just watch it!

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

This is an incredibly silly yet entertaining swords and sorcery flick from executive producer Roger Corman. Richard Hill stars as Deathstalker, an oiled-up beefcake of a hero with long blond hair and a lantern jaw, who is tasked by an old witch with finding a trio of magical artifacts before the evil wizard Munkar does and can become all-powerful. Along the way on his quest, Deathstalker meets up with a variety of friends, including a guy who starts off as some kind of goblin in a cave, another happy-go-lucky adventurer, and a warrior-woman who remains shirtless throughout (played by Lana Clarkson, the B-actress who was shot dead by Phil Spector in 2003).The early 1980's were a big time for fantasy films, with the two Conan films with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dragonslayer, The Beastmaster, and The Sword & the Sorcerer. Deathstalker is their trashy exploitation cousin. This film has it all: a bald bad guy with a dumb tattoo on his face, a pig-man with a snotty nose, giants, lots of people with no shirts, a weird puppet monster in a box that eats fingers and eyeballs, a fighters' tournament, lots of people with no pants, gangs of mutants, silly costumes, harem girls, flashy spells, and Barbi Benton. I was able to appreciate its good points - maybe it's just nostalgia - but most rational people will find it lurid and dumb. This was an American-Argentinian co-production with a sequel that actually is an improvement.

Deathstalker starts as a great warrior known as Deathstalker (Rick Hill) hears his destiny from from a Witch named Toralva (Lillian Ker) in which he must find the three 'powers of creation' which will grant him or whoever has them unlimited power & immortality, a Chalice, an Amulet & the Sword of Justice which he sets out to find & recover. The Chalice & Amulet are already owned by evil sorcerer Munkar (Bernard Erhard) who is also seeking the Swod of Justice & gain unlimited power himself, having deposed the rightful king form his throne the evil Munkar now rules the entire Kingdom. Munkar is holding a tournament in which his successor will be named, a tournament featuring the greatest warriors in the Kingdom who all fight & kill each other until one is left & that warrior will inherit Munkar's throne & power. Deathstalker decides the tournament is a good way to get close to Munkar & enters but the evil sorcerer has the tournament rigged in his favour & has no intention of surrendering his power...This Argentinian & American co-production was directed by John Watson & is typically cheap sword & sorcery offering from Roger Corman who was obviously trying to cash-in on the popularity of Conan the Barbarian (1982), personally I think Deathstalker is a pretty poor film with virtually no story or sense & there is little reward in sitting through the admittedly short 76 minute running time which does actually feel a lot longer. The script is a total mess, it really makes no sense & has no story to get involved with. At first there's some nonsense about the Powers of Creation & then that is forgotten about & the tournament held by Munkar is introduced & there are many scenes which make no sense either like the cave bit where Deathstalker finds the Sword of Justice or the strange ending where Munkar & Deathstalker don't fight it out but sort of stare at each other a bit. The character's are poor, no-one is given any background & character's really do just come & go with only Deathstalker himself an ever present. The women are all there to look good & wear tiny bra's & if they are lucky get to bare their ample breast's, there's a Pig warrior guy who I have no idea about & various magic spells & tricks which again go nowhere while even the tournament aspect is dull with barely one fight shown. All in all a bit of a disappointment & my expectations weren't even that high either, there just isn't enough story, action, violence or depth for me to be able to recommend Deathstalker.The look of the film isn't that bad, the locations & sets are alright if limited while the costumes & props are OK too. There's not much blood or gore here, there's a couple of brief decapitations, a bit of blood splatter & someone is pulled apart at the end in another brief scene. The best bit of gore is probably when the Pig mutant warrior pulls someones arm off & beats someone else with it. There's some nudity too with various topless women. There's a also a rather random moment when two women decide to mud wrestle for Munkar.Filmed in Argentina on what must have been a low budget the production values are alright but I found it dull overall lacking in any sort of story or memorable action. The acting is rough, I can't say I'm surprised no-one in the cast has gone on to do anything of note.Deathstalker is one of those films with a great title & great artwork on it's video box but is a lame film, no story or action or decent gore means the 76 minute running time feels a lot longer. Followed by Deathstalker II (1987), Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell (1988) & Deathstalker IV: Match of Titans.

If your a fan of pretty ladies especially undressed ones and a fan of warrior flicks this is my favorite. Believable action hero and plenty of beautiful starlets including Lana Clarkson (one of my personal favorites).Don't expect great acting or a big budget but the premise is great and while not quite like Arnold playing Conan which is another great example of the genre with a bigger budget and and better known cast. I watched this many years ago and bought both the DVD and VHS and enjoyed it many times in between. What's not to like about an near immortal holding a contest to find the greatest Warriors in the land while they eliminate each other in their quest for glory.There are a few others from this time era I enjoyed but most never had all the things in place. If your gonna do a warrior film have the following. 1. premise of plot Yep pretty thin but a plot none the less.2. Lots of pretty ladies including at least one well known one.3. Have the hero with at least fighting skills.4. Actually release a sequel or several.Missing any of the above and it goes downhill pretty quick.Incidentally for those wondering Conan The Barbarian and Destroyer are among my other favorites.Don't expect a lot and you will be surprised as for a low budget film this has everything from Humor (yes for real)a quest (no need for a hero without one right). Barbie Benton (the reason I watched it the first time). And the lovely Lana Clarkson (the reason a watched many times since). I got my DVD at a discount and was glad to finally get it again having sold the tape many years ago. So have fun, pop some popcorn grab a drink and kick back and escape for a hour and half to a time when they only knew one law and that was survivable of the fittest.If you got this far yes it's a grade b movie but in my opinion one of the best.It's the kind of movie just made for late night cable or DVD that does just what a movie should do and that's entertain you.

DEATHSTALKER is perfect for B-fantasy movie fans; this barely 80-minute travesty of film-making features everything hecklers can ask for--non-existent plotting, terrible acting (save for at least a raspy-sounding old lady), laughable scripting and schlock editing, and bargain-basement style background settings. There are no characters that come across as likable or interesting (in particular, the lead doesn't have ANYTHING appealing about him), and the actors assembled barely do anything to rise above the F-grade material. If that's not enough, then how about the lack of a compelling plot (which this movie has nothing of the sort) to make DEATHSTALKER qualify as a major turkey? I was also offended that the women in this movie barely serve any purpose other than to 1) be topless and/or scantily clad; 2) get raped; 3) have sex with the hero; 4) all of the above. In addition, the background music is hideous; a bizarre mess of electronic noise, cheesy choral bursts, and blaring orchestral cacophony. Ear numbing and eye numbing all in one packed with nary a thing to keep one interested, DEATHSTALKER is probably best suited for folks looking for something to laugh at (and believe me, there's plenty of that in here). Otherwise, I do not recommend this 100th-grade CONAN wanna-be to anyone in the least.