Fantastic!

Best movie ever!

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

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

Back in the '70s, when cable TV first came to Northeastern Pennsylvania, subscribing meant the addition of three channels: WPHL 17, out of Philly, WPIX 11, out of New York, and WORTV 9, also out of New York. For an adolescent horror fan, however, these channels were a dream come true, with Dr. Shock's Horror Theater and Mad Theater on Channel 17, WPIX's Chiller Theater (with the six-fingered hand emerging from a pool of blood), and Channel 9's Fright Night at 1 a.m. on Saturdays. It's this last program where I first saw "Deathmaster," and at the time, I was too young to understand why it would be considered a bad movie. I didn't understand he plethora of exploitation genre it, well, exploited (biker movies, kung fu movies, hippie movies, etc.) I was - thankfully - unaware of the Tate-LaBianca murders. I watched this movie with no prejudicial baggage at all...and it scared the hell out of me. This was largely because of atmosphere. This movie is very emotionally claustrophobic. It's more grim than you'd expect. There's no comic relief, and as the film progresses, things get more and more desperate. There's no happy ending, and the final despair stayed with me a long time after that first viewing. Even now, just listening the very '70s score by Bill Marx (Harpo's son, by the way), I can feel the atmosphere closing in on me...which is a good thing, a sign of the film's effectiveness.Listening to Robert Quarry's recollections on the DVD release was very disappointing, since this movie - which I've been seeking for years - seems to have been an afterthought by everyone involved with it, a way to make a cheap buck, with no real love or ambition invested in it. Too bad. I have to wonder what it would have been like had it been helm-ed by people who really wanted to make a great movie.I don't know that I'd recommend this film to anyone unless. Unless you're the sort of person who, after hearing a brief description of the plot, would be curious, it's probably not going to satisfy you, or come across as being silly. It's only the few of us who were there, eyes glued to the screen on those late Saturday nights, who are going to have a true appreciation for this long-lost gem.

When I was a kid I'd stay up late and watch creature features. I think that was a major influence on my tastes. This movie terrified me when I was 7 yrs old. Now I'm 30 and I love it! I couldn't remember the name or find it. About a yr and a half ago I got this one on DVD. YES!!! Not quite as scary but just some good fun. This is a rare, good treat if your a horror geek. If you like Blackula, Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, or Carpenter and Romero, then I definitely recommend this one. Also the DVD has a decent commentary.This one's more for nostalgia, but also for collectors too. The 70's are alive and well in Deathmaster!

A pipe playing reject from the cast of "I Walked With a Zombie" and an ancient vampire who bears more than a passing resemblance to Jason Isaacs take over some prime oceanside property (isn't that just like a bloodsucker?) and seduce a bunch of young and groovy hippies, forcing them to participate in all-night dance parties. A pretty girl who looks like Jane Asher falls under the spell of the Vampires, and it's up to her inept boyfriend and an old geeky man to save her. When the police fail to believe their story, they attempt to make a rescue on their own. Can they save her in time? Who cares, really?A biker-momma and her old man are the first to become food. A young man displays his Kung Fu talents at films beginning, and when attacked by a group of vampires, apparently forgets all of his martial arts training and starts kicking and screaming like a two year old having a tantrum. The Vampire dresses like Liberace...it's all pretty goofy, but it's harmless. I can think of worse ways to waste an hour or so.

A hippie vampire! There's really not much more to be said, save for an excellent performance by the underrated Quarry as the lead. This was a Saturday afternoon staple during the 70's on NYC local stations. I recommend it, if you can find it, but don't take it too seriously though.