Trick or Treat turns 40 on 24 October 2026, right in the middle of Halloween week. Charles Martin Smith’s 1986 directorial debut was released by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group on 24 October 1986, and it has kept a cult following as a heavy-metal horror about an outcast metalhead haunted by the ghost of his rock hero. For the anniversary, here are eight things you probably didn’t know.
Keanu Reeves auditioned for Eddie
Before Marc Price was cast as Eddie Weinbauer, Keanu Reeves auditioned for the role. Price ultimately landed the part of the Lakeridge High School outcast whose obsession with Sammi Curr turns dangerous.
W.A.S.P.’s Blackie Lawless was first choice for Sammi Curr
Blackie Lawless of W.A.S.P. was originally set to play Sammi Curr, the infamous rock superstar at the centre of the story. Gene Simmons was also originally offered the role, though he did not think much of the script.
Gene Simmons only agreed to a cameo
Simmons eventually signed on only for the small role of radio DJ Nuke, a former classmate of Sammi Curr’s. He later said in an interview that he chose to play the role as Wolfman Jack, a childhood hero of his.
Ozzy Osbourne’s film debut was a televangelist
Trick or Treat marked Ozzy Osbourne’s film debut, and the casting was intentionally against type. He appears as a televangelist decrying the evils of heavy metal music rather than a performer.
The effects artist joined the school band
Special effects for the film were created by Kevin Yagher, and he also stepped in front of the camera. He has a cameo as the lead singer/guitarist for the band The Kickers, playing at the high school Halloween dance.
Lakeridge High was two real schools
Scenes at Eddie’s school, the fictional Lakeridge High School, were filmed at both Hoggard High School and New Hanover High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. That gave the film two real campuses for one fictional setting.
Sammi Curr’s album title is a Stevie Wonder pun
The unreleased album at the centre of the plot, Songs in the Key of Death, takes its name from Stevie Wonder’s 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life. All Sammi Curr music was composed and performed by Fastway, while Christopher Young composed the film score.
The 2014 collector’s edition was tiny
In 2014, Germany’s NSM Records released a three-disc collector’s edition containing an all-region Blu-ray disc, region 2 DVD, soundtrack CD and booklet in digibook packaging. It was limited to 1,500 copies: 1,000 with cover art A and 500 with cover art B.
Trick or Treat opened on 24 October 1986 and grossed $6,797,218 at the US box office, then found a second life on VHS, DVD and collector’s editions. According to Rotten Tomatoes, 70% of 10 critics’ reviews are positive, and Metacritic assigned the film a score of 57 out of 100 based on 9 critics. Which of these behind-the-scenes surprises is your favourite?
Facts from Wikipedia: Trick or Treat (1986 film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Film images from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.