DECATUR, Ill. – When Eric Hector’s new film “Trick and Treats” makes its world premiere at the next Saturday, Sept. 20, it will be the culmination of work, dating back to his days as a student at .
For Hector, Assistant Professor of , the project has been a passion project that has overcome many hurdles, including the COVID pandemic, which shut down production and Hector’s own health emergency, making him unsure if he would be able to get to see this moment to fruition and share it with everyone who helped him along the way.
“We got really fortunate with the group of people we have (on this production). We've got some great people, and I think my emotions are going to be gratitude. A lot of them are coming back from long distances, and I hope they are happy with it, because they've been waiting a long time,” Hector said.
“The actors get to see what they've done, and some of them have gone on to achieve amazing things. This is what moviemaking is all about to me. If you're making a movie and you have five really good ideas, and the cinematographer has five, and the costume designer has five, by the end, you've got a thousand good ideas. It always ends up that other people's ideas come in, and I'm excited for them to see it come to fruition after all this time and all the work.”
The inspiration for the Halloween-themed horror movie dates back to Hector’s time as a student at Millikin, and “Trick and Treats” is written and directed by Hector and produced by his company, , in association with Frightfull 5000 Films. Locally-shot around Central Illinois, the film includes performances by iconic Hollywood actors Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Star Trek: Generations, Halloween (2007)) and Academy Award-nominated Actor Gary Busey (The Buddy Holly Story, Point Break, Lethal Weapon).
“Trick and Treats” is set on Halloween as protagonist Ashley and her friends find themselves locked in a biker bar, facing torture and death. All is lost until Ashley hears the legendary jack-o-lantern "Trick” (Malcolm McDowell) whispering in her mind. Is he trying to help, or is he merely a product of Ashley's panicked imagination? The trick is figuring it out before everybody dies.
In the fall of 2024, Hector sold “Trick and Treats” and was preparing for its release when, in February 2025, he suffered a massive coronary embolism and was near death in the intensive care unit after being airlifted to St. Louis.
“We gathered all my kids around and told them to say goodbye because they thought I was done. I tell everybody, Jesus and my wife, Joan, saved my life because a million people were praying for me. My wife was an outstanding advocate for me when I was not able to do anything,” Hector said. “I had six months of recovery, and when I came home, I had oxygen, and I could barely walk. Now, most people can't tell by looking at me. The doctors say I've recovered quite miraculously.
“Of course, the premiere was pushed back, but I think it's landing in a good space now. The Lincoln Square Theater is so beautiful, and Lavelle Hunt (President of the Friends of the Lincoln Square Theater) helped us so much. He helped us get all the old cars for our 1950s flashback scene and was instrumental in helping to get the movie made.”
Hector is also the Owner and Creative Director of Heroic Age Studios, a graphic design and production company, which is located in the old Mount Zion grade school building. To accommodate the filming of “Trick and Treats,” he made the lower level a studio and shot a large portion of the film there.
“ We remodeled the old grade school into a studio space, and the upper half is an Art center containing separate studio spaces for many different artists. It was nice to have a collective of artists there because, to me, film is like a collective of the arts,” Hector said. “We built all of our sets down in that space, and that saved a lot of money. We had a lot of people working on it who really wanted to help.”
Some of those helping the production were Millikin students, getting rare first-hand feature-film Performance Learning opportunities. Film & Video Production major also helps train future creators interested in motion picture, television, documentary filmmaking, and commercial, corporate, and web video production.
“Students served in internships as production, costume, and set design assistants. We had a lot of folks helping, and I’m excited to have them see it,” Hector said. “‘Trick and Treats’ also shows the film community here and what we can put together. I believe there is a thriving film community here, in part due to the Illinois Film Production Tax Credit, and with Millikin's new degree in Film & Video Production. I think it showcases what's truly capable, and if you come downstate and combine that with the tax credits, it's really a maximized bang for your buck. I think we could turn into something like Georgia’s (movie-making industry), and I think it's good for all of us.”
The “Trick and Treats” premiere at the Lincoln Square Cinema (141 N Main St, Decatur, IL 62523) is open to the public, and tickets are on sale now for $20 + a service fee at or call the Box Office at (217) 454-4583.
The event starts on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at 5 p.m. with a Red Carpet and Photo Event, and the showing begins at 7 p.m., followed by an optional Q&A after the movie at 8:45 p.m. While “Trick and Treats” is unrated, it is a dark horror film that includes R-rated content. The movie contains adult language, adult situations, violence, and depictions of self-harm.
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