#the vietnam war. shot in late 79 and early 80 this suffered the fate of many a low budget horror‚ being sold to a distributor that tinkered | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mariocki · 2 years ago

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Deadly Games (1982)

"It's an incredible feeling, you know? You hold someone's life in your hands, and because you choose... the life passes out of them. Now there's a game again. With winners and losers."

#deadly games #1982 #slasher film #american cinema #scott mansfield #jo ann harris #alexandra morgan #sam groom #steve railsback #saul sindell #dick butkus #denise galik #christine l. tudor #robin hoff #jere rae mansfield #colleen camp #june lockhart #william patrick johnson #modest indie sort of slasher that's less about slashing and more about the sickly deterioration of small town suburban america after #the vietnam war. shot in late 79 and early 80 this suffered the fate of many a low budget horror‚ being sold to a distributor that tinkered #with the film and ballsed up the cinema release. eventually director Mansfield got so fed up he bought the film back and set up his own #home video label to release it and other such poorly maligned indie projects. having learnt all this (an excellent interview with jere rae #mansfield on the arrow disc) it explains some of the weaknesses in the film; those non director mandated cuts and edits are #presumably responsible for the somewhat confused plot and characters who appear and disappear without warning (Jere confirms in the #interview that her character is killed‚ but the footage was completely removed). a very good looking film (beautifully shot and lit) but #hampered by those edits which cloud the sharper more compelling aspects of the character building. regardless the cast do well; Railsback #is great when he's doing less (just stalking around looking sinister) but goes a bit too big whenever he has to have a coughing fit or pal #around with Groom. Harris does well to keep her endlessly chattering protagonist likable even when talking all through a monster movie (an #unforgivable crime in the Mariocki handbook of good date etiquette)

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