Nobody is going to mistake Death Spa as the highest form even in the horror genre, but there’s something fun in the quirky low-budget fair between some respectable special effects and an ample amount of suspense amongst some of the cheesy story.
Death Spa
(1989)
Genre(s): Horror
MPI Media Group | Unrated – 87 min. – $34.98 | May 27, 2014
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MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Michael Fischa Writer(s): James Bartruff & Michael Fischa (written by) Cast: William Bumiller, Brenda Bakke, Merritt Butrick DISC INFO: Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 2.0) |
PLOT SUMMARY
The new fitness club in town has everything a health nut could ever want: a variety of workout machines, classes taught by friendly (and frisky) instructors, and a state-of-the-art computer control system for maximum client comfort. Unfortunately it’s also possessed by the evil spirit of the owner’s dead wife, and before long every dumbbell, leg press, and rowing machine becomes a deadly weapon for her to enact bloody vengeance on the club’s beautiful members. So if you’re looking for a real workout from hell, enter Death Spa – a new exercise in terror!
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.5/5
Audio Commentary – Director Michael Fischa, Editor Michael Kewley and Producer Jamie Beardsley, who speaks the most and serves almost as the moderator, recollect making the movie. The three of them are chummy and provide for a fun track.
An Exercise in Terror: The Making of Death Spa (50:50; HD) is an extensive and new featurette with new interviews by members of the cast and crew as they recount their time making the movie and how it came to be. It also has some what I assume had to be rare behind-the-scenes footage.
Also included are the Theatrical Trailer (1:38; HD) and the Video Trailer (2:14; SD).
VIDEO – 4.0/5
MPI Media Group releases Death Spa onto Blu-ray presented with a 1080p high-definition transfer (newly minted 2K resolution from the original uncut and uncensored camera negative) and a 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio. Surprisingly enough, the transfer looks good with sharp detail levels and bright colors that really pop off the screen. Now, it’s not perfect as there are numerous instances of scratches, dust marks and lines strewn throughout however even though it might not have received the same treatment like a Criterion Collection release, it’s still solid.
AUDIO – 4.0/5
On a similar note, also getting a decent upgrade is the audio with a DTS-HD MA 2.0 track which sounds good with clear dialogue and some of the more horrific moments coming through with some depth. It’s not exactly the best lossless track or anything but when you consider the source, and the budget for said source, I was pretty impressed even with the shortcomings.
OVERALL – 3.0/5
Overall, nobody is going to mistake Death Spa as the highest form even in the horror genre, but there’s something fun in the quirky low-budget fair between some respectable special effects and an ample amount of suspense amongst some of the cheesy story. The Blu-ray does offer up good video and audio transfers and the special features are nicely put together to get a good sense at how the film came together.
Published: 06/04/2014