Trick or Treats is a Comedy Horror Slasher Movie by Gary Graver.
Linda (Jacqueline Giroux) is an aspiring actor who's forced to miss her boyfriend's performance of Othello because she needs to babysit the son of a connection of hers, Joan O'Keefe Adams (Carrie Snodgress), while she and her husband Richard (David Carradine) are off at a cruise. And if that wasn't enough, the kid, Christopher O'Keefe (Chris Graver), is a Bratty Half-Pint Prankster and budding magician who's goal tonight is to make Linda's life as unbearable as possible.
Oh, but the misfortune doesn't end there. Malcolm O'Keefe (Peter Jason), Joan's former husband whom she had falsely committed has escaped from the insane asylum he's spent the past four years in. And now he's coming back home to get his revenge.
The movie was released on October 29th, 1982.
Trick Or Treats contains examples of:
- Accidental Murder: As Andrea is wandering through the attic, Malcolm jumps out and fatally stabs her. And then he realizes that she's not Joan.
- Ax-Crazy: Malcolm becomes this at the end of the movie.
- "Bang!" Flag Gun: Christopher fires one on Linda while telling her he thinks she's getting the hang of things.
- Blood from the Mouth: Christopher has blood coming out of his mouth after using his magic guillotine on himself. He was faking it as part of his prank.
- Played Straight with Malcolm, when they remove the block that keeps the guillotine blade from slicing the user, and then mortally wound him with the guillotine.
- Bratty Half-Pint: Christopher spends most of his time as a disrespectful little troublemaker pulling endless pranks on Linda.
- Cassandra Truth: When Linda accuses Christopher of making Prank Calls to her over the phone, he denies it (Malcolm's the one making the calls). Thanks to all the pranks he's pulled on her over the course of the night, Linda doesn't believe him for a moment.
- Cruel Twist Ending: Linda and Christopher manage to kill Malcolm, and Linda goes to report his death. However, Christopher takes the knife, and then leaps at Linda with it.
- Ding-Dong-Ditch Distraction: Christopher pulls this on Linda by tying a string to the door knocker and pulling on it from behind the fence.
- Disguised in Drag: Malcolm manages to get out of the mental hospital by stealing one of the nurses' outfits.
- Electric Joybuzzer: One of the many pranks that Christopher uses on Linda.
- Institutional Apparel: After the Time Skip, the next time Malcolm is seen, he's wearing blue mental hospital clothes.
- Mistaken from Behind: Malcolm sees Linda from behind, and assumes that she's Joan.
- Mistaken Identity: When Malcolm enters the living room, he sees Linda and mistakes her for Joan. Every time Linda tries to speak up in her defense, Malcolm yells a Big "SHUT UP!".
- My Car Hates Me: When Linda gets into the jeep, she tries to start it up to drive away from Malcolm. It doesn't start, no matter how many time she turns the key.
- The Prankster: Christopher spends the movie pulling a seemingly-endless parade of pranks on Linda.
- Rule of Pool: At the beginning of the movie, Malcolm and the orderlies sent to take him away end up falling into the pool at various points.
- When Linda sees Christopher lying face-down in the pool, she immediately rushes down into it to save him.
- Shout-Out:
- On the wall in Linda's home is a Bugs Bunny Superstar poster.
- On the refridgerator in the Adams' house appears to be a drawing of Mr. Chatterbox.
- Sweet on Polly Oliver: While Malcolm, still dressed as a nurse, is walking down the street, he ends up catching the attention of a guy who asks him out.
- Time Skip: After Malcolm is hauled off to the mental hospital, the movie jumps ahead several years later.
