Deadly Games

Director - Scott Mansfield (Imps*, The Tell-Tale Heart)

Starring - Jo Ann Harris (The Manhunter, Oliver and Company), Sam Groom (Otherworld, Deadly Eyes), and Steve Railsback (Ed Gein, Turkey Shoot)

Release Date - 1982

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Only he will hear you scream"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Like many horror fans, I'm a sucker for slashers.  I was in middle school when the bug bit me and before long I was snagging ever movie I could get from my local video store and big box retails stores.  I remember falling in love with the original My Bloody Valentine and April Fool's Day.  Since then I've amassed a decent collection of late 70s and 80s slashers.  Sadly, not all of them are worth a damn and some are a bit too difficult to finish but I still have fun with them.  Sometime ago Arrow Video announced the release of the 1982 slasher Deadly Games.  This is one I had never seen before so I shot my friends over at MVD a message and they were quick to send a copy my way.  Like always, I want to thank MVD and Arrow for hooking me up.  

     The film follows a young woman who returns to her hometown when her sister falls to her death from her home.  The police suspect that someone may have been in the house with her but are unable to prove it.  Soon the bodies start to pile up and she suspects that the killer could be one of the unlikely friends, one of which is the sheriff and the other the manager of a local theater.  

     Deadly Games is not a slasher that will stick with you like so many others do.  Slashers are an experience for the most part but some are painfully mediocre and the middle of the road.  With so many amazing slashers that can be found that give us unforgettable killers, historic final girls, and settings that would inspire films for decades so it's disappointing when you find a movie that is still solid but doesn't give you any of those.  Sadly, that is Deadly Games that film.  It's not bad but doesn't stand out out like so many great ones.  The acting in this one is pretty well done.  It's cool seeing Steve Railsback as another loaner type character.  I was introduced to him after his appearance as Ed Gein in the film by the same name about the notorious Wisconsin grave robber and murderer.  He's such a fantastic actor and his performance here was solid as well.  However, the character he portrays doesn't stand out from the film.  He blends in with the background like so many other characters in the film.  Honestly, I liked the acting but the flat and cliched characters made the film just another faceless film in a sea of forgettable slashers.  The story for this one is just another slasher with a skimask-ed killer killing people in some unimaginative ways.  Most of the writing was clearly spent on the dialogue and the quick whips instead of the character development and story.  It's predictable and almost by the book in regards to slashers but it is still fun for what it is.  It doesn't try to stand out but still succeeds at being an effective slasher.  Finally, the deaths are some of the lamest in slasher history.  They are extremely dull and the lack of creativity and blood makes it a huge disappointment.  Overall, Deadly Games is a solid slasher that works for the most part.  We don't get a fun and memorable masked slasher or entertaining deaths but it still satisfies if you are looking for something you've never seen before.  Check it out.