What are you afraid of? It’s only rock ‘n roll. Decades before Michael Dougherty released Trick ‘r Treat there was Trick or Treat, a 1986 horror movie directed by Charles Martin Smith that introduced the world to undead rocker Sammi Curr. The cult classic has NEVER BEFORE been available to stream, but Bloody Disgusting is changing that this Halloween.
Cineverse is giving horror fans a whole new reason to scream this spooky season, as they announce the acquisition of the 1986 horror classic Trick or Treat from Red Shirt Pictures/Synapse Films. The company will premiere Trick or Treat just in time for Halloween weekend exclusively on SCREAMBOX. The film begins streaming this Friday, October 27!
This will be the first time the new restoration from Synapse Films has EVER been seen, and it’s also the first time the movie has EVER made its way onto a streaming service.
Synapse Films recently acquired the incredibly rare horror gem and provided it with a brand new 4K restoration that will receive a 4K UHD & Blu-ray Special Edition at a later date.
The first feature from award-winning filmmaker Charles Martin Smith (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), the film featured a cast of soon to be household names including Marc Price (“Family Ties”) and Doug Savant (“Melrose Place”). Alongside rock icons Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne, Trick or Treat blends the best of the 1980s metal scene with the decade’s tongue and cheek take on the genre.
Nearly four decades after its release, the film’s nostalgic nuance still resonates, with Cinelipsis declaring “Trick or Treat spells ‘FUN’ with an awesome story of fandom, satanism, and the power of 80s music.” And Juicy Cerebellum adding “I loved metal music when this came out, hence I loved the film.”
This Halloween it’s PARTY TIME. Following the death of his heavy metal idol, a bullied teenage boy inadvertently discovers away to resurrect the rocker. After hearing the news of his hero’s death, Eddie Weinbauer (Price) finds himself in possession of a one-of-a-kind item, the final recording of Sammi Curr. While, at first, the record seems like a godsend, things quickly turn when he discovers its sinister secret. Played a certain way, it has the power to bring the demonic rocker back from the dead and unleash heavy metal Hell on those who get in his way.
The cult classic was written by genre heavyweights Michael S. Murphy (A Nightmare on Elm Street 2), Joel Soisson (Dracula 2000) and Rhet Topham (Freddy’s Nightmares). Trick or Treat also features Emmy Nominee Glen Morgan (The X-Files), Elaine Joyce (Beverly Hills, 90210) and Clare Torao (Cujo); along with its incredible cast, the film would go on to set the bar for horror cameos going forward. The film was produced by Murphy and Soisson, who would go on to collaborate on Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Blue Desert and Modern Love.
“Heavy metal, horror and raising Hell, does it get more 80s than that,” said Brad Miska, Managing Director of Bloody Disgusting/Cineverse. “Often forgotten among the Freddys and Jasons of the decade, Trick or Treat broke new ground by tapping into the varied interests of their viewers. The keen understanding these filmmakers had would allow for the expanse of the genre for years to come. Releasing titles like this is the best part of running a service like SCREAMBOX, because we are able to find these gems and share them with a new generation.”
“Trick or Treat has been my “white whale” so-to-speak for more years than I can count,” said Michael Felsher from Red Shirt Pictures. “This movie had fallen through the cracks for years, and now it’s coming back in a big, big way. Getting to work with Synapse Films to restore and re-release this criminally underrated rock ‘n’ shock rollercoaster ride has been a dream come true! Red Shirt Pictures is thrilled to work with Screambox to help expose the legend of Sammi Curr to a whole new audience!”
The deal was negotiated by Brandon Hill, Director of Acquisitions, on behalf of Cineverse and Jerry Chandler at Synapse.
SCREAMBOX features a broad mix of content for casual and die-hard horror fans alike. The service is refreshed monthly with content from the Company’s extensive genre library with films and episodes delivering every type of terror imaginable. SCREAMBOX currently features classic horror films like Slumber Party Massacre and the original House on Haunted Hill, the blockbuster indie horror films The Outwaters and Terrifier 2 as well as horror series such as The Island and Masters of Horror.
SCREAMBOX recently acquired the docuseries RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop and the documentary film Hollywood Dreams and Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story. SCREAMBOX is available to stream on iOS, Android, Prime Video, YouTube TV, Comcast, Cox and Screambox.com.
Stream. Scream. Repeat. And Happy Halloween.
The post Sammi Curr Lives: SCREAMBOX Brings ‘Trick or Treat’ to Streaming for the Very First Time! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.