Friday, March 25, 2011

Deathstalker

Directed by: James Sbardellati Running Time: 80 min Year of Release: 1983

Churned out of the prolific Roger Corman factory; Deathstalker sought to capitalize on the swords and sorcery craze of the early eighties with predictably cheesy, low budget results. The story follows the titular warrior, a muscle bound man of few words and fewer brain cells, as he finds himself on a quest to defeat a tyrannical sorcerer. Deathstalker is a treat for camp enthusiasts and B-movie lovers alike, its fun and lightweight as it goes through the required motions of its sub-genre, which it does with zest: scantily(or not at all) clad maidens? check, a variety of villainous baddies? check, Bloodletting swordplay and magical hocus pocus?Check. A buxom female warrior love interest? check, A eyeball eating sock puppet..wait what? In short, if your in the market for a low rent Conan that pulls its genre tropes off with campy verve; just call on Deathstalker.

Grade: 3/5

Available on (out of print) DVD from New Concord. If you have the cash, it's also exists bundled with the worthy sequel Deathstalker 2.