Deathstalker - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Deathstalker



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:

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Movie
Oh man, I love this job sometimes. As a huge fan of the 1983 (and to some extent the 1987 sequel) “Conansploitation” film Deathstalker, I was mildly intrigued when I found Shout! Studios were backing a remake/sequel of the legendary dark fantasy film of my childhood. I didn’t expect much from it, but being a rabid fantasy fan, there was absolutely no way I was going to miss checking this out. But what I didn’t expect was a film that would actually end up embodying the spirit of the 1980s trash fantasy films so well, and end up being one of the best watches of the week for me.

What makes this even more fun is that we get to see Daniel Bernhardt in a leading role once more, taking up where Rick Hill left off. Daniel, who was once in line to become one of the next big martial arts stars after he picked up the Bloodsport series with Van Damme’s leaving (or really, refusal to come back and milk the franchise dry), the man’s fighting skills landed him as one of the most promising rising martial arts stars. And I’m not really sure what happened, but his career started, then stopped, then restarted again with him falling into the role of stuntman and side villain in just about every movie out there. He was famously in the Matrix sequels, John Wick as the assassin in the club, Nobody as the Russian gangster on the bus who got his teeth knocked out, and literally DOZENS of other high-profile projects over the years. And despite how well he did at playing martial arts villains or side characters in very popular films, he struggled with his leading roles. But hey, it’s never too late, even at 60 years old, and Daniel once more gets thrust into the spotlight one more time, even if it is simply a niche audience dark fantasy film.

While not a direct sequel nor a remake, Deathstalker is considered a spiritual successor to the 1983 film, putting the infamous barbarian into another tale of dread and action once more. He is a scavenger, picking up treasure and valuables from the dead and dying during a violent war between the Abraxion people and the evil Dreadite horde, slashing their way through the film. Deathstalker isn’t exactly the type to stick around and be the hero, but he’s forced into undergoing a quest after he picks up a mysterious amulet that magically binds itself to him. Not only that, the master of the Dreadite horde is after the amulet and will stop at nothing to take it back. Including slicing and dicing the man (or barbarian) of the hour to get it.

With the help of the sorcerer Doodad (Patton Oswalt) and a young thief named Brisbayne (Christina Orjalo), the famed barbarian sets out to fix the curse, kill the resurrected sorcerer behind all of this, and possibly make a few quips along the way. And as much as it’s sort of weird, Kostanski makes things work with the rampant cheesy one-liners, extreme over-the-top gore, and 1980s-style dark fantasy practical effects and stop motion (which was a FUN little blast from the past). I honestly don’t think there was any CGI in the film (except maybe a few minor things, but I could be wrong), and while some of that could be the paper-thin budget Kostanski was given, or it was a direct homage to the films of the 1980s. But whatever the reason, it actually honors the spirit of the original films a lot more than I expected.

Daniel Bernhardt looks (and moves) amazing for being 60 years old, but I begrudgingly kind of understand why he never got the leading man role he was being groomed for in the late 90s. The man’s acting chops are fairly weak, and the writing in the story feeds into that cheesy layer that makes things get a BIT too cringey at times. Toss in Patton Oswalt, and you’re guaranteed to up the cheese factor even further. BUUUUUUUUUUUUT, all of that aside, it somehow works to feel more like an authentic 1980s sword and sorcery film, and with the addition of all the handcrafted and created characters and set pieces, simply “works”.




Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

Deathstalker’s 1.85:1 AVC encoded image looks rather good, with a wide swash of color grading depending on the location of the film. The fantasy world springs to life with a heavy, sickly green and yellow tinge, shifting into more organic blues and reds when we get to the sorcerer’s lair. The makeup and practical prosthetics look impressive, and really don’t look as starkly fake as something from the 80s. Skin tones are robust (if not a bit pale at times due to the grading), and fine details are generally very good. There are some mediocre black levels when the film gets too heavily green/yellow, but overall, this is a solid-looking encode.








Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track fits in the same category as the video score, giving us a pleasing sound experience without going crazy. Dialog is clean and clear, though I did have to boost the master volume a couple of DB’s to hit reference. Once dialed up, things get nice and powerful when Deathstalker starts hacking and slashing, and Slash’s hard rock score gives us that nice “metal fantasy” vibe to the mix. LFE is nice and punchy, and surrounds moderately active. But neither are super duper powerhouses. Simply a good mix that does everything well, but doesn’t push the envelope.










Extras:

• Audio Commentary With Writer-Director Steven Kostanski And Star Daniel Bernhardt
• Audio Commentary With Steven Kostanski, Director Of Photography Andrew Appelle, And Editor Robert Hyland
• An Interview with Writer-Director Steven Kostanski and Star Daniel Bernhardt Hosted By Todd Stashwick
• A Conversation with Visual Effects Supervisor Cody Kennedy, Visual Effects Artists Matthew Satchwill and Adarsh Bora, And Moderator Steven Kostanski
• A Behind-The-Scenes Look At The Skeleton Fight
• Deathstalker Music Video By Brendan McCreary, Chuck Cirino, Slash, and Bear McCreary
• Trailer

Final Score: ​

This SHOULDN’T have been this fun, but somehow it is. Deathstalker is a really faithful reimagining of the original 1980s film, with classic “guy in a rubber suit” costumes, stop motion animation for creatures, TONS of practical effects, and fake blood galore. The film is gory, gruesome, cheesy, and a barrel of fun for those of us who love trash dark fantasy cinema. Shout! Studios Blu-ray looks and sounds nice, with some really impressive special features (the interview with Todd, Kostanski, and Daniel reveals a lot about how this project came to be), and my only complaint is that Shout! Studios didn’t release this in 4K like they did the original two films. This is definitely going to be for a niche audience, but that audience is going to love this.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Daniel Bernhardt, Patton Oswalt, Christina Orjalo, Paul Lazenby
Directed by: Steven Kostanski
Written by: Steven Kostanski
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Studio: Shout! Studios
Rated: NR
Runtime: 103 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: February 17th, 2026

Recommendation: Fun Watch.