It’s fair to say that director Steven Kostanski is crafting a wholly unique filmography in an age of reboots, requels and rehashes of old properties.
Now that might sound hypocritical given his latest feature is a remake of ’80s cult fantasy feature Deathstalker, but given how this could have been presented; I’m so glad it was in Kostanski’s hands.
His previous efforts such as The Void and Psycho Goreman have shown he has a real affinity for classic monster films while also understanding how they might look out of place in today’s CGI-driven, soulless,mega-budget features.
There is the DNA of the golden age of 80s fantasy films in Deathstalker, but Kostanski is clearly in on the joke and makes the film as absurd and bonkers as he can; and it’s all the better for it.
Within the first seconds of the film we have blood and body parts flying everywhere, and in the main, everything looks in-camera with minimal CGI touch ups.
For the unannointed, the titular Deathstalker, played with such charm by Daniel Bernhardt, acquires a long-lost amulet which holds the key to the survival of the Kingdom of Abraxeon. The kingdom is under threat from the evil sorcerer Nekromemnon, who steals the show with a performance that is somewhere between panto and Palpatine.
Deathstalker teams up good sorcerer Doodad (Patton Oswalt), who is giving Gwildor from Masters of the Universe (1987) vibes, and take down Nekromemnon’s dreadites and every monster put in his way and acquire a magic sword which can end the conflict once and for all.
As you can read, it’s very He-Man-centric, but Deathstalker feels like it was made for the new age of fantasy fans who may play games such as Dungeons and Dragons or Vampire Masquerade, whilst also having something for fantasy fans who still crave the golden period for these films during the 1970s and 1980s.
The plot is secondary to the action, but the set pieces are fantastic, the effects are so gory and there is a lot of comedy (intentional and unintentional) which makes this a rollicking 100 minutes or so.
Maybe we need more bonkers fantasy films in our lives after all.
Watch the trailer for Deathstalker below –
Bloody Flicks 