Sean Parker
Long before The Lord of the Rings was ever conceived as a thought in Peter Jackson’s head, the ‘80s were filled with medieval fantasy movies. From the Conan the Barbarian films to Jim Henson’s Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, heroes and monsters were explored in ways audiences haven’t seen since. So many fantasy worlds were illustrated on celluloid, and as a child, my household ate them up. My sister was a huge fan of titles like The Last Unicorn and The Star Wars Ewok Adventure spinoff, Caravan of Courage. Meanwhile, my brothers got into The Neverending Story, The Beastmaster, and Masters of the Universe. Meanwhile, I was consumed by Ridley Scott’s Legend and a TV-recorded version of James Sbardellati’s hokey little Conan rip-off known as Deathstalker.
Lately, there has been a growing clamor for a return to these extraordinary worlds. Shudder’s 2022 film, The Spine of Night, took a cue right out from the Fire and Ice playbook, creating an immersive animated tome, while Amazon fueled fans’ desires for more from the world of The Lord of the Rings with The Rings of Power, while also adapting The Wheel of Time book series. And HBO continues to have success with the Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon. It seems that fantasy culture is once again on the rise, making it an excellent time for the return of Deathstalker.
Director Steven Kostanski is a practical effects wizard, providing makeup effects for some huge Hollywood films like 2017’s IT, Guillermo Del Toro’s Crimson Peak, and even the not-so-good Suicide Squad movie. However, his films The Void, Psycho Goreman, and Manborg are greatly celebrated among science fiction and horror lovers. When it was announced that the Kostanski was looking to reboot Deathstalker, I couldn’t wait to see the results.
From the onset of the film, there’s something a lot darker about Kostanski’s Deathstalker. I’ve long thought Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness poached a few story elements from Howard R. Cohen’s script. Kostanski seems fine with reclaiming them, along with a little more, such as an undead army, the Dreadites, that comparatively sounds a lot like the undead Deadites from Army of Darkness. At the beginning of the film, the viewer is thrown into a battle between this Dreadite army, and it doesn’t seem to be going well for the knights who are attempting to drive them back to the hellish depths from which they came. Deathstalker (Daniel Bernhardt) enters to fulfill his vulturous namesake, absconding with whatever property of the dead he can profit from. As a dying knight pleads with him to save his life, Deathstalker ignores his final breaths, taking an amulet he hopes will fetch him a pretty penny.
Kostanski then mixes a Skyrim or Witcher aesthetic in, as Deathstalker enters a village pub only to hear the whispers of his origins behind his back. Those rumors are given some credence when a monstrous assassin seeking the amulet enters behind him. Finding that the amulet is more trouble than it’s worth, Deathstalker attempts to rid himself of the amulet, only to find how difficult that task proves to be. Seeking the aid of a witch, she tells him the amulet appears to be cursed, latching onto its bearer until it’s in another’s possession. The amulet, as in the original, is connected to a sword that holds the key to bringing peace to the land or further entrenching it in darkness, should the evil Nekromemnon (Nicholas Rice) or his henchman Jotak (Paul Lazenby) get their hands on it.
What I appreciate about the remake is that this is a streamlined adventure film about an antihero who just ends up in the way of an ongoing hunt for a supernatural item. Kostanski’s script is far more aligned with the horror features of the “wrong place, wrong time” variety; there are no tournaments or lusty harems, just an unsuspecting person forced into a heroic situation without a creed or cause to fuel them. We’re also seeing Deathstalker in the environment that has determined his name, which provides a better sense of who Deathstalker is beyond some muscular blonde who comes to the aid of someone only to exploit that heroism.
Also, for having seen the 1983 film quite a few times as a youngster, I never realized how fiercely sexualized the original was. That’s a huge kudos to whomever edited the movie for television, because in revisiting the film for this review, I can see that it was no small task to accomplish. Kostanski may costume Deathstalker ally Brisbayne (Christina Orjalo) in a small leather outfit. Still, it certainly feels like more than any actress wore for an extended period in the original film.
Bernhardt is highly charismatic, a quality his past stuntman-centric roles in John Wick, Ballerina, and The Matrix sequels, among others, have rarely showcased. Even playing wonderfully in comedic back-and-forths against Laurie Field’s Doodad, for which Patton Oswalt provides the voiceover. Bernhardt’s on-screen charm adds a better depth to this character than Richard Hill’s. Doodad, on the other hand, often feels out of sync. Doodad takes the place of Salmaron from the first film, as Deathstalker’s right-hand confidant, but the creature makeup, which sometimes provides a cringey comparison to Mel Brooks’ Yogurt from Spaceballs, only with a difficult mouthpiece on the character that mostly appears out of sync. A nitpick? Maybe, but in fantasy films, the smallest wall-breakers can risk the entire illusion.
To that end, scale is the other significant factor here. Much of the new Deathstalker is shot in the darkness, and many close-up shots don’t always suit the on-screen action. There are occasional pulled-back shots with artist renderings of faraway villages bookending the film, as well as when Deathstalker approaches on the battlefield. However, these wide shots are often few and far between, which sometimes hurts the depth of Deathstalker’s world-building mechanics.
Ultimately, I love the fact that Deathstalker is back, but I hope that this effort breeds a bigger world for a future sequel. It’s a great effort, and Deathstalker fans like myself should look forward to lining up around the corner for a look at Kostanski’s new film. The creatures are incredible, as they always are in Kostanski’s films, from bloated swamp men to two-headed monsters and the return of Pig-face (Jon Ambrose). The new Deathstalker definitely includes more of a gateway horror vibe for those kids growing up now, even if, in place of the extensive nudity, Kostanski has filled the void with a level of blood that will rival any horror film within the first thirty seconds. I have no doubt in my mind that this film is going to find its audience, regardless of my gripes; it’s still an extremely entertaining adventure.
Deathstalker held its World Premiere at Fantastic Fest on Saturday, September 20. The film opens in theaters on October 10.
Deathstalker – Official Trailer | IN THEATERS OCTOBER 10
Deathstalker | Official Trailer In Deathstalker, the Kingdom of Abraxeon is under siege by the Dreadites, heralds of the long-dead sorcerer Nekromemnon. When Deathstalker recovers a cursed amulet from a corpse-strewn battlefield, he’s marked by dark magick and hunted by monstrous assassins. To survive, he must break the curse and face the rising evil.
