Scott LeBrun This supposed horror spoof came to us courtesy of the legendary B movie cinematographer Gary Graver, here functioning as screenwriter, editor, D.P., and director. I can get that it's attempting to mock "Halloween" type films, but it seriously lacks any sort of wit, and Graver fails to make it particularly interesting, despite the magic angle. There's a number of familiar faces here, but they're mostly just picking up paychecks in brief special appearances (especially Steve Railsback, who you only ever see on the phone). Graver doesn't achieve any sort of tension, and some of the characters are beyond annoying. There are some guffaws to be had, but they're few and far between.Top billed Jacqueline Giroux is clearly too old for her role, but is undeniably sexy as Linda, a struggling actress who agrees to take a babysitting gig because it will pay well. The kid in question is Christopher O'Keefe (who's played by Chris Graver, the real-life son of Gary G. and co-star Jillian Kesner), whose mother Joan (Carrie Snodgress) had her husband Malcolm (character actor Peter Jason, recognizable for his work with Walter Hill and John Carpenter) wrongly committed to an insane asylum. Joan has remarried, to a magician named Richard Adams (David Carradine), and Malcolm busts out of the asylum - disguised as a nurse - to wreak revenge on Joan. Meanwhile, Christopher spends the whole night terrorizing Linda with a series of macabre pranks.If there's anything giving "Trick or Treats" any sort of stature, it's the fact that none other than Orson Welles, for whom Graver worked on Welles's later film projects, is credited as the "magic consultant". And these magic gags do manage to be mildly amusing. Otherwise, this is pretty blah stuff. Jason in drag is a sight to behold, in any event. Railsback and Carradine, who look like their scenes were filmed in a day or less, are utterly wasted in their roles. If you do watch, be sure to look for the following people in supporting roles and bits: delectable exploitation actress Kesner as Lindas' friend Andrea, football players Dan Pastorini and Tim Rossovich as attendants, Paul Bartel as a bum, John Blyth Barrymore (older half brother to Drew Barrymore) as a mad doctor in the movie-within-the-movie, Catherine E. Coulson (the Log Lady from 'Twin Peaks') as a nurse, and the director himself as a counterman. Giroux is somewhat appealing, but her character isn't particularly sympathetic because she falls for the kids' antics too many times, and the kid himself is extremely obnoxious. They definitely detract from whatever enjoyment the viewer might have.If you must see it for completions' sake, be my guest, but don't get your hopes up very high.Five out of 10.

shred-com Alright I won't go as far as defending this long forgotten 1982 slasher because every single point that is made towards this film to why it sucks is completely valid. Trick Or Treats is not a good film at all. It truly does make me laugh that this got a theater release at all but all in all it's actually a rather charming film. It's not so bad it's good but it really comes very close at some points. If it were any worse it could be a small cult classic in it's own right joining the pool of the best worst horror films of the last 50 years. But it never quite gets there. All in all the irony is the people behind the film were much too talented to get the film to that level of bad. Sure it's atrocious. Sure there is no plot anywhere and the film is littered with tedious filler but all in all technically it's passable. The acting isn't great but it's not bad, the directing is okay and the potential the film had is there. It just never comes together and with a proper script it could've. I personally have 2 big qualms with the film. 1.It was much too dark. Frustrating really. It would be nice if the filmmakers would've been kind enough to show us what's going on! It seemed the longer the film went on the darker it seemed to get. The only 2 bulbs must have been going out *eyes* . 2.The comedy. Clearly Trick Or Treats wanted to be a satire of the slasher genre. It just doesn't work in the slightest. Student Bodies it's not! Nothing about Trick Or Treats is clever or funny. You actually forget it's a satire at all most of the time and only when the film forces a scene of forced humor do you realize how much it failed in that department. Now look Trick Or Treats is not a boring film like most people will make you believe. For all the filler the film has it must be complimented at moving at a nice pace. I can't even begin to understand how they managed that but they did. Maybe they fell into it? And if you're a slasher film buff it's worth the watch! Hey it's from 1982! And just the year alone is enough to make most genre fans hunt the title down. I enjoyed it. Bad film or not which it is.

HumanoidOfFlesh A female baby-sitter is watching a young prankster on Halloween night.The kid's dad is a murdering lunatic who just happens to break out of an asylum that very night.Gary Graver's "Trick or Treats" is a badly-lit and incredibly boring "Halloween" clone with almost no horror elements at all.The plot makes little sense and is filled with several disjointed and out-of-place situations.I have also seen Gary Graver's "Moon in Scorpio" and it was equally as bad and pointless.The utter lack of blood and gore is hard to forgive as is the lack of suspense and scares.Overall,"Trick or Treats" is a complete waste of time.Watch "Halloween" again and don't bother with this piece of cow dung.

Freya(sableOnBlond) the-real-roobeemoon Ok , I wanted to like this flick, really I did. But ...it is too hard to even remotely like... I had read about this movie and it sounded quite interesting. Also I found it had orginally been released as a Halloween gift to American Movie theaters. I went to the video store to find it. The cover looked pretty decent - depicting a ripped Trick Or treats bag with something bloody scratching its way out...So I said to myself , gotta see this. What a joke!!! I believe I didnt even see the end , thats bad. The beginning started out a tiny bit interesting - and im thinking this is leading up to something awful... Yeah RIGHT! What a Halloween nightmare alright. An utterly depressing JOKE! Just when you think something may happen or you are going to see something , anything gruesome - the gore youve been waiting for - BOOM - its completely DARK - and you can not see a dang thing! Complete - Halloween - DISASTER... Totally upsetting Boo Hoo