Deathstalker

Holy shit. The perfect Deathstalker film. I am just amazed by how well the lead handles the situations. I must say, they should hire my buddy to make them some silicon masks because the foam sure seems lifeless on a lead. Some pretty weak little dude effects all around. The thing about practical effects is even if they're bad you get to see the creative decisions they had to make based on budget. If the CGI is bad...you just feel disappointed.

Nice to see practical effects. Nice to hear squealing guitars. Nice to see the perfect sword. I find the perfect sword to be the best joke in this film. It's hilarious. Good god, I loved Deathstalker. I can no longer see any of its flaws and I hope they make more of this bullshit.

Swords and sandal style fantasy epic features are not my bag. Asides from the childhood nostalgia of catching re-runs of Desmond Davis’ 1981 classic Clash of the Titans, and the horror-tinged madness that was Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness (1992), there really aren’t any titles that stick in my mind as being enjoyable. So, when I saw the poster for Deathstalker advertised as screening at Black Sunday Film Festival, my instinct told me this was not going to be fun. But oh momma was I wrong!

Writer/director Steven Kostanski has created a film for the ages with this reimagining of the 1983 original. Where James Sbardellati opted for a more sleaze ridden affair, targeting an alpha male audience with scantily clad females, gratuitous sex scenes and over the top violence, this latest version embraces the joy held in fantasy filmmaking whilst giving its audience a knowing wink.

We follow a powerful swordsman known only as Deathstalker (Daniel Bernhardt), as he recovers a cursed amulet from a corpse strewn battlefield. Unbeknownst to him, the amulet is marked by dark magic, and he’s instantly hunted by various monstrous assassins, intent on reclaiming the power for themselves. Along his journey, Deathstalker unwillingly attracts misfit allies who bring equal parts assistance and roadblocks to his new quest.

From the opening scene we’re embraced into this camp and dramatic world as we find our hero mid-battle against various creatures. There’s intense fight choreography, incredible costume design and the gore is just magnificent.

Many independent films in the horror genre live and die by the standard of their practical effects. Deathstalker was in the incredibly safe hands of Kostanski, who has an affinity for working alongside the absolute best available to create awe inspiring creature design, impactful bloody scenes and kills that films with larger budgets and major studio backing could only dream of. Add to this some wonderful stop motion animation and puppetee...