Horror Highlights: TRICK OR TREAT, JUMPSCARE, TRACTION PARK MASSACRE, FABLE, FLESH & BLOOD
TRICK OR TREAT LIMITED EDITION 4K UHD + BLU-RAY: “From the early days of DVD, one movie more than any other has been requested by horror fans and metal heads all over: Charles Martin Smith’s heavy metal horror classic TRICK OR TREAT. A box office disappointment that found a wide following on home video and cable in the 80s and 90s, it’s been curiously out of reach to fans, who would rely on dubious DVDs and imports to get their Halloween heavy horror treat. Now, Red Shirt Pictures and Synapse Films are finally bringing the much-anticipated TRICK OR TREAT to your door in a definitive Limited Edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray that will make every day Halloween for horror fanatics and headbangers!
Rock ‘n’ roll will never die, in this 1980s cult favorite that stars Marc Price (Family Ties) as Eddie Weinbauer, a teenage outcast who idolizes Sammi Curr (Tony Fields), a heavy metal superstar. After Sammi dies a violent death, his spirit returns to help Eddie get even with his high school tormentors. In doing so, Sammi begins to gain control over Eddie’s life and brings him deeper into the world of the occult. When Eddie realizes that he has become the tool of Sammi’s vengeance, he attempts to stop him, and the horrifying events that follow leave no one unscathed.
Featuring special appearances by Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne, TRICK OR TREAT marked the directorial debut of veteran actor Charles Martin Smith (The Untouchables; Starman) and features a legendary soundtrack by Fastway. Red Shirt Home Video and Synapse Films are proud to present this heavy metal horror classic in an all-new 4K restoration presented in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) and loaded with hours of supplemental material including multiple commentary tracks and a feature-length video retrospective. No False Metal!“
4K UHD/BLU-RAY/CD – LIMITED EDITION CHIPBOARD CASE CONTAINS:
This three-disc set contains a 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray, a Blu-ray (1080p) and a CD soundtrack album, and is limited to 6,666 copies (2222 of each of the three covers) • Exclusive limited-edition chipboard slipcase packaging featuring your choice of three different artwork styles by Justin Osbourn, Sean Longmore and Devon Whitehead (2222 of each artist’s design, for a total of 6666 units) • Illustrated collector’s booklet containing essays by Michael Gingold, Samm Deighan and Michael Felsher • Six double sided collector’s cards • Fold-out double-sided Sammi Curr fan poster
PLEASE NOTE: This release is only available direct from Synapse Films and our distribution partners, DiabolikDVD and Orbit DVD, at this time.
HEAD-BANGNING SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:
- 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative mastered in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) and approved by Academy Award-winning Director of Photography Robert Elswit (THERE WILL BE BLOOD)
- Lossless English DTS-HD Master Audio of the original 2.0 theatrical mix and an all-new 5.1 surround sound mix
- Audio commentary with director Charles Martin Smith, moderated by filmmaker Mark Savage
- Audio interviews with writer/producer Michael S. Murphey and writer Rhet Topham, moderated by film historian Michael Felsher
- Audio conversation with Paul Corupe and Allison Lang, authors of Satanic Panic: Pop-Cultural Paranoia in the 1980s.
- Rock & Shock: The Making of TRICK OR TREAT – An all-new retrospective featuring director Charles Martin Smith, actors Marc Price, Glen Morgan, Elise Richards, and Larry Sprinkle, writer/producer Joel Soisson, costume designer Jill Ohanneson, assistant set costumer Francine Decoursey, construction foreman Tom Jones, Jr., special make-up effects artist Everett Burrell, music executive producer Stephen E. Smith, composer Christopher Young, and a special appearance by Gene Simmons
- In The Spotlight: A Tribute to Tony Fields, featuring interviews with the late actor’s family and friends
- Horror’s Hallowed Grounds: The Filming Locations of TRICK OR TREAT with Sean Clark
- “After Midnight” music video
- Theatrical Trailers, TV Spots and Radio Spots
- Still Gallery featuring optional audio interview with still photographer Phillip V. Caruso
- Vintage electronic press kit
Order TRICK OR TREAT now from Synapse Films:
Style A – https://www.synapsefilms.com/
Style B – https://www.synapsefilms.com/
Style C – https://www.synapsefilms.com/
—
CULLEN BUNN AND DANNY LUCKERT’S “BEYOND MORTAL” UNIVERSE EXPANDS IN A NEW MINISERIES, “JUMPSCARE”: “Dark Horse Comics presents Jumpscare, a new action-horror superhero comic series from Cullen Bunn and Danny Luckert that ties into the Beyond Mortal universe. This four-issue miniseries, written by Bunn, illustrated by Luckert, and lettered by Jim Campbell, takes place after the events of the cosmic horror graphic novel Beyond Mortal and introduces readers to a new horror superhero, Jumpscare.
