Better than Circus Peanuts, that's for damn sure!
This is 1986's Trick or Treat. Of course, my copy is a foreign one (it was digital) and is titled Ragman.
No biggie.
The Plot involves a scorned Teen, a dead Rocker and the power of an evil spirit to control electricity. That sure is a popular Plot, from House III to Shocker to this (which came first). Hell, they're still doing it as of 2019's Star Wars- The Rise of Skywalker!
Can the Lead from Attack of the Killer Tomatoes IV save the day?
Is he metal enough for Riki Rachtman?
To find out, put down the candy and read on...
He's also bullied by some 22-year-old Students and pushed naked into the Gym.
Will he turn out to be The Rock too?!?
He practically worships a Singer named Sammi Curr, who fronts a fictional Metal Band.
Will he turn out to be The Rock too?!?
The one problem- Sammi is dead!
He meets with his DJ Friend (Gene Simmons in a Cameo) and they share in their grief.
He gives Eddie a Demo Copy of Sammi's last Single, which he will play on Halloween Night.
Bye, Gene- we never see you again!
Eddie falls for one girl (who looks like Milana Vayntrub) and is invited to a Pool Party- the School one, to be exact.
He's bullied again and that's the last draw!
He plays the record backwards and gets 'advice' from Sammi. It is super vague at first, but he's 100% into it.
His friend doesn't believe him.
He nearly decides not to save the bully, but does sneak a tape of Sammi's to the guy's girlfriend.
It makes great energy surround her and put her in the hospital...somehow.
This is NOT the kind of Film where you ask questions.
Ozzy Osbourne has a random Cameo as an Angry Preacher on TV.
Neat.
Of course, that means that many DVDs give him and Gene Simmons top-billing.
Playing the record more and using its power finally allows Sammi to break on through to the other side.
He now has full-on electric powers and is pretty much a walking Ex Machina.
In a strange moment, he reaches through the TV (below) and presses Ozzy against the edge of the TV, which...kills him...maybe...I guess.
Eddie tasks his friend with destroying the tape.
He plays it instead and is made to play it at the Halloween Party.
This summons Sammi again, who plays well...but then starts killing people with his ghost lightning powers (including the Director in his Cameo).
He turns on Eddie- although Eddie was clearly not on his side anymore anyhow- and tries to kill him at his House.
Through luck, throwing a light box at Sammi makes him trip and it reveals his weakness- water.
He's temporarily trapped with his hand in the toilet, something that Freddy Krueger would not stand for!
They have another face-off with him, but make it to the Station.
Simmons is not there (he's dead- I guess) and they can't stop the tape playing with Sammi there.
Eddie baits him and crashes his car into the river, destroying Sammi and somehow NOT injuring him in the slightest!
The End.
A fun Film, even if it barely makes a lick of sense.
Do you expect real logic in a Film like this? A Rock Singer comes back from the dead as an Electric Ghost.
Shakespeare never wrote anything like that- he didn't even know what the hell electricity is!
The selling point here is Eddie. He's supposed to be relatable. He's either you (a metalhead), your son you don't understand or your friend.
For his part, our Lead does a good job. The Actress who plays Leslie does as well.
Is Sammi a good replacement/substitute for a Freddy Krueger or a Jason Voorhees? No, but he tries. The late Actor/Dancer Tony Fields really shines here.
He's definitely better than the guy in Slumber Party Massacre II (although that Guitar/Drill is nice).
All in all, this is a Film that can certainly be a staple of an '80s Horror Fan's Library- as long as you know that Simmons and Osbourne are barely in this.
In case you didn't know that this was the '80s, here's a guy dressed as Rambo and Eddie's Mom as Madonna.
Happy Halloween. As for me, I enjoy getting lots of Candy for half price- diabetes be damned!
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