Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

This is a movie that is somewhat scattered. While the presence of Peter Billingsly might lean towards a film that would appeal to children, that is certainly not the case here. On the other hand as a slasher, "Death Valley" is extremely mild. The musical score is interesting, and there are a few suspenseful moments, but in the end the viewer is left unsatisfied, with a bit of a letdown. The acting, especially by Billingsly, is way above average, and character development is not forgotten either, but the entertainment value is lessened by the weak slasher elements, especially since the villain is about as interesting as a mud puddle. - MERK

Billy (Peter Billingsley) heads from New York to Arizona with his recently divorced mom (Catherine Hicks) so she can hook up with old high school boyfriend Mike (Paul Le Mat). Along the way, the makeshift family stumbles upon the handiwork of a local serial killer. When they report it to the sheriff (Wilford Brimley), word gets out and the killer comes looking for quasi-witness Billy. This hard-to-find early 80s horror offering is unique in that the person being stalked is a 9-year-old. I doubt you would ever see a major studio film today with a kid being in the line of fire from two killers. Unfortunately, the film has little else going for it.The identity of the killer is given away almost immediately, with a "shock" ending added on that won't surprise you. Stephen McHattie, who was the robber in Cronenberg's A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, plays the set of evil twins and is good. It isn't really a shock because you know right off the bat that his character Hal has a brother. Their motive for killing (keeping people away from Pa's worthless goldmine) is straight outta SCOOBY DOO.Watching the film and its desert locations and creepy set ups, I wondered if Eric Red saw it and thought to himself, "Man, I wonder what this would be like if done right?" before writing THE HITCHER. Edward Herrmann has a completely thankless role as Billingsley's father in one scene. Since he is in it so little, I suspect he might be the killer. I guess not.

It's boring.It's slow.Where are the nasty and brutal murders? Where is the tension that is supposed to scare us? This is like watching Sesame Street without the funny characters of Ernie and Bert or Grover.It's really lame.Maybe it was the writing...maybe the direction...maybe the acting, maybe the editing, maybe the cinematography, maybe the special effects, maybe the makeup.Maybe all of the above brought this to something barely able to keep your eyes focused on.I wanted to get scared...not bored.This didn't scare me...it didn't even interest me...I had more fun watching the time on the microwave instead of watching this film.Don't bother to buy it..and if you see it on television by some freak chance, there is no need to tuck the kids asleep.

This film is not as bad as many people would have you believe. Peter "The Dirt Bike Kid" Billingsley, in his first starring role, plays Billy, a boy who is forced to vacation with his mother and her boyfriend in the middle of the hot California desert. During a desert outing, a bored Billy decides to do a little exploration and comes across a seemingly abandoned RV. Unbeknownst to Billy the RV contains the freshly butchered bodies of three teenagers who are stuffed into the forward compartment. Billy nearly opens the forward compartment's door when he's pulled out and reprimanded by his mother's boyfriend. Billy doesn't leave empty handed though; he has stolen a necklace that he found on the RV's floor.Later the necklace becomes a clue that is handed over with much guilt and tears to the town's sheriff played by Wilford Brimley. Soon after, the sheriff has a mining pick stuck in his chest after stupidly going over to the killer's house with clue in hand and basically asking, "Hey, look what I found at a murder scene," and knowing full well that the necklace belongs to the killer. Oops!The killer believes Billy knows too much and needs to be eliminated. From this point on the film becomes a tense cat-and-mouse game that ends with more than a few dead.Death Valley was released in 1982 without much fanfare or promotion and was quickly lost among the glut of slasher films being churned out by Hollywood at that time. That is unfortunate because the film features everything horror fans love: breasts, gore and excitement. This film also features a tense Henry Manfredini-like musical score by Dana Kaproff and excellent cinematography by Stephen Burum. Billy's mother is played by the beautiful Katherine Hicks (spelled Catherine on the video box) who played Marilyn Monroe in the television movie, Marilyn: The Untold Story.Another reason to watch this film is for the brief appearance of Gina Christian, in her only film role, as R.V. Girl. Gina Christian is the reason tube tops were invented. Wow!