Creative Kills Await! ‘Trick’ Movie Review

Directed by Patrick Lussier

Written by Patrick Lussier & Todd Farmer

Starring Omar Epps, Jamie Kennedy, Tom Atkins, Kristina Reyes, and Thom Niemann

It’s Halloween in a small New York town and nothing says Halloween like a brutal bloodbath among coeds. In the opening moments the film, ‘Trick‘, takes innocent Halloween activities and ramps them up to 11. Blood is spilled and now New York river towns have a verified serial killer on the loose. Our antagonist, Trick (Niemann), takes a post-killing beating and ends up in the hospital. We all know what happens when Halloween murderers end up in the hospital and this is no different.

Trick vanishes without a trace until next Halloween, where Detective Mike Denver (Epps) is waiting for him. A bloody and demented game of life or death cat and mouse ensues, leaving our perplexed police force on the ropes. Our final girl, Cheryl (Reyes), a survivor from the original night of killings, is pulled into the horror  again as Trick continues to leave the cold, Fall nights soaked with blood.

A small warning for the queasier horror fans, ‘Trick‘ is a complete bloodbath. I won’t spoil the fun, but this is not your usual Halloween-themed slasher. Watcher beware. Bonus points to murdering one of the victims with the most ironic weapon ever.

I can’t say ‘Trick‘ is a completely original entry into the Halloween night slasher genre, but it is a surprisingly fun film that is aware of its strengths. ‘Trick‘ is a step above the contemporary competition when it comes to the acting, creativity of crafting an interesting new killer, (maybe even a franchise builder) and uses a shock and awe approach to creating it’s brutal grittiness. The addition of old school horror icon, Tom Atkins (The Fog, Halloween 3, Maniac Cop), adds a layer of authenticity to the film in the way it builds side characters.

Lussier is apt with framing the carnage within, never failing to add a cringe factor to the killings. Act three of the film takes place in a haunted attraction and he creates dread effectively at every turn. Bonus points to Jamie Kennedy (Scream) for his portrayal of Dr. Steven. I didn’t even realize it was him until after the film was over.

‘Trick’ delivers a duplicitous killer to the world of Halloween slashers, never forgetting to entertain as it kills. This is a perfect film for your Halloween party or horror binge watching this October.

Final score: B-

In theaters, digital and On Demand October 18th from RJLE Films!