We’re two-fifths through this year’s monumental Nightmare Fuel journey, a milestone to be sure. Let’s rest our feet a bit with something of a quick one, eh? Not to be confused with Trick ‘r Treat or Trick or Treat, we’re looking at 1982’s Trick or Treats (that pluralization makes all the difference, don’tcha know).
The plot here centers on Linda, a young woman stuck babysitting a rich little brat while his parents are off partying somewhere where the well-to-do do their partying. This damn kid fancies himself a practical joker, tormenting the already short-fused Linda with his constant pranks. Her night gets much, much worse, though, when the boy’s real father shows up. See, a few years ago, the mother had the father committed to an asylum against his will, all so she could more easily be with the man she was having an affair with (what can I say, David Carradine is just so damn smooth). Needless to say, he was a tad peeved by this, so he’s broken out to get his vengeance on the shrew, only to find Linda here in her place. That sucks.
This film is something of a weird one. The first several minutes show the Men in White Uniforms go in and forcibly straight-jacket this poor man out of nowhere, clearly something that’s within protocol (come to think of it, I saw it quite a lot in Bugs Bunny cartoons…). It’s drawn-out and kinda sad, even if it does elicit some small, guilty laughs. Then things just turn into a partially-comic slasher of sorts, the tone wavering between fun and bloodthirsty without every truly finding a level.
It’s definitely nothing special in the annals of slashers or any kind of early-’80s horror, but it certainly has its moments every now and again. The kid is one of the more obnoxious this side of Room and The Babadook, but this time it’s clearly intentional (doesn’t help us any, mind you, but it’s worth noting all the same). Give it a go if you haven’t seen it and you wanna complete the trick-or-treat set. ‘Nuff said, really.
Allusions of Grandeur 