Trick or Treat – Red Shirt Pictures (UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1986
Director: Charles Martin Smith
Writers: Michael S. Murphey, Joel Soisson, Rhet Topham
Cast: Marc Price, Tony Fields, Lisa Orgolini, Doug Savant, Elaine Joyce, Glen Morgan, Gene Simmons, Ozzy Osbourne

Release Date: March 11th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 97 Minutes 12 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo English, DTS-HD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $44.95

"Rock 'n' roll will never die, in this 1980s cult favorite that stars Marc Price (Family Ties) as Eddie Weinbauer, a teenage outcast who idolizes Sammi Curr (Tony Fields), a heavy metal superstar. After Sammi dies a violent death, his spirit returns to help Eddie get even with his high school tormentors. In doing so, Sammi begins to gain control over Eddie's life and brings him deeper into the world of the occult. When Eddie realizes that he has become the tool of Sammi's vengeance, he attempts to stop him, and the horrifying events that follow leave no one unscathed." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative mastered in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) and approved by Director of Photography Robert Elswit."

Trick or Treat comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 90.1 GB

Feature: 82.2 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, color saturation, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: (DTS-HD Stereo English, DTS-HD 5.1 English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a DTS-HD stereo mix in English with removable English SDH. Both audio tracks sound excellent; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image Gallery with optional audio interview with still photographer Phillip V. Caruso (stills/posters/home video art), three radio spots (2 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), two TV spots (1 minute 6 seconds, Digital stereo English, no subtitles), two theatrical trailers (3 minutes 26 seconds, Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Vintage electronic press kit (5 minutes 9 seconds, Digital stereo English, no subtitles), After Midnight music video (3 minutes 46 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), Horror’s Hallowed Grounds: The Filming Locations of “Trick or Treat” with Sean Clark (26 minutes 31 seconds, Digital stereo English, no subtitles), In The Spotlight: A Tribute to Tony Fields featuring interviews with the late actor’s family and friends (15 minutes 7 seconds, Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Rock & Shock: The Making of “Trick or Treat” (81 minutes 16 seconds, Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio conversation with Paul Corupe and Allison Lang, authors of Satanic Panic: Pop-Cultural Paranoia in the 1980s (93 minutes, Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with director Charles Martin Smith, moderated by filmmaker Mark Savage, an audio commentary with writer/producer Michael S. Murphey and writer Rhet Topham, moderated by film historian Michael Felsher, reversible cover art, and O-Card slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

The spirit of a recently deceased rock and roll star helps a bullied high school student get revenge against his tormentors.

Trick or Treat was the directorial debut of Charles Martin Smith, a character actor known for American Graffiti, Starman, and The Untouchables. For a first-time director, he makes some interesting choices that a filmmaker already entrenched in the horror genre would not. Where most horror films rely on murder set pieces and jump scares, Trick or Treat is a character-driven film. That said, there are a handful of stylish moments visually, notably moments with Sammi Curr, the dead rock star.

The 1980s, for many horror film fans, produced some of this genre's most memorable films. Besides horror cinema, another staple of 1980s pop culture was heavy metal music. In the 1980s, horror cinema and heavy metal music were both targets of censorship, and Trick or Treat explores this. In the case of heavy metal music, it was often called Satanic, and there were claims of demonic messages when a record was played backwards.

When it comes to the performance, it is not difficult to get caught up in the cast's enthusiasm, especially Tony Fields, who portrays Sammi Curr. He delivers a scene stealing performance which elevates the character beyond a caricature. The cast features a pair of rock stars in secondary roles; Gene Simmons who portrays a radio DJ, and Ozzy Osbourne who portrays a reverend whose crusading against rock and roll music.

Another performance of note is Marc Price who portrays Eddie Weinbauer, a bullied high school student who idolizes Sammi Curr. He’s most known for portraying the nerdy Skippy from the TV series Family Ties and with Trick or Treat he’s given a character opposite of the one he’s most known for. That said, he delivers an excellent performance that anchors Trick or Treat.

Trick or Treat is more of a supernatural horror film than a gory body count that was synonymous with 1980s horror cinema. The well-executed narrative does an excellent job building momentum to an explosive finale. Though most of the kills are bloodless, when it comes to the special effects they hold up really well. Another key asset of Trick or Treat is its soundtrack, most of which are songs written and performed by Fastway. That said, Fastway’s songs really enhance the story that unfolds. Ultimately, Trick or Treat is an underrated supernatural horror film that fans of 1980s nostalgia should thoroughly enjoy.

Trick or Treat gets a definitive release from Red Shirt Pictures, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer