Flashback Friday

Trick Or Treat (1986)

Happy Halloween my fellow Retroholics!  Since it's now Hallow's Eve I've chosen a heavy metal horror flick that features a plethora of metal tracks, as well as a brief appearance by KISS's front-man Gene Simmons and a cameo by the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osborne.

1986's Trick or Treat, directed by Charles Martin Smith, is about a bullied high school outcast named Eddie Weinbauer, a metal head who's hero is a local musician named Sammi Curr.   After hearing about Sammi's tragic death in a hotel fire, Eddie is devastated and visits his friend Nuke(Gene Simmons), a local radio DJ who knew Sammi personally.  Nuke gives Eddie the only copy of Sammi's final unreleased album "Songs in the Key of Death."  While playing the album in reverse Eddie begins to hear hidden messages from Sammi telling him to get revenge on the bullies who torment him.  At first his revenge starts seems innocent, resulting in getting the bully's in trouble at school.  Eddie copies the demo onto a cassette and gives it to one of the bully's who's girlfriend is hospitalized after listening to it.

Realizing how sinister things have gotten, Eddie tries to end Sammi's plans but Sammi refuses to stop.  Knowing how dangerous the tape is, Eddie orders his friend Roger to retrieve the tape from the bully and destroy it.  Roger lies to Eddie about destroying the tape and ends up listening to it.  Sammi threatens to kill Roger if he doesn't play the cassette at the high school Halloween dance that night.  Obeying Sammi's orders, Roger plays the tape during the dance.  At the same time Eddie's crush Leslie calls him on the phone asking where he is and Eddie overhears the music.  Realizing it's Sammi's tape, he races to the dance to save Leslie and stop Sammi from causing more havoc but when he arrives Sammi has already resurrected and begun performing on stage, firing lightning bolts at the audience from his guitar causing the crowd to flee in terror.  With Nuke planning to play a midnight broadcast of Sammi's album over the radio Eddie must come up with a plan to destroy Sammi before it hits the air waves and wreaks more carnage throughout the town.

The soundtrack is packed with enjoyable metal tracks by the band Fastway.  If you're looking for some rockin' synthwave to accommodate this film, check out DANCE WITH THE DEAD's debut album "Out of Body" which is an absolute work of art amongst the scene and features some great guitar shredding.

So after you've been fattened up by all your Halloween candy, and nursing that Halloween party hangover this weekend definitely check this flick out!  To all of you planning to cause some carnage this Hallow's Eve, I would like to say be very safe, and have lots of fun! Catch you all next week, rockers!


-Magnum Crockett