Synopsis:
A remake of the cult classic 1983 sword and sorcery film. In Deathstalker, the Kingdom of Abraxeon is under siege by the Dreadites, heralds of the long-dead sorcerer Nekromemnon. When Deathstalker recovers a cursed amulet from a corpse-strewn battlefield, he’s marked by dark magick and hunted by monstrous assassins. To survive, he must break the curse and face the rising evil. Death is just the beginning… of great adventure!
Directed by: Steven Kostanski
Screenplay by: Steven Kostanski
Starring: Daniel Bernhardt, Patton Oswalt, Christina Orjalo, Paul Lazenby
My Edition:
Alamo Drafthouse
Remember how much I loved PG: Psycho Goreman (if you don’t, go check out that review – I’ll wait)?
Well, guess what? Steven Kostanski is back, baby! And Deathstalker is just as fun to look at as PG. Back is the beautiful creature work, the blood geysers, and the unexpectedly perfect characterizations. Did I think I’d like my Deathstalker fully clothed, middle aged, and not at all rapey? I did, actually. But I was right, is the point. Daniel Bernhardt’s Deathstalker is fantastic. He played it well, and this version of the character is like 600% less punchable than human football dork Rick Hill in the original (what do I mean by “human football dork?” I don’t know. I’m sorry. It’s early).
I also really love the decision to use flashbacks from the original film. If you’re familiar with the Deathstalker series, you know they loooooove to use footage from the first film as much as humanly possible. And since one guy on the internet argued with me about this one time and I’m still salty, let me say – if you’re going to try to tell me that Deathstalker 2 doesn’t reuse SEVERAL ENTIRE MINUTES of Deathstalker I will come to your house and slap the ever-loving shit out of you. It happened, and I refuse to be gaslit by some tool on the internet again.
Ahem. As I was saying: Deathstalker is really a lot of fun, and a breath of fresh air if you want to love the first one, but don’t like all the “forcible sexual encounter” aspects. Even if the women somehow always end up coming around during the assault (oh, male gaze – you’re so tacky). Honestly, there is zero romantic subplot, and I’m here for it. At first I was like, “oh, no,” because I thought they were going to try to go for some romance between Deathstalker who is visibly in his 40s (holy shit I just looked and homie is 60 – lookin’ good, bud), and Brisbayne who is probably 10 (26). But I should have known better – Kostanski has my back.
Anyway, all this to say that if you’re able to see Deathstalker in a theater, I highly recommend that. But if you can’t, you should still do what it takes to see it. It’s fun, it’s gory, it’s funny, and it’s got a lot of heart – not something I ever thought I’d say about an entry into this particular universe (seriously – I love the original series, but they’re, like, really fucking stupid).
Also, they did not forget about Pig Face. So, you’re welcome. And you won’t have to watch that guy get dragged behind the horse through the forest for the fortieth time. This one far outshines the original as far as story, effects, and performances. Deathstalker is probably the one of the highest quality B-movies you’re ever going to see.
Deathstalker
Directed by: Steven Kostanski
US Release Date: October 10, 2025
Hangar 18 Media
Unrated (?)
102 minutes
