Trick or Treat

Eddie Weinbauer is a shy, bullied high school metalhead who finds his voice in the music of his blazing idol, the singer Sammi Curr. After Curr dies in a hotel fire, Eddie winds up with the only copy of Curr’s unreleased album, a tape that seems to respond to backmasking in unsettling ways. When Eddie spins the record late at night, he starts to hear Curr calling from the grooves, and soon the rocker appears in Eddie’s world in eerie, increasingly dangerous ways. As Halloween approaches, the line between fandom and fear blurs, and Eddie discovers that reviving a star can unleash forces that are far from a harmless prank. As night deepens Eddie wonders if Curr can be trusted.

Directed by Charles Martin Smith, Trick or Treat (1986) stems from a story by Michael S Murphey, Rhet Topham and Joel Soisson. It stars Marc Price as Eddie Weinbauer, with Tony Fields as Sammi Curr and Lisa Orgolini as Leslie.

Over the years Trick or Treat has become a cult favorite among 80s horror fans, capturing the tension between metal worship and real world danger. Its backmasking premise and heavy metal fantasy sparked fan art, midnight screenings, and ongoing talk about the power audiences invest in idols. Fans keep talking.

Critics at release often balanced the film's gory comedic energy with its campy tone, noting its goofy charm and occasional discomfort. The movie treats envy, bullying, and the temptations of fame as warning signs, chilling when unchecked and oddly human when friendship and belonging feel at stake. Even today too.

Worldwide box office was reported at 6,797,218 dollars, reflecting modest but steady interest for a midnight movie with a Halloween edge. The film built a small but enduring audience through home video and cult screenings. A modest enduring cult hit.