Here’s some exciting news for fans of hard-to-find ’80s horror: Synapse Films is releasing Charles Martin Smith’s Trick or Treat (1986) later this year on 4K UHD!
As far as we know, Smith’s film has faced complicated music clearance issues over the years. It now appears those issues have been resolved, and the Synapse release, which is being produced by Michael Felsher’s legendary Red Shirt Pictures, is pulling out all the stops to ensure that Trick or Treat gets the reissue and restoration it has long deserved. That’s a win for all of us!
For those unfamiliar with Smith’s film, Trick or Treat tells the story of a metal-obsessed teenager by the name of Eddie Weinbauer, who must be the number one fan of heavy metal rocker Sammi Curr. After Curr dies in a hotel fire, Eddie gets his hands on one of the musician’s unreleased records – which, when played backward, causes the rock star to return from the dead before going on a bloody rampage. Happens to the best of us!
Smith’s film features performances from Ozzy Osbourne and KISS frontman Gene Simmons, as well as the late Tony Fields as Sammi Curr and Mark Price as the film’s lead. It is, by all accounts, an absolute hoot to watch, and it certainly sounds like Red Shirt Pictures and Synapse are putting in the work to ensure the film’s 4K release delivers: the restoration has been built atop Smith’s original camera negatives, and a raft of bonus features (“behind-the-scenes content, interviews with cast and crew, and more!”).
No word on an exact street date for Trick or Treat, but Synapse says its 4K restoration will be along sometime later this year. Stay tuned for more on this release as further updates become available!
