun over the top story, passable acting and a rocking soundtrack. Give it a shot.
Check out more HALLOWEEN 13 picks from our Guest Bloggers.
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This article is part of the Countdown to Halloween blogathon, a month-long blogging marathon dedicated to honoring the Halloween season. For more information and a full list of participating sites, please visit www.countdowntohalloween.com.