HOME   News   Reviews   Adv Search   Features   My DVD   About   Apps   Stats     Search:
  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.78:1
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  Subtitles
  • None
  Extras
  • 4 Teaser trailer

Trick or Treat

Umbrella Entertainment/AV Channel . R4 . COLOR . 93 mins . M15+ . PAL

  Feature
Contract

It is time for a little retro horror. The ingredients are all here - the teenager who is picked on by the school's "in" crowd, the desire for revenge, cameo roles from the most popular father on television Ozzy Osbourne and the God of Thunder himself Gene Simmons - but does it work? Too right it does! This little gem from the time when clothes were out of this world and hairstyles were out of a can of hairspray comes close to deserving cult status.

Eddie (Marc Price) is your typical ‘80s teenager. He is a heavy metal lover and is therefore classed as a freak by the “cool” kids at school. He enjoys most metal bands, but his one true idol is Sammi Curr. Tragically, Sammi is killed in a hotel fire and Eddie is devastated. He visits his local DJ friend Nuke (Gene Simmons) who gives him the only copy in existence of Sammi’s unreleased new album. Eddie is ecstatic and rushes home to listen and mourn Sammi’s death, however while listening to the record he hears a muffled voice. After closer inspection, he discovers that when the record is played backwards he can hear Sammi speaking. Now I can hear you all sighing and saying that this is just too clichéd to be true but wait, there’s more! The voice is not saying “Satan is good” or “Paul is dead” but is actually speaking directly to Eddie, telling Eddie he's going to help him gain revenge on the jocks. Let the terror begin!

"Nail them all!"

This is as about as ‘80s as you can get. Those hoping for a major contribution from Gene Simmons of Kiss and Ozzy Osbourne will be disappointed in one respect, but thrilled in another. The disappointment will come from the brief time each is on screen, but the pleasing side is that their contributions are enormous, Ozzy in particular. I don’t want to give anything away and spoil the surprise, but the character played by Ozzy has to be seen to be believed. Anyone that has seen The Osbournes will appreciate Ozzy’s appearance here as he manages to say whole paragraphs without swearing and forgetting what he was talking about, which is very amusing.

The character of Eddie is played by comedian Marc Price, not a household name by any means, but most will recognise him as Skippy from the ‘80s sitcom Family Ties. He is not playing the same character here though, so is nowhere near as annoying. The group of jocks that give Eddie endless grief are led by Doug Savant, who most will remember as our favourite token gay guy in Melrose Place. Another name of note from this film is Glen Morgan who plays Eddie’s best friend Roger. Glen has not done much acting since, but has gone on to become a writer and producer for projects such as The X Files and the Jet Li lemon The One. Overall this is a well suited cast and an enjoyable horror flick.

  Video
Contract

I must admit I was expecting a pan and scan transfer for this film, it even said so on the cover, but I was pleasantly surprised to see it come up in 1.78:1. Now this is not 16:9 enhanced, but that would just be greedy, anyway! The source material for this film must have been the best they could find, but it does suffer in quite a few areas. The biggest problem is film artefacts, predominantly white flecks, for they are rife. There is also quite a bit of grain and softness, but due to the age of the film these can be forgiven to a great extent. Colours are a little washed out and aged, as are black depths, but all of these problems can again be excused due to age. Overall this is not a terrific transfer, but it is reasonable. There are a lot of titles around older than this one that look better, but not many so this is as good as expected.

  Audio
Contract

Audio is supplied in the default English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround and quite decent it is too, well it is considering I didn’t expect too much for a film of this age. Surround use is extensive, but not the best advertisement for separation. They really have done the best they could with the source material and this DD 5.1 track makes for much better listening than a stereo track would have. The supporting music is a driving force in this film and this is presented well. Music is basically spread across all speakers, but it does add to the feel. Dialogue is generally clear throughout and there are no synch problems to speak of. Without giving the audio a bagging or even too much praise, the best way to sum it up is to say it is a lot better than expected. As is the case with the video, there are a lot of other titles of this age with much worse sound.

  Extras
Contract

The only extras for this release are a selection of four teaser trailers. These are for the films The Stepfather, Shallow Grave, Red Rock West and Bouncer – Behind the Velvet Rope. All are showing their age and are perhaps not good advertisements for their DVD releases, but having these is better than no extras at all.

  Overall  
Contract

Overall this is a film that could be classed as an ‘80s semi-cult film. Performances are entertaining and the storyline is also enjoyable, and frankly to see Ozzy Osbourne in this role is worth the purchase price alone, while the small appearance of Gene Simmons will no doubt inspire Kiss fans to add it to the collection. Picture and sound quality are reasonable - certianly better than expected - and it is a fine example of good old fashioned horror in a rock'n'roll style, so check it out!


  • LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=2216
  • Send to a friend.

    Cast your vote here: You must enable cookies to vote.
  •   
      And I quote...
    "Worth the purchase price just to see Ozzy Osbourne and Gene Simmons, even though they are only cameo roles."
    - Adrian Turvey
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Sony DVP-NS305
    • TV:
          AKAI CT-29S55AT 68cm
    • Receiver:
          Sony STR-DE685
    • Speakers:
          Sony SAVE815ED
    • Centre Speaker:
          Sony SAVE815ED
    • Surrounds:
          Sony SAVE815ED
    • Subwoofer:
          Sony SAVE815ED
      Recent Reviews:
    by Adrian Turvey

    The Rise & Rise of Australian Rugby - The Bledisloe Cup: Deluxe Edition
    "This is a quality package for fans of rugby, as well as fans of Australian sporting history."

    Youssou N'Dour - Live at Union Chapel
    "The talented African singer gives a fine performance in this show."

    The Wailers - Live
    "Keep the pizza delivery phone number handy for this one!"

    Matchbox Twenty - Show: A Night in the Life of
    "Great band, great spectacle, great sound, great show!"

    Manchester United - Beyond the Promised Land
    "Fans of Manchester United should enjoy this release, for others it may induce vomiting! "

      Related Links
      None listed

     

    Search for Title/Actor/Director:
    Google Web dvd.net.au
       Copyright DVDnet. All rights reserved. Site Design by RED 5   
    rss