We've seen a lot of 80s homages over the years. Some are lovingly crafted and period-accurate like Stranger Things. Others go full parody like Kung Fury. But this? This Deathstalker reboot?
This feels like it was actually made in the 80s, got lost in a dusty drawer next to a VHS copy of Beastmaster 2, and only just now got unearthed.
The trailer for Steven Kostanski's new Deathstalker just dropped, and I mean this in the best possible way - it's terrible. Gloriously, intentionally, lovingly terrible. Not in a "wink at the camera" kind of way. In a "this is the monster costume they would have back then and we're using it" kind of way.
The sword is too big. The acting is too loud. The monsters are rubbery and weird. And yet... I could not be more excited.
Kostanski, who made Psycho Goreman (basically Power Rangers meets gore-drenched fever dream), is the exact person you'd want making this movie. It doesn't feel like a modern remake. It feels like a lost relic.
Is it absurd? Yes.
Will it be good? Probably not.
Am I going to see it in theaters opening night? You bet your triple-bladed sword I am.
Deathstalker hits theaters October 10. Watch the trailer below (probably NSFW) if you dare.