Deathstalker (2025)
Following the success of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Conan the Barbarian in 1982, a slew of low-to-mid budget sword and sorcery films flooded the market in hopes of piggybacking off the success of the Arnold classic. Films like Beastmaster, Dragonslayer, The Sword and Sorcerer, Krull, Hundra, and Barbarian Queen were all released around the time of Conan the Barbarian. None of them came close to the success of Conan, but they were cheap enough to make and quirky enough to attract an audience and be financially viable. One of the more popular titles was Deathstalker, a film produced by low-budget icon Roger Corman.
The Deathstalker series is probably best remembered for its iconic poster, created by Boris Vallejo. The film made its rounds on HBO back in the 80s, and it spawned three sequels. However, it’s questionable whether any of the films were actually good. The first film is full of nudity, so much so it’s often joked as being a sword and sorcery porno.
In Deathstalker II, director Jim Wynorki (Chopping Mall, Return of Swamp Thing took over the reins and decided to lean into the camp, and sleaze. The film walks the fine line of almost being a parody of the first film, but it knows how to have fun. Of the four films, the second one is usually the most beloved, but the bar is pretty low. The other films in the series reused a lot of footage and were just churned out to profit off the name of the franchise.
So, why did I provide this abbreviated history of the Deathstalker franchise? Well, that’s because in the year of our Lord 2025, there is a new Deathstalker movie out! Directed by practical effect guru Steve Kostanski (Psycho Goreman, The Void, Freddy Freako) this latest version of Deathstalker is an interesting approach to the source material. At it’s core, this is a 80s homage, mostly to Deathstalker II, just without the nudity and sleaze. Instead, this is a film full of practical effects, cheese one-liners, over-the-top gore, and a lot of fun.
Deathstalker is portrayed by stuntman and actor Daniel Bernhardt whose credits include Atomic Blonde, John Wick, Ballerina, The Matrix Reloaded, and Nobody. Accompanying him on his journey is a small wizard named Doodad, portrayed by Laurie Field and voiced by Patton Oswald. The film was produced by Slash of Guns N Roses who teamed up with famed composer Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead, Outlander, God of War to create this badass theme song. If you want to know the vibe of this film, this song says it all.
Being a newer fan of the genre, I didn’t grow up with fond memories of the early 80s sword and sorcery flicks. In fact, the closest I got was Masters of the Universe starring Dolph Lundren. As an adult, going back and watching these old films is a chore. Most of the time I don’t finish them. I really think there is something to be said about the nostalgia of these films for those who watched them as they were released, because they haven’t aged well. That’s not to say I can’t appreciate elements of them such as the music, crazy costumes, practical effects, and wild weapons. I think being able to appreciate the more primitive way of filmmaking pre-CGI is important, because Deathstalker is, first and foremost, an homage. It plays up it’s 80s inspiration and doesn’t really try to do anything else, and I think that could turn some folks off who go into his expecting a modern sword and sorcery film.
For example, having a little person as an actor makes it easy for Deathstalker to throw Doodad around. Of course, he doesn’t throw the actual actress, but instead he throws/carries a dummy. It’s clear in some scenes it’s a dummy, and for someone like me, that’s not a problem. I prefer a bundle of cloth with a mask any day over an CGI character that pulls me out of the story.
That is my warning for anyone who may be interested in this film. It’s a fun flick, but it reeks of the 80s, similar to Kostanski’s other films: Psycho Goreman and Freddy Freako. I think if you understand this going in, you’ll enjoy the film quite a bit. If you go in blind, probably much less.
The story is pretty basic: Deathstalker takes an amulet off a dying man that places a curse upon him. Deathstalker teams up with a wizard in hopes to remove the curse, but an ancient necromancer has returned from the grave to make a play for the amulet. It’s up to the mysterious Deathstalker to save himself and possibly the entire world.
Is this the greatest film ever? Not even close, but is it a fun way to spend an hour and forty-five minutes? Absolutely. The film features unique and crazy characters, lots of gory fighting, a character named “Deathstalker”, a goofy wizard who is not good at what he does named “Doodad”, and the ability to lean into its cheesiness and not be ashamed. I appreciate that in a world where so many Hollywood pictures feel the same.
Sword and sorcery is a subgenre of storytelling that is propped up by past success and low-budget/self-published fiction. Sure, some legacy characters like Red Sonja and Conan see some success in the comic industry, but there isn’t a ton of new content to consume, especially when it comes to movies. This year we saw Red Sonja get released, as well as Deathstalker and while neither movie set the world on fire and will rejuvenate his dormant subgenre, it’s nice to see filmmakers still wanting to tell these stories, even if they are on a much smaller stage.
Side Note: There was one other sword and sorcery film released this year, which featured the strongest script of these three movies and with original characters, titled Knight’s War. Directed by Matthew Ninaber (who portrayed the previously mentioned Psycho Goreman and also portrayed the Despairon in Deathstalker) Knight’s War is a dark fantasy take on groundhog day with an uber low-budget. Some of the film was even shot in the director and the lead actor’s parent’s backyard, but you would never know it. I hope to one day do a proper write up on this film, but if you are interested in Deathstalker, but would like something more serious and gory, then check out Knight’s War.