“Hands down, Jumpscare is some of the most fun I’ve ever had writing a comic,” said Bunn. “I absolutely love this character. She’s everything I love about horror movies, everything I love about superheroes, everything I love about comics, all rolled into one character. If you’re a horror fan, get ready to meet your new favorite superhero.”
“Jumpscare was just an absolute mayhem fueled blast to draw. I can’t wait for people to see her in all her horror fueled glory,” added Luckert.
About Jumpscare:
Strong, fast, and violent horror fan-turned-vigilante Jumpscare can conjure any gore-soaked weapon from any gore-soaked movie she’s watched. With this power, she’s become a force for good in Empire City, hacking her way through ne’er-do-wells and monsters alike. Now, her enemies want her dead, and a mobster-turned-monster, Grindhouse, will do whatever he can to bring her down.
Jumpscare #1 (of 4) stalks into comic shops on February 26, 2025. Issue #1 is now available for pre-order at your local comic shop for $3.99.”
—
TRACTION PARK MASSACRE Trailer: ‘“Traction Park Massacre” is an audacious joy ride that brings together two groups of strong characters isolated in an abandoned amusement park called Action Wonderland which is now at the mercy of the Terror Twins, played by Kai Thomas Schulz and Bodhi Schulz. The fictional park in the film is a dangerous local amusement park burned to the ground fifteen years earlier, supposedly killing then ten-year old twins Otoo and Emil von Metzger, giving rise to urban legends. But the terror twins are alive and they hunt those thrill seekers foolish enough to attempt to find the remains of the abandoned park.’
“The film is an ode to ‘80s slasher movies, along with genre classics, like “Evil Dead 2,” “Friday the 13th,” “Killer Klowns from Outer Space,” et al, inspired by the legendary amusement and water park, Action Park. Co-directed and written by Adam Dubin (Murder at the Front Row, A Year And A Half In The Life Of Metallica) and Douglas diMonda, who both visited the park in 1983.”
“Traction Park Massacre” is due to be released in 2025
—-
FABLE UNVEILS THEIR CURATED VERTICAL COMICS PLATFORM WITH FLESH & BLOOD AND MORE THIS HALLOWEEN SEASON!: “After successfully launching the beta version of their curated vertical-scrolling comics platform at MCM London Comic Con earlier this year, the team behind Fable are returning to the show with a public preview of the app which is now available for iOS and Android. And, just in time for the Halloween season, they’re dropping their first complete graphic novel, Simon Lewis and Chris Geary’s Flesh and Blood.
A chilling tale of cannibals and bloody murder in the Scottish Highlands, Flesh and Blood has already spawned a long-anticipated sequel (Skin and Bone) which comes to retail next month – and is currently being developed as a feature film by Envision Entertainment, in conjunction with the BFI, under the watchful eye of veteran producer David Barron (the Harry Potter series, Cinderella, The Legend of Tarzan).
“Chris and I attended the same drawing class for many years, and I would marvel at his ability to capture a face or a pose in a few deft lines,” says writer, Simon Lewis. “Then he showed me his comics work and I was blown away by his skill at conjuring a scene. We would sit in the pub for hours talking about film and storytelling, but it took a long time to realise we should work on something together. We decided our first book should indulge our shared fascination with British horror. Chris wanted to draw some dramatic snowy landscapes, and I wanted to channel and update some meaty gothic tropes, so it felt like a perfect fit.”
Joining Flesh and Blood on the newly launched platform are a couple of other Halloween gems – Neil Gibson’s Twisted Dark and Mark Ellis’ Nosferatu – which readers can now enjoy the first three chapters of. These well-timed horror releases complement an existing range of titles that readers can dip into and preview as the Fable app begins its regular drop schedule in earnest from November.
Designed to utilise the intuitive vertical-scrolling nature of smartphones, Fable has been developed from the ground up to provide a smooth reading experience for comic books while connecting creators with wider media opportunities and contacts, such as we’ve seen with Flesh and Blood. Best of all, the app and its content are free, so readers have the chance to discover their next favourite graphic novel from some of the best creators the UK and the world have to offer.
“Fable is the result of extensive research and coordination with creators to develop a satisfying and intuitive smartphone reading experience,” says Founder, Michael Nakan. “We aim to lean into our Britishness and showcase the amazing talent we have in the UK, before expanding our offering into Europe, Asia, and beyond. Think of Fable as being the comics equivalent of MUBI – offering a curated, and rotating, selection of the best new titles and creators to a discerning audience of readers. With the app being free, and the interface frictionless, there’s no barrier to entry for those who want to dive deeper into the rich world comics and graphic novels have to offer.”
The Fable team will be showcasing the app for early adopters to try out and enjoy free comics, like Flesh and Blood, at Table J-00 in Artist Alley at MCM London Comic Con this weekend. It will also be available on the Apple and Google Play stores for those further afield or who can’t make it to the show.
You can find out more at tellmefables.com and sign up for their mailing list and growing Discord server, where Founder Michael Nakan and Community Lead Vik Deluca will be hosting a live feed next Monday, October 28.”