Patrick Lussier and Todd Farmer’s ‘Trick’ (2019) Movie Review

When I first heard about Patrick Lussier and Todd Farmer’s latest collaboration, Trick (2019 – read another PopHorror writer’s thoughts here), I was tremendously excited. I have been a fan of Lussier since Dracula 2000 (which I have fond memories of watching with my older sister on VHS) and of Farmer since Jason X and Drive Angry, one of my favorite Nicolas Cage films. When Lussier and Farmer are working together, they can do little wrong to me, My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009 – read our retro review here and here) aside. So, what did I think of Trick? Read on for my 100% honest thoughts on the film.

Trick is the latest film from director Patrick Lussier (Dracula 2000 2000, Drive Angry 2011) from a script written by Lussier and Todd Farmer (Drive Angry 2011, Jason X 2001). The film stars Farmer, Omar Epps (Scream 2 1997), Jamie Kennedy (Scream 1996), Tom Atkins (Night of the Creeps 1986) Ellen Adair (The Sinner TV Series), Kristina Reyes (Killer Daddy Issues 2020), Thom Niemann (Inside The Rain 2019), Kya Brickhouse, and Max Miller (Dead Sound 2018).

An elusive serial killer, Trick, returns each Halloween to kill innocent victims. Detective Mike Denver (Omar Epps) faced Trick once before, shooting him off a five-storey building. When Trick’s body disappears into the town river, everyone thinks he’s dead. Only Denver believes he’s still alive. But now, as strange occurrences disrupt the peace of the town, nobody can deny that Trick has returned. Obsessed with catching the murderer, Denver will do whatever it takes to stop Trick claiming their next victim.

For me, Trick was a bit of a mixed bag, though I found much more to like than dislike. Since it is the least of the two, let’s start with the dislikes. I wasn’t really a fan of the way the first act of the film was set up, showing the first series of murders then the subsequent 4 years. It’s a vital part of the story, but with the way it was executed, it felt like it was there to pad out the length, taking the focus away from the survivors of the original killings for far too long. That leads to some of the characters such as Nicki (Brickhouse) and Troy (Miller) having little to do other than be potential victims, and they don’t really get developed that much. I also didn’t like the motive of the killer, but then again, I’ve never liked the We Kill Because We Can excuse. I felt like one of the main twists was easily seen early on by the way the killer acts.

Now that I’ve got that little bit of criticism out of the way, let’s move on to the positive. While I didn’t care for the killer’s motives, I did like his brutality and intensity, which called to mind Tory Jones’ The Wicked One (one of my favorite indie slasher films – read our review here). The kills were pretty well executed with tons of gore from FX man Gary Tunnicliffe (Feast 2005, Candyman 1992).

I enjoyed the majority of the cast. It was nice to see Jamie Kennedy in a horror movie again, even though his time was brief. It’s always a joy to see Tom Atkins (fun fact: the first horror film I remember seeing is 1986’s Night of the Creeps). Omar Epps does a wonderful job as the obsessed Detective, and I really enjoyed him in the role, though I was honestly surprised to see him do a film like this. Maybe he’s due for a resurgence in horror films. I wouldn’t mind that. Ellen Adair was excellent as the Sheriff. I like how she kept her cool when shit really hit the fan and how she worked well with Epps’ character. Last but not least, I loved Kristina Reyes as Cheryl. Her final fight with the killer is pretty fucking epic, and I honestly hope she does more horror films. I liked the film’s ending (even though part of it left me scratching my head), and I thought it was creative the way it set up a potential sequel, which I honestly wouldn’t mind seeing, though it is highly unlikely given the less than stellar reviews of Trick. Who knows. After all, Dracula 2000 got two sequels.

Final Thoughts

Though it has its fair share of flaws, Trick does enough right to be an enjoyable watch, and with everything going on right now, that’s honestly all I can ask for. Overall, Trick is a mean-spirited and fun, modern day slasher in spite of its flaws. Hopefully, we get a sequel and more Lussier/Farmer collabs in the future. Recommended! Trick will be available on Digital Download from March 30th and is available for Pre-Order here.