Trick
review by Bobby Blakey
I love a good slasher flick and there are a ton that come out. Sadly more often than not they don’t deliver the goods, but then you have surprise ones like Laid to Rest, Behind the Mask and of course the iconic Halloween and Friday the 13th. Now Todd Farmer and Patrick Lussier the duo behind My Bloody Valentine 3D and Drive Angry have teamed up once again in hopes to bring a new legend to horror with Trick starring Omar Epps, Ellen Adair, Kristina Reyes, Jamie Kennedy, and Tom Atkins. Could they have horror gold on their hands or will it fail to be a treat to fans?
Trick follows Patrick “Trick” Weaver who massacred his classmates at a costume party on Halloween night in 2015. After being arrested, he managed to escape police custody, but not before being shot five times by Detective Mike Denver. Everyone believes Trick must be dead, but when a masked killer reappears the following Halloween, and every Halloween after that, they realize the nightmare is not over. With Trick wreaking havoc and killing innocent people in increasingly terrifying ways, Denver will stop at nothing to finish what he started and bring the carnage to an end.
Right out of the gate this film kicks into high gear to bring the kills while setting the stage for the story to come. The initial idea is familiar, but the direction and way they execute the film makes it feel like something fresh and new. A lot of these films talk about the ongoing years of horror that these killers unleash, but here it does some time jumping to each year to allow you to get more directly involved with the build-up of the story. I really dug the majority of the film offering up an old school game of cat and mouse between Epps character Detective Denver and Trick. This offers up numerous great kills and moments that will no doubt please all the horror fans out there.
Where the film struggles a bit is the last act when they reveal some of its twists and turns which while some of it was predictable still works. I think
the issue is multifold with some the looks and way they initially ended it. There is another layer that is in place I assumed as well that sets the tone for another chapter which I hope we get for the kills alone if nothing else. This isn’t a perfect film but it is filled with gore soaked fun that hardcore fans of the genre such as myself will no doubt have fun with. Trick’s legacy as a new horror icon is going to be dependent on the direction they take the next film should it happen and I for one hope it does.
Grab your copy of Trick available now on BLu-ray and DVD from RLJE Films.