Deathstalker Review: A Ludicrously Enjoyable Revisit of 80s Swords-and-Sorcery Silliness
Inventive creature design, goopy practical effects, and a metal guitar soundtrack make this reworking of a Roger Corman fantasy a treat for one’s inner child. A 1980s Roger Corman swords-and-sorcery movie gets a loving remake here, as strapping antihero Deathstalker attempts to break the spell of a cursed amulet in the Kingdom of Abraxeon.
Sensational Low-Budget Creature Design
With sensational low-budget creature design and lashings of goopy practical special effects where you can really feel the splatter, the kingdom is being laid waste by the Dreadites, minions of the evil sorcerer Nekromemnon. You’ll know how you’ll feel about this film by your response to words such as “Dreadites” and “Nekromemnon”. For many, there is wondrous pleasure to be found in the ludicrousness of this nomenclature – so perfectly on the nose and so stupidly appealing to one’s inner child. Everyone else please move along, this movie is very much an acquired taste.
Practical Effects and Actor Commitment
And what a taste it is! The creature design is one of Deathstalker’s many delights: flying eyeballs, a troll with two faces emerging from its torso, some juicy little toothy worm guys, a thing that’s part Slimer from Ghostbusters, part high-fantasy wraith. And the critters are brought to life through actual practical effects, which greatly adds to their charm, as does the absolute conviction of the human actors playing opposite them, bringing Monty Python-level commitment to the bit.
Directed by Steven Kostanski and Executive Produced by Slash
Directed by Steven Kostanski and executive produced by Slash, this is one of those fantasy films soundtracked by gnarly heavy metal riffs, as opposed to the strings-horns-drums type of thing. We are forced to ask: is it one for the ages? Is it going to be troubling polls of the greatest achievements in the cinematic arts for decades to come? Probably not, although with characteristic flair, the super-serious Locarno film festival, normally known for its annual programme of important arthouse cinema, gave Deathstalker a world premiere in 2025, so who knows?
Deathstalker is on Shudder and AMC+ from 3 April, offering a nostalgic and entertaining escape for fans of classic fantasy genres.
