NC-Filmed 'Trick or Treat' Rocks Halloween

Posted By on October 24, 2012

Rock and roll will never die… At least not this Halloween!

Filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina, Trick or Treat opened in theaters on October 24, 1986. and while it may not have the name recognition of John Carpenter’s Halloween, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, or even It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, it has become a rock and roll horror cult classic and an annual viewing tradition every Halloween among many genre fans.

Trick or Treat - banner

Starring Marc Price (Skippy from Family Ties), Trick or Treat is the film that brought rock legends Ozzy Osbourne and Gene Simmons together on the big screen, while creating a heavy metal Halloween icon that can walk, talk, and rock while slashing his victims.

When Price’s Eddie “Ragman” Weinbauer brings his rockstar idol Sammi Curr (Tony Fields) back from the dead by playing his final record backwards, all hell breaks lose, as the demon-ghost gleefully exacts revenge on those who once bullied Eddie, ultimately taking the stage once again at the annual high school Halloween dance for one last killer concert.

Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Fields, and Gene Simmons star in 'Trick or Treat', filmed in Wilmington, NC.

Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Fields, and Gene Simmons star in ‘Trick or Treat’, filmed in Wilmington, NC.

The best thing about Trick or Treat is how it serves as an ode to both the underappreciated horror genre of film and the equally underappreciated heavy metal genre of music, effectively celebrating both simutaneously while injecting just enough holiday imagery to rank it as a true “Halloween movie” and a guaranteed meeting place for fans of both genres.

It is also an underdog story, which fans of heavy metal and horror (and Halloween) will always relate to, as “Ragman” finds his inner coolness and self-worth in finally saying goodbye to his childhood hero and becoming one himself.

Doug Savant ('Melrose Place', 'Desperate Housewives') gets fried by Tony Fields as Sammi Curr in 'Trick or Treat'.

Doug Savant (‘Melrose Place’, ‘Desperate Housewives’) gets fried by Tony Fields as Sammi Curr in ‘Trick or Treat’.

Wilmington locals may recognize a number of the locations featured in the film, including New Hanover High School, where much of the movie, including the Halloween dance, takes place.

Today we celebrate the 26th anniversary of Trick or Treat, a Halloween cult classic that rocks.

You can check out the poster and watch the original theatrical trailer and a music video in the players below, then head over to NCHollywood.com to see three more clips!

Trick or Treat - poster

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Posted by Matt Artz

Matt Artz was a lead reporter and photographer for 'The Coastland Times' newspaper from 2000 to 2009, and has been published in the Outer Banks Sentinel, North Beach Sun, Outer Banks Milepost, among others, before launching OBX Entertainment, NC Film News, and Halloween Daily News in 2012. Matt and Sue Artz are also the founders of the annual Outer Banks Halloween Parade and the Halloween International Film Festival.

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