Trick or Treats (1982)

A baby sitter is stuck watching over a young brat on Halloween night who keeps playing vicious pranks on her. To add to her trouble the boy's deranged father has escaped from an asylum and is planning on making a visit.

Director:

Gary Graver

Writer:

Gary Graver (screenplay)

Stars:

Jacqueline Giroux, Peter Jason, Chris Graver

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jacqueline Giroux	...	Linda (as Jackelyn Giroux)
Peter Jason	...	Malcolm O'Keefe
Chris Graver	...	Christopher O'Keefe
David Carradine	...	Richard Adams
Carrie Snodgress	...	Joan O'Keefe Adams
Steve Railsback	...	Bret
Jillian Kesner	...	Andrea
Dan Pastorini	...	1st Attendant
Tim Rossovich	...	2nd Attendant
Paul Bartel	...	Bum
Jean Clark	...	Bert (as J.L. Clark)
John Blyth Barrymore	...	Mad Doctor
Catherine E. Coulson	...	Nurse Reeves (as Catherine Coulson)
Maria Dillon	...	TV Reporter
Jason Ronard	...	Bum (as Jason Renard)

Storyline

Five years after his wife, Joan, had him wrongfully and delibarately committed to a mental institution so she could live with her boyfriend, Malcolm escapes on Halloween night and arrives back at his old house to murder her, except Joan is not home but she's out with her boyfriend while babysitter Linda is looking after Malcolm's 10-year-old son Christopher, an equally psychotic and demented practical joker until, under cover of darkness, Malcolm shows up and begins a real terror game of attrition with Linda.

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Plot Keywords:

halloween | terror | son | mental institution | babysitter | 

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Taglines:

Halloween's over. Now It's the kids' turn to get even!

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 October 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Halloween

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1 / (full screen)

Did You Know?

Quotes

Christopher: You're cute. Are you the babysitter?
Linda: Well, you're not. That's a stupid thing to do.
Christopher: It's Halloween!

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Crazy Credits

Credits Orson Welles as 'Magical Consultant'.

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Connections

References Deadly Games (1982)

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Soundtracks

"Help Is on the Way"
Performed by Horizon
Words and Music by Tom Barger

User Reviews

Cheap "Trick"

I'm not sure why this movie is titled "Trick or Treats" instead of "Trick of Treat," but the filmmakers obviously didn't put much thought into the title — or the rest of the film, for that matter. They could have named it "Halloween," but of course, that title was taken. Then again, the "Halloween" plot was taken also, but that didn't stop the filmmakers from lifting that.

The plot involves a young woman babysitting for a practical joker on Halloween. The boy's father has escaped from a mental institution and returns home to terrorize his ex-wife, who committed him. Are the strange noises and phone calls to the babysitter the result of a crazed lunatic, or just the 10-year-old's pranks? Does the mental patient even realize his ex-wife is out for the evening? Do we care?

The film has absolutely no suspense, the scenes are disjointed and choppy, and the performances are uniformly bad. Even Steve Railsback, normally a commanding presence in B-movies, phones in his performance — literally. This cheap "Trick" has nothing to distinguish it from the crowded field of forgettable '80s slasher flicks. Like the rotten apple at the bottom of a Halloween candy bag, "Trick or Treats" is best trashed and forgotten.