K.T Simpson
Remember that grand old time in the late ‘90s when the MPAA were rattled, corn syrup sales spiked and names like Craven, Williamson, Soisson, Derrickson, Lussier, Miner and Mungia were credit block regulars?
Well, if “Trick” is any indication, the AOL-era high-concept, hip, crowd pleasing horror film – of which Dimension would’ve proudly put their name to back in the Clinton-era – is about to make a comeback.
Featuring the kind of slick, fun kills, capable and youthful leads and manically fun pace of “Scream”, “Halloween H20” and “The Faculty”, Director Patrick Lussier serves up an Earth 2-style take on a “Halloween” reboot with a clever new horror that could easily lend itself to umpteen and a half sequels.
“Trick” is a Halloween-set horror jaunt about a weirdo masked killer – nicknamed ‘Trick’ – that reappears every October to slaughter again, much to the dismay of the cops (Omar Epps, Ellen Adair) who’ve been on the case since the first slay.
Lussier (“My Bloody Valentine”, “Drive Angry”) and regular collaborator Todd Farmer reunite on a film that plays like both a love letter to Craven and a slick detective noir. But more so, it introduces audiences to one of the best new movie monsters in years.
Ok, there’s not a lot to the tale here, it’s a simple killer-on-the-loose piece, but it’s the execution and motivation to simply “give audiences a good time” that makes “Trick” a bloody good time. You see, there’s an energy here so dreadfully missing in many of today’s youth-skewed genre films, and an old school sensibility to it that gives it a funky, fresh drive.
Considering how lacklustre Blumhouse’s “Halloween” revival turned out to be, and how clever and fresh “Trick” plays, it’s a shame Lussier and Farmer weren’t assigned the task of breathing new life into Michael Myers’ seemingly-endless life story. At the same time, cinema is in dire need of more original ideas, and with its nifty new character and a fun, energetic script, “Trick” definitely offers that. Benton is a much funner place to hang than Haddonfield these days.
One can’t help but think the late Wes Craven would’ve loved this.
