Friday, October 7, 2022

TRICK OR TREATS

 

Trick or Treats Movie Review

Several years after being admitted to an insane asylum, Malcolm O'Keefe (Peter Jason) escapes, vowing revenge on his ex-wife, Joan (Carrie Snodgrass), for having him committed. What he doesn't know, however, is that Joan is out on the town, and the house is occupied by Linda (Jackelyn Giroux), who is babysitting Christopher (Chris Graver), a brat of a child who continuously pulls tricks on her and reminds me why I never wanted kids. He's irritating, but is he the most annoying child in horror history?

Nope

Dubbed a slasher, this flick has very little actually happening. We see the kid tricking Linda repeatedly (how she kept falling for his nonsense is anybody's guess) and Malcolm escaping the asylum in drag--there's a repeated gag about guys mistaking him for a woman--it's not funny the first time...or any time after that. In fact, the film attempts comedy several times, and never quite hits. One could argue it borders on being a parody of the horror genre--the best example of this is when two women are editing a horror movie, providing the most entertaining and interesting part of Trick or Treats. After what seems an eternity, Malcolm arrives at the home, and we have our first death scene--70 minutes into the film. From there, it's Linda trying to avoid Malcolm, until the killer meets his fate in a most ridiculous manner. 

Watch your step

The acting is bad, but honestly, they didn't have a lot to work with. David Carradine (Q: The Winged Serpent), who I'm convinced would take on any role to make a buck, shows up long enough to establish Joan has remarried...and to sexually harass the babysitter. The story was dull and made little sense--the fact that Malcolm has no contact with Joan after his escape is mindboggling. The final 20 minutes bring the movie up somewhat, but practically everything that happens before it (save for the editing scene) is a test of patience. If nothing else, Trick or Treats proves that not all 1980s horror is awesome.

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 4

 
Trick or Treats Movie Trailer

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