ABSTRACT
With its cast of (in)famous metal stars in cameo roles – Ozzy Osbourne appears in the film as a Christian TV preacher, and Gene Simmons as a metal radio host – and direct references to metal bands popular at the time, Trick or Treat (1986) is arguably the most iconic metal film ever directed, having become a sort of cult item among metal and horror fans. From a critical standpoint, however, C.M. Smith’s film has not garnered much attention. This chapter brings out the ambivalent representation of metal in the film. Through its repositioning within the Foolkiller movie – an overlooked American film genre made up of titles such as Willard (1971), Carrie (1976), and Fade to Black (1980) – the essay brings to the fore the way metal is depicted both as an instrument of revenge for powerless teenagers (and viewers), and as a way to reinforce further the negative associations with metal propounded by the Moral Majority and the conservative discourses of the Reagan era. In a typically exploitative fashion, Trick or Treat taps into classical metal imagery and ideology (alienation from school, rebellion against a tyrannical society, etc.), offering pleasures based on the recognition of (sub-)cultural stereotypes to its juvenile audience, while at the same time ideologically aligning itself with the parental concerns and the discourses of the Reaganite Moral Majority claiming that metal was a dangerous, subversive, satanic form leading teenagers to acts of violence.
