My Bloody Halloween: "Trick" won't become a holiday favorite but does what it sets out to do

Trick (2019)

97 min.

Release Date: October 18, 2019 (Limited & VOD)

A trick is more than “a mischievous practical joke” in “Trick,” a gory, brutal, mostly involving slasher/police procedural. Being an editor on the “Scream” trilogy and a few other of Wes Craven’s films, director Patrick Lussier, who co-wrote the script with Todd Farmer, aims for a similar vibe that of those respectable next-level slasher films mixed with his own trashier sensibilities back to when he helmed 2009’s 3D remake of “My Bloody Valentine” and 2011’s early-crazy Nicolas Cage grindhouse pic “Drive Angry.” Even if it's far from perfect, fans of the genre will likely be more forgiving and welcome "Trick" into the fold of holiday slashers.

On Halloween 2015 in Benton, New York, Patrick “Trick” Weaver (Thom Niemann) suddenly slashes his classmates at a costume party in the middle of a game of "Spin the Dagger." The pumpkinhead-wearing Trick escapes police custody from Detective Mike Denver (Omar Epps) and wreaks havoc on more consecutive Halloweens. Trick is one of those unstoppable, elusive, nearly inhuman killers; Mike Denver is the Obsessed Cop; and Cheryl (Kristina Reyes) is the likable Final Girl who was one of the few survivors during Trick’s first massacre.

There’s always room for a fun new slasher, and for the most part, “Trick” achieves the basic criteria. Trick, himself, is an antagonist to be reckoned with; the lead characters are worth rooting for; and the slice-and-dice set-pieces are vicious and gnarly, even if some aren’t edited as coherently as they should be. It’s a nice reunion to have “Scream” alumnus Omar Epps and Jamie Kennedy (who plays a doctor) in the same movie, and veteran performer Tom Atkins is always a joy to see in his genre of choice. Things do get exposition-heavy when it comes time for a ridiculous, nothing-is-what-it-seems “Saw”-like twist, but at least the filmmakers are trying. “Trick” might not become the seasonal favorite it would like to be, even though one could see a sequel on the horizon, but for fans of the slasher genre, they could do a whole lot worse.

Grade: C +