A group of school students celebrate Halloween by getting drunk and playing games. But during the night, one teenager named Trick Weaver attends the party wearing a pumpkin mask and decides never to take it off during the night. But at this party, something triggers in the mind of Trick, as he begins to murder the people around him brutally. Trick is then caught and arrested; however, during the arrest, Trick manages to escape and run free. During the attempted escape, Trick is gunned down by Detective Mike Denver (Omar Epps), who manages to put four bullets into the young man. After the shooting, the police are shocked to discover Trick’s body has vanished into thin air.
Since that horrible night on Halloween, Trick returns every Halloween, conducting a killing spree and taunting the one detective who won’t stop trying to hunt him down. But who is Trick? At the film’s start, Detective Mike Denver’s investigation, Trick Weaver, appears to be something of a ghost. No one has any photographs of him, and Trick has no social media accounts. He never existed. And the fear of Trick grows more each year that goes by.
Trick has been directed by Patrick Lussier, who is well known for directing horror films including Dracula 2000 (2000), My Bloody Valentine (2009) & Drive Angry (2011). One element that remains the same with each film is that the director has fun and enjoys bringing cheesy entertainment to horror fans.
As a film, it certainly feels like a B Grade in every way. The performances and characters are weak and, at many times, are, again, cheesy. We have police officers in this film who are quite possibly some of the worst on-screen cops I’ve seen in some time. They have opportunities to shoot but decide to use the radio, and the list continues. Our leading officer is merely OK. He’s not over the top like other characters around him, but elements are still hard to accept, including the concept that this officer is obsessed with Trick and is determined to find out the truth. This cop doesn’t seem to do anything but wants to hunt down Trick.
If you enjoy over-the-top gore and blood, Trick will please you. The gore here is overused with blood splats and sprays occurring during the many kills, which are designed to either shock or gain a laugh. The plot is a mixed combination of Halloween (for obvious reasons) and Scream. Teenagers running scared or making unwise choices are nothing new, but I am thankful this film has a police officer leading the movie and not just another silly teenager.
Regarding the film’s final reveal, yes, it does introduce an interesting and creative twist ending, but the film doesn’t give its audiences all the details and motives for how this would all work. It’s generally the same I have with the entire movie. There are many gaps in the plot, storyline, characters, and the final reveal, but it’s up to the viewer to accept it and not ask questions. I can play along with this type of film in most areas, but personally, some elements I couldn’t ignore.
Overall, Trick is a horror film that is bloody and cheesy. With combined elements from movies such as Halloween and Scream, if you enjoy the genre of slasher films, then this is one film for you, but be warned, the quality of this is 100% B grade. There are gaps in the plot, characters, and the final twist reveal, which the audiences must accept and roll with. Let’s face it: When it comes to watching horror movies, are they ever supposed to be taken seriously?
4.8/10
23rd May 2020
Written by Peter Walkden
WALKDEN ENTERTAINMENT
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