{"id":28155,"date":"2022-02-12T18:31:03","date_gmt":"2022-02-13T02:31:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/?p=28155"},"modified":"2022-02-12T18:32:08","modified_gmt":"2022-02-13T02:32:08","slug":"review-deadly-games-bd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/2022\/02\/review-deadly-games-bd\/","title":{"rendered":"Deadly Games: Special Edition Blu-ray Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Deadly Games<\/em><\/strong> was more deadly boring than anything else. The characters were generally annoying and the kills on the duller side. This is your typical \u2018forgotten\u2019 horror-slasher born out of the early 80s.<\/p>\n

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Deadly Games
\n<\/span>\u2014 Special Edition \u2014<\/span>
\n(1982)
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Genre(s): <\/strong>Horror, Suspense\/Thriller<\/span>
\nArrow Video| R \u2013 95 min. \u2013 $39.95 | February 22, 2022<\/span><\/p>\n

Date Published:<\/strong> 02\/12\/2022 | Author:<\/strong> The Movieman<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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MOVIE INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Director: <\/strong>Scott Mansfield
\nWriter(s): <\/strong>Scott Mansfield (written by)
\nCast: <\/strong>Jo Ann Harris, Sam Groom, Steve Railsback, Dick Butkus, Denise Galik, Jere Lea Rae, Alexndra Morgan, Colleen Camp, Robin Hoff<\/span><\/p>\n

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DISC INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Features: <\/strong>Commentary, Interviews, Image Gallery, Theatrical Trailer
\nSlip Cover: <\/strong>Yes
\nDigital Copy: <\/strong>No
\nFormats Included: <\/strong>Blu-ray
\nNumber of Discs: <\/strong>1<\/span><\/p>\n
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Audio: <\/strong>English (DTS-HD MA 1.0)
\nVideo: <\/strong>1080p\/Widescreen 1.85
\nSubtitles: <\/strong>English SDH
\nDisc Size: <\/strong>39.19 GB
\nTotal Bitrate: <\/strong>38.03 Mbps
\nCodecs: <\/strong>MPEG-4 AVC
\nRegion(s): <\/strong>A, B, C<\/span><\/p>\n
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Arrow Video provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
\nThe opinions I share are my own.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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THE MOVIE \u2014 1\u00bc\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Plot Synopsis: <\/strong>A masked maniac with a penchant for a monster-themed board game is playing his own twisted game with the women of a small American town. Each time the dice is rolled, another victim meets a grisly end. Returning home to mourn the death of her murdered sister, Keegan (JO ANN HARRIS) befriends local cop Roger Lane (SAM GROOM) and reclusive projectionist Billy (STEVE RAILSBACK) \u2013 but soon finds herself in the killer\u2019s sights.<\/p>\n

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Review: <\/strong>With the successes of Halloween<\/em> and Friday the 13th<\/em>, the early to mid 80s was awash with low budget slashers like Final Exam<\/em>, New Year\u2019s Evil<\/em>, He Knows You\u2019re Alone<\/em> and The Prowler<\/em> to name a few, some with varying quality and others forgotten but with the advancement of restoration work in the digital age, find new life on Blu-ray and even 4K Ultra HD courtesy of the boutique distribution companies like Vinegar Syndrome and Arrow Video.<\/p>\n

The latest one I\u2019ve watched is Deadly Games<\/em><\/strong>, a giallo-like slasher released in 1982. This is a film that starts with some promise, along with gratuitous nudity in a day-for-night shot no less, and some decent suspense, only to be squandered for the remainder 90-minutes. The film features a few annoying characters including a female lead in Jo Ann Harris who\u2019s supposed quirks is just bizarre as she often talks to herself, not that she\u2019s unattractive, but she lacked any charm to carry the film. However, it\u2019s not that the male lead with Sam Groom was any better; had the personality of a sponge.<\/p>\n

Deadly Games<\/em><\/strong> was the writing and directorial debut of Scott Mansfield though he would only direct one other feature film a year later, some comedy called Imps*<\/em> featuring vignettes one starring Linda Blair. Technically speaking, his direction here wasn\u2019t terrible and instead it was his screenplay that was the culprit. Add to that, you have some odd situations like Keegan who\u2019s staying at her sister\u2019s place despite she was murdered; but beyond that, there was a door window that was broken and left unrepaired, and a way for somebody to enter (plus the glass hadn\u2019t even been swept up). A little thing, perhaps but it struck me strange in addition to a pointless scrimmage game of football that didn\u2019t really add anything to the characters.<\/p>\n

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In the end, Deadly Games<\/em><\/strong> is just another poorly produced slasher movie from the 1980s and a rather dull one at that. I suppose there are a couple funny bad moments and maybe watching amongst friends would lead to a fun time, but otherwise this is one to skip.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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SPECIAL FEATURES \u2013 2\u00be\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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This \u201cSpecial Edition\u201d release comes with a matted and titled-embossed slip cover<\/strong> and inside is a nice 24-page booklet<\/strong>. The inside artwork is reversible.<\/p>\n

Audio Commentary<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 \u201cThe Hysteria Continues\u201d provides the track here as they have in the past, mostly from what I can tell on Vinegar Syndrome releases. The folks here tend to do commentaries on these indie horror films and try to find the bright spots while still acknowledge the shortcomings. It\u2019s still fun and worth a listen.<\/p>\n

Interviews:<\/strong><\/p>\n