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The next movie on my October Movie List is one of the older ones on my list. It hails from my high school days, which, now dating myself, was in the 1980s. Sometimes I like to pretend the 80s was only twenty or so years ago just so I don’t have to think about how long ago it actually was and feel depressed.

Trick or Treat (1986): Directed by Charles Martin Smith

Writers: Rhet Topham, Michael S. Murphey, Joel Soisson.

Not to be confused with numerous other movies with similar ( or the same) names, like Trick r Treat, Trick or Treat (2019) or Trick or Treats, this Trick or Treat was released just a few days shy of Halloween in 1986. It was directed by Charles Martin Smith, who appears to have much more credits as an actor than directing credits.

I saw this movie in the theatre in 1986 and though I can’t specifically recall what attracted me to wanting to go see it, I am sure it likely had something to do with the fact that it was marketed towards high school age kids ( I was sixteen in 1986) and even more appealing, was a horror movie about a fictional rock musician who comes back from the dead, had a soundtrack by metal band Fastway, and cameo appearances by famous rock legends Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne. Any 1980s teenager who liked rock music and horror movies, and was a fan of Kiss and Ozzy, would have been intrigued by such a combination, even though everything about the movie screamed “low budget” and it certainly wasn’t a blockbuster. I believe it was considered a flop, to be honest, though I understand that it does have something of a cult following now.

I wasn’t exactly a “metal-head” as they were often called in those days, but much like I am still today, I liked a wide variety of different kinds of music, and I was a fan not only of Ozzy, but of other bands from that era that we now usually refer to as “hair bands” or “hair metal”; Ratt, Cinderella, Motley Crue, Def Leppard and, yes, even Bon Jovi, were among my favorites. So, I suppose I was exactly the sort of teenager that was the intended demographic for this film.

The cast, other than the guest appearances of Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne, wasn’t exactly notable. One of the few actors in the cast that would have been well-known at that time to audiences was Marc Price, who played the lead character in the film, Eddie Weinbauer. Eddie also self-styled himself as ‘Ragman’ in the movie, though the reason for this nickname was never explained. Marc Price was well-known to 1980s audiences as nerdy neighbor Skippy Handelman from the very popular TV Series, Family Ties, which ran from 1982 to 1989 and made Michael J. Fox a star. In the TV series, Skippy was friends with Alex P. Keaton ( Fox) and close with the Keaton family, and most notably had a crush on Mallory Keaton ( Justine Bateman) throughout the series. Also in the cast, playing jock Tim Hainey, is actor Doug Savant, who had appeared mostly in TV series as supporting cast, like Cagney and Lacey and Knots Landing. Savant later became more well-known when he was cast in the wildly popular 1990s TV series, Melrose Place, but in 1986 he certainly wasn’t someone most audiences would have recognized. In fact, many of the actors who appeared in this film were mostly TV actors, whose careers were mostly appearances in TV series and soap operas, like Elaine Joyce, who played Eddie’s mother, Angie, and Lisa Orgolini, who played Leslie, the girl Eddie has a crush on. The director of this film, Charles Martin Smith, also appears in the movie, playing Mr. Wimbley, the school principal.

The title role of the metal rocker who comes back from the dead, Sammi Curr, was played by Tony Fields, who was a dancer, famous for his performances on the TV series, Solid Gold, and also had appeared in numerous music videos, two of them were Michael Jackson videos, “Beat It” and “Thriller”. Tony’s dance background is evident in the scenes in the film where the undead Sammi performs onstage at Lakeridge High School’s Halloween dance. He later appeared in small roles in numerous TV series but his part as Sammi Curr was probably his best-known role. He died in 1995 of AIDS-related cancer.

The basic premise of the movie is about high school student and metal-head Eddie (Price) whose idol is hard rock star Sammi Curr (Fields). Eddie is picked on a lot at school, and bullied by a popular jock named Tim Hainey (Savant) and Tim’s friends. He feels like an outcast, and is often angry. He considers himself Sammi’s biggest fan, and writes him numerous fan letters, feeling that he and Sammi have a lot in common because Sammi is from Eddie’s hometown and was a student at his same high school, once upon a time, and struggled ,like Eddie, with being bullied as a teen.

When Eddie learns that his idol has died in a hotel fire, he is devastated and goes to a local radio station to see a DJ he knows named Nuke ( played superbly by Gene Simmons). Nuke gives Eddie a special gift, a demo record, the only one of it’s kind, the last recording by Sammi Curr. After a particularly bad incident at a pool party, Eddie vows revenge on his tormentors and discovers that by playing Sammi Curr’s last record backwards, he can receive messages and communicate with Sammi. At first Eddie is overjoyed. With Sammi’s “advice” he is able to get back at Hainey and his cohorts, but of course, things soon turn ominous and more serious and when Hainey’s girlfriend Genie is nearly killed, Eddie tries to destroy the record, but an enraged demonic Sammi is resurrected and then goes on a rampage in the town, starting at the high school’s Halloween dance. It is now up to Eddie, with help from his friend Roger and Leslie, his crush, to save the town from the supernaturally-powered evil version of Sammi Curr.

For some reason this film always stuck with me, although I can’t say that it’s especially good and upon re-watch in later years I realized that it’s not really particularly scary or bloody either, and not really that “gory” with the exception of a couple scenes. The special effects are pretty minimal and nothing outstanding, though I liked the makeup they did for Sammi’s half-burned-off-face and his costume and hair was absolutely perfect and the epitome of the 80s ‘hair metal’ look. Perhaps I was less jaded in 1986 than I am now. Maybe the movie seemed scarier on the big screen.

Maybe I still like this movie so much because of the nostalgia factor, as cozy and comforting to me as a 1980s Huey Lewis and the News song. It’s 80s realism at it’s best; the clothes, the cars, the stereo equipment, Eddie’s Sanyo “Walkman”, even the frilly patchwork throw pillows and shag carpeting in Eddie’s house look like every house from that era. Movies and TV series of today that try to get the’ 80s look’ always seem to get it wrong and focus too much on the “fads”, dressing everyone in neon colors and side ponytails or looking like a Valley Girl or Madonna during her “Like a Virgin” phase, ( or dress completely weird in un-matching clothes, are you listening Stranger Things?) but most people looked and dressed like the actors in this film. Since I don’t imagine this movie had a big budget, I can assume that most people cast to be extras and background in this film were probably just regular locals wearing regular clothes.

I also think the very satirical addition of Ozzy Osbourne in a cameo appearance as televangelist Reverand Aaron Gilstrom, who preaches against the “evil” rockers and “sick and bizarre” lyrics and music, is still pretty hilarious. Younger people who were not alive in the 1980s may not really “get” the satire, but this movie was on point to the “fears” of that time period, that heavy metal or metal music was “satanic” and people who were fans of rock music were in danger of turning into devil-worshippers.

It’s hard for me to pinpoint the reason for my fondness of this movie, and why I still like it despite it’s obvious shortcomings and how dated it’s become, but I suspect it’s charm lies in it’s poignancy and humor and still remains meaningful to an old 80s rocker like myself.