Horror Crush: Lisa Orgolini

Today we are inducting another beauty into our hallowed Horror Crushes section, And, this time we have a beauty, who thanks to her role, serves also a metal crush! It's the gorgeous and talented Lisa Orgolini! 

She was born Lisa Athena Orgolini on July 31, 1963 in Los Angeles, California. Orgolini made her acting debut in a made for TV called Paper Dolls in 1982. But, it is her next role that is her most famous one and the reason for her induction here. 

That flick is the heavy metal/ horror classic Trick or Treat (1986). Made at the height of the 80s satanic panic tells the tale of Eddie "Ragman" Weinbauer (Mark Price best known for being Skippy on Family Ties) who is a teenaged metalhead. Like many other fellow fans of metal, he is an outcast and is bullied by the high school assholes. Heavy metal rocker Sammi Curr (the late, great Tony Fields) is his idol. He is infamous, due to his onstage performances and graphic lyrics.

But, Sammi has died in a mysterious fire, which has our hero down. He goes down to visit radio DJ Nuke (Kiss' Gene Simmons), who gives him Curr's unreleased album, Songs in the Keys of Death on acetate disc. Nuke has his own copy reel to tape copy to play at midnight on Halloween, just as Curr requested. Anywho, it doesn't take long for Ragman to play the record backwards and what starts as a harmless ways to get back at his bullies, quickly escalates to horrible demon caused injuries, death, and Curr's eventual return from the grave! 

As I alluded to before, Trick or Treat was made at a time, when some not very bright people where shitting themselves thinking that Satan and Satanists were doing all sorts of evil shit. Among the forms of entertainment that took the blame were things like Dungeons and Dragons and, of course, heavy metal music. This one takes the whole Satan worship and backmasking (the mostly misconceived idea that if you play metal records backwards evil shit would be said) as part of its plot. It is also, as a result, filled with fucking killer music by underrated. and no longer together, metal band Fastway.

The movie, itself, had been unavailable for ages, except for some shitty DVD (that was in pan and scan, no fucking less!). Until last year, when Synapse finally put it out on glorious 4K, in one of the best releases of 2024. Now, I hadn't this one seen renting the VHS, as a kid who was into metal and horror. I liked it back then, but I love it even more now. Being an outcast in high school where I was picked on for my love of metal and horror (and comics, though I suppose that's less relevant to this movie), I can relate to it even more now. Mark Price is really likable as our lead, and Fields is fucking awesome as Curr. Along with the killer music and the fun cameos by metal/ hard rock royalty in the aforementioned Simmons as well as Ozzy Osbourne, as an anti -metal crusader, give it even more metal cred. It is the second greatest heavy metal/ horror movie ever made (Deathgasm is the greatest, if you must know).

Orgolini is wonderful in her role of Leslie Graham. She's a regular and sweet girl who befriends Ragman and likes him! They have good chemistry and make for a cute onscreen couple. Orgolini looks absolutely gorgeous, but also manages to pull off the girl next door thing. Or at least, like I always said, the girl that I always wished lived next door to me. She is so naturally beautiful, that I crushed on her the moment I saw her. But, also this is the part that I can't relate to as no normie girl would ever have liked my metal loving ass. But, hey this is after a movie and not real life, right? Anyways, I especially love Orgolini's look at the Halloween party (above) which is very 80s, and by default, really hot in my book! 

She kept on acting till 1998, after which she retired from performing. But. Trick or Treat remained her sole horror film. According to the extra features to that movie's aforementioned 4K release (and it's Blu-ray, as well), she moved to England, where she lives now. As a result, she ain't on the extra features. Which is a little  disappointing cuz, I would have loved to hear her thoughts on the film and making of it. Also, I was curious to see what she looked nowadays.

Anyways, one of the things, related to her, that we learn in those extra features is that there was a fantasy/ dream sequence where Ragman pictures himself to be some sort of Conan type dude, He also imagines Leslie to be in a sexy, complimentary outfit (below). I definitely wish this scene existed in the movie, cuz she looked hot as hell!

While, Orgolini only did one horror movie in her relatively short career. it's a classic and favorite among fans who love metal and horror, like myself. She was so good in it and with her beauty and character's sweetness, really embodied the normie girl many of us wish we had met in high school. As such, it is an honor to induct Lisa Orgolini into Horror Crushes!