''Trick or Treats'' is a 1982 American

slasher Slasher may refer to: * Slasher (basketball), a style of play in basketball * Slasher film, a subgenre of the horror film * Slasher (tool), a scrub-clearing implement * ''Slasher'' (2004 film), a 2004 documentary film * ''Slasher'' (2007 film) ...

dark comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

film directed by

Gary Graver Gary Foss Graver (July 20, 1938 – November 16, 2006) was an American film director, editor, screenwriter and cinematographer. He was a prolific filmmaker, working in various roles on over 300 films, but is best known as Orson Welles' final ci ...

and starring Jacqueline Giroux,

Peter Jason Peter Edward Ostling (born July 22, 1944), also known as Peter Jason, is an American character actor. He has appeared in over eighty films and a hundred television series. He played Con Stapleton in the series '' Deadwood''. He was a frequent col ...

, Chris Graver,

David Carradine David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor best known for playing martial arts roles. He is perhaps best known as the star of the 1970s television series ''Kung Fu'', playi ...

Carrie Snodgress Caroline Louise Snodgress (October 27, 1945 – April 1, 2004) was an American actress. She is best remembered for her role in the film ''Diary of a Mad Housewife'' (1970), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award as w ...

, and

Steve Railsback Stephen Railsback is an American theatre, film, and television actor. He is best known for his performances in the films ''The Stunt Man'' and Lifeforce (film), ''Lifeforce'', and his portrayal of Charles Manson in the 1976 television mini-series ...

Plot

Malcolm O'Keefe is admitted to an asylum by his wife, Joan. After a brief struggle, Malcolm is captured and taken away by two workers. Several years later, Linda is called to babysit Joan's son Christopher on Halloween night while Joan and her new husband, Richard, attend a Halloween party. Christopher plays tricks on Linda, such as using a fake guillotine, throwing a smoke bomb at her, and using a joy buzzer. At the asylum, Malcolm contemplates his escape after having been there for nearly four years. Malcolm manages to escape with help from another inmate and vows to get revenge on those who put him away. After Linda calls her friend Andrea to bring film to her, Linda goes outside to look for Christopher. Malcolm enters the house in search of Joan and hides in the attic. Andrea enters the house, and Malcolm fatally stabs her, mistaking her for Joan. Linda and Christopher go back into the house, and Brett calls Linda. After the call, Linda goes upstairs to find Christopher asleep. Linda goes downstairs, and Malcolm attacks her. She tricks Malcolm and runs outside and hides in the shed. Malcolm enters the shed and sees all his old belongings, reminiscing over them. Malcolm finds where Linda is hiding, only for her to escape again. She gets in her car, but it won’t start, and then she runs back to the house again. Linda then barricades Christopher and herself in Christopher’s room. Unbeknownst to Linda, Malcolm burst through the other door to Christopher’s room and attacks Linda once more, this time to be fatally injured by the guillotine toy altered by Linda to become an actual one. After which, Linda goes downstairs to call the police, and Christopher takes Malcolm’s knife. The movie ends with a freeze-frame of Christopher about to stab Linda to death.

Cast

*Jackelyn Giroux – Linda *

– Malcolm O'Keefe *Chris Graver – Christopher O'Keefe *

– Richard Adams *

– Joan O'Keefe Adams *

– Brett *

Jillian Kesner Jillian Kesner-Graver (August 9, 1949 – December 5, 2007), credited onscreen as Jillian Kesner, was an American actress and historian who worked with her husband, Gary Graver, to preserve the work and legacy of director Orson Welles. She was b ...

– Andrea *

Dan Pastorini Dante Anthony Pastorini (born May 26, 1949) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Houston Oilers. He played college football at Santa Clara University and wa ...

– 1st Attendant *

Tim Rossovich Timothy John Rossovich (March 14, 1946 – December 6, 2018) was an American football linebacker and a television and movie actor, active from 1977 to 1998. He was the brother of actor Rick Rossovich. Biography Rossovich was born in Palo Alt ...

– 2nd Attendant *

Paul Bartel Paul Bartel (August 6, 1938 – May 13, 2000) was an American actor, writer and director. He was perhaps most known for his 1982 hit black comedy ''Eating Raoul'', which he wrote, starred in and directed. Bartel appeared in over 90 movies and ...

– Bum *

Catherine E. Coulson Catherine Elizabeth Coulson (October 22, 1943 – September 28, 2015) was an American stage and screen actress who worked behind the scenes on various studio features, magazine shows and independent films as well as acting in theater and film s ...

– Nurse Reeves *

John Blyth Barrymore John Blyth Barrymore III (born May 15, 1954) is an American film and television actor. He is known for his role as Zeke in the 1970s television series ''Kung Fu'', which was his first role on television. Biography John Blyth Barrymore III was b ...

– Mad Doctor

Critical reception

Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...

gave the film a negative review, writing "Genre fans generously overlook bad logic in exchange for action and overkill, but the plot holes that litter director/screenwriter Gary Graver's story are never plugged with the cheap spectacle that might have given this by-the-numbers stalker film a reason to exist."

Release

The film was released October 29, 1982 in theatres in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It was later released on VHS by

Vestron Video Vestron Video was the main subsidiary of Vestron, Inc., a home video company based in Stamford, Connecticut, that was active from 1981 to 1993, and is considered to have been a pioneer in the home video market. The name is now used for a collecto ...

. On November 9, 2013, the film was officially released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

with a limited Blu-Ray release by

Code Red DVD Code Red DVD was an independent American home entertainment company specializing in retro grindhouse, exploitation, and horror films, operated by Bill Norton Olsen. The company originally began releasing films on DVD in 2006, and later began rel ...

References

External links

* * * 1982 films American teen horror films 1982 independent films 1980s serial killer films 1980s teen horror films American slasher films Halloween horror films 1980s slasher films 1980s English-language films Films directed by Gary Graver 1980s American films {{1980s-horror-film-stub