Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Trick or Treats Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 12, 2021

A $55,000 budget doesn’t buy much, and such financial limitations are on display in 1982’s “Trick or Treats,” which is writer/director Gary Graver’s chance to participate in and lampoon the horror gold rush of the decade. It’s a cheap chiller from the Orson Welles collaborator/adult film helmer, who’s basically trying to slap together a simple slasher offering for the masses, putting very little thought into the details of the production. “Trick or Treats” isn’t scary, but it’s not always trying to creep viewers out, remaining in a weird holding pattern around potential areas of entertainment, determined to be about nothing when more ambitious writing could make something out of this weirdly inert endeavor.

It’s Halloween, and a full-grown adult, Linda (Jacqueline Giroux), is babysitting young magic enthusiast, Christopher (Gary’s son, Chris Graver), who’s determined to make the guardian’s life hell with pranks while his mother (Carrie Snodgrass) is enjoying a date night with her second husband (David Carradine). On the loose is the first husband, Malcolm (Peter Jason), who’s escaped from a mental health facility, newly determined to return home and murder his ex.

Awareness that Graver doesn’t have much to work with is immediate, as “Trick or Treats” opens with a lengthy sequence detailing Malcolm’s initial hospitalization, watching him battle two orderlies trying to capture him and bring him to a hospital. The scene goes on and on, but so does “Trick or Treats,” which provides almost no story, keeping busy with Christopher’s mean-spirited attacks on Linda, while Malcolm spends most of his screentime dressed as a nurse, crossing the city to seek revenge on the woman who put him away. Along the way, nothing of interest happens, and even Graver understands this, eventually adding two film editor characters to the mix, with the pair criticizing Hollywood for its addiction to cheap horror features while working on a scene from a cheap horror feature. And we see the work-in-progress sequence from a picture we know nothing about, because this movie isn’t getting to a 90-minute run time on its own.

Trick or Treats Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Listed as a "Hi-def master from the original camera negative," "Trick or Treats" makes its way to Blu-ray with an AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation that was originally offered in a 2015 release. "Trick or Treats" isn't a pretty picture to begin with, and the viewing experience isn't much better, with appreciable Halloween lighting and colorful costumes on kids and adults. Skintones are natural. The feature is dark, and delineation is satisfactory, doing okay with shadowy encounters and limited lighting. Detail is passable, exploring softer facial surfaces and textured clothing, along with interior decoration and magic contraptions. Grain is often chunky. Source is in decent condition, but scratches and speckling are common.

Trick or Treats Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix isn't sophisticated, leading with louder dialogue exchanges, which offer excitable performances to set the chiller mood. Scoring cues are quite random and basic, but offer satisfactory support. At the 11:51 mark, the film slips out of sync for a few lines, perhaps due to some source damage.

Subtitles are not offered on this release.

Trick or Treats Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Bucket List Theater Mode" (4:34, HD) presents host Katarina Leigh Waters, who's joined by her trusty stuffed toy pal, Mr. Pickles, to present a plot recap and detail career achievements with the cast and crew.

• "Outro" (2:37, HD) returns to Katarina Leigh Waters, who offers a few more "six degrees" tidbits before signing off with Mr. Pickles.

• Audio Interview (4:10) is a brief conversation with Steve Railsback, who charts his relationship with director Gary Graver, happy to help a friend out with a cameo. The interviewee recalls the cast, detailing his relationships, and celebrates Graver, getting emotional over his passing.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

Trick or Treats Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Graver is goofing around with "Trick or Treats," but he's not entirely committed to the comedy aspects of the feature, hesitant to satirize horror when trying to work up some thrills himself via Malcolm's return home. "Trick or Treats" is a confused picture, and a tedious one too, with Graver pushing unlikable characters involved in ridiculous situations, adding a touch of self-referential commentary to stay above a genre he clearly wants to profit from.