Trick

Trick is a horror/thriller from Patrick Lussier, director of My Bloody Valentine and Drive Angry. Omar Epps plays Mike Denver, a detective dead-set on finding a serial killer who continues terrorizing a small town each Halloween. Also starring Ellen Adair, Kristina Reyes, Jamie Kennedy, and Tom Atkins.

“This guy really likes pumpkins.” Trick sufficiently sets up its premise, and enough is going for it to excuse any quality issues the production has, but it never leads anywhere particularly unique or exciting and ends up being a lackluster endeavor. There’s plenty of slashing, blood gushing, and drastic audio queues to garner a reaction; however, the plot and overall execution wavers too drastically to become truly interesting. The film plays out like a CSI episode, which might be why it feels like enough time has passed and enough events have occurred that everything should be wrapping up by the time it’s only half way over.

“Why’d they have to take the eyes?” Overall the production is rough around the edges, with some moments of inconsistent audio and iffy color grading. The performances from the leading actors are quite sufficient, it’s just a shame the story (which is interesting enough) continues to hit subpar moments that snag its legitimacy. While many plot elements might be too thin there’s still enough meat on the bone to keep one chewing along despite the varying flavor. That is, until the mystery is solved and the pieces are all wrapped up in a wholly uninspired and predictable end. There’s a particularly smart comedy that executed this premise exponentially better.