Deathstalker (Steven Kostanski, 2025) Review

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“I've already eaten all of my good boots.” A cheap-as-chips sword and sorcery franchise that has been dormant since its fourth entry in 1991 has now been resurrected decades later by the director of Psycho Goreman and the rock and roll legend Slash in the form of a movie that begs the question: how many ways are there to destroy a human head?...

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“Look at this handsome specimen.” 1983's Deathstalker, directed by James Sbardellati and written by Howard R. Cohen, appeared in the immediate aftermath of Conan The Barbarian (John Milius, 1982) in typical Roger Corman cash-in style, and has gone on to become a cult fan favourite, much like its 1987 sequel Deathstalker II, directed by 'The Boobfinder General' Jim Wynorski (Sorority House Massacre 2). The fanbase is split over which one is better – the meatier (and much more sexually graphic) original film, or the cheaper but gleefully silly sequel with its knowing humour. For the purposes of this review, consider this writer in the camp that prefers the original despite greatly enjoying the first sequel.

There were four films in the franchise, although the latter sequels have struggled to achieve the same attention as the original two outings, and while it appeared that this was a franchise long relegated to the dusty shelves of the VHS rental heyday, along comes Astron-6 alum Steven Kostanski (The Void, Frankie Freako) with a stylish and gore-soaked remake.

“You're gonna make us work for our meal, aren't you, little man?” Taking the mantle of the titular muscled warrior of mayhem is Daniel Bernhardt (John Wick) who, much like his previous counterparts, reluctantly finds himself ensnared in a dangerous quest. Amidst the ruins of the Siege of Abraxion, Deathstalker arrives to loot the shredded bodies and, unwittingly, becomes bound to an Asmordian Amulet – and so his quest begins, for Nekromemnon (Nicholas Rice) seeks to revive an ancient evil that was long thought to have been vanquished.

The roguish Deathstalker is a myth only whispered about, a brutal swordsman of legend, now stalking the lands as a scavenger, but he finds a helping hand in his quest with the wizard Doodad (performed by Laurie Field, and voiced by Patton Oswalt, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire). Together they wander the dangerous territories of the realm and join forces with thief extraordinaire Brisbayne (Christina Orjalo), fighting all manner of ghoulish beasties and perilous foes as they attempt to put an end to Nekromemnon's plans.

“What is this? This is gross!” From the very first shot of Kostanski's film, the mission statement is clear: blood gushing geysers of gore! As the film progresses, though, the viewer is treated to gleeful amounts of fantasy mumbo jumbo and some truly wonderful creature designs and creative visual effects – such as Nekromemnon's lair, or the deadly swamps in which Grendul (Nina Bergman) awaits her ill-gotten gains.

From spiky red 'Dreadites', to flying bat-like things with one giant eyeball, to a two-headed hunchback troll, and everything in between (including razor-toothed sand worms and stone titans), it is evident that the filmmakers and Action Pants FX in particular have had an absolute blast with this project. There's even room for a few references to some familiar sights from the original films, such as the grotesque Pig-Face (John Ambrose) and even those quirky little frog-things that just hang out in the foreground, blissfully unaware of the world-threatening events unfolding around them.

While Bernhardt brings the sword-swinging prowess to the battles (scored with Blitz//Berlin's heavy metal answer to the sword and sorcery genre), Kostanski and his FX teams deliver oodles of body-smashing chaos in an endless slew of imaginative ways. Just the human head alone endures a ceaseless variety of traumas – decapitated, bisected, crushed, sawed, hacked, slashed, pierced, ripped wide open, plucked from the shoulders like a popped cork, you name it! – while the delightfully inventive creature designs always bring the viewer something fresh and exciting. From Torvala (Tanya Saari) a returning character from the original film with her blackened fingers and head trapped inside a locked metal case, to Scarabus (Troy James), a teleporting mummy with a flying buzz saw for a weapon, Deathstalker oozes fantastical fun from every pore.

“He was coughing a bit, but it was definitely a death rattle.” The only thing that's missing, however, is any amount of sexuality whatsoever. The original 1983 film featured Barbi Benton and Lana Clarkson and was particularly awash with rapacious nudity, while the 1987 sequel was doe-eyed with wonder for Monique Gabrielle (Evil Toons) and Toni Naples (Dinosaur Island), and yet Deathstalker 2025 doesn't feature even a single scantily clad wench at any point. Indeed, the only pair of boobs on show in the entire film belong to a misshapen swamp beast.

Sure, the tone of the film hews close to humour and fantasy adventure fun, but the sword and sorcery films that came before it weren't afraid to show a little flesh now and then – even Deathstalker himself only shows off his bulging biceps, so there's not even any scenes of peril with a torso stripped bare and oiled-up to glisten under candle light. It's a slightly curious choice of direction, more so considering the Boris Vallejo poster art for the original film that was so iconic. Still, it's only a small aspect of the overall film, and one which is certainly made-up for with its dazzling visual design that is splattered from head to tail with the crimson stuff.

“Just normal, dumb rocks.” With a sprinkling of the Astron-6 brand of humour, felt most keenly in the appearance of Conor Sweeney as the preening fusspot Prince Baldur, Deathstalker enjoys having its characters (Doodad in particular) spray sword and sorcery mumbo jumbo as a great swathe of lore is laid out before the viewer. However, with such a fascination towards that kind of thing, what is pertinent information and what is dressing around the edges becomes blurred, and as a result the film's lore feels a little convoluted.

As for Deathstalker himself, professional martial artist Bernhardt weaves a fine but confident line between the rock-jawed rogue turned gleaming hero of Rick Hill in 1983 and the pearly white wise-cracking charisma of John Terlesky in 1987, even though the film is keen to drop the roughest edges of the character as soon as possible. A good, old fashioned romp is the order of the day here, and a few references for keen-eyed (and eared) viewers come as a nice reward: Munkar's Tavern, for instance, or the cough-and-you'll-miss-it needle drop (of sorts) of that exceedingly familiar 'sting' sound from Deathstalker II.

“I've seen a fair share of hearts at the end of my sword – and they all look the same to me.” It is clear that Kostanski's “W is for Wish” short for The ABCs of Death 2 (2014), as well as his great skill at creating and shooting low budget practical effects (combined with efficiently deployed computer generated visual effects) throughout his career thus far, has made for very good preparation for Deathstalker 2025. Indeed, the sheer amount of visual spectacle on-show (and with a limited budget) displays a staggering amount of dedication and well-honed craft, to the point that the sight of two gargantuans in the foggy distance doing slow, earth-rumbling battle with one another is a mere light touch of detail – there's just so much that the movie has to offer! There's even time for a wonderful dash of Ray Harryhausen-like stop motion entertainment as two skeletons battle with one another.

While it lacks even the slightest hint at anything remotely sexual, Deathstalker 2025 takes the brutality of the original 1983 film, the sheer fun of its 1987 sequel, and strains everything through Kostanski's own quirky style that is complimented by an impressive sense of visual design. There could be a few Deathstalker fans who might not find a path through this particular incarnation of the material, but all said and done this is a hugely entertaining resurrection of a long buried but beloved franchise, brought forth with the vim and vigour of the indie filmmaking way. A sequel would be most welcome!