FATAL GAMES (1984)

 

Directed By: Michael Elliot 

Written By: Michael Elliott, Rafael Bunuel, and Chris Mankiewicz

Cinematography: Alfred Taylor

Editor: Jonathan Braun

Cast: Sally Kirkland, Lynn Banashek, Sean Masterson, Michael O’Leary, Teal Roberts, Marcelyn Ann Williams, Melissa Prophet, Angela Bennett, Nicholas Love, Lauretta Murphy 

A mad javelin thrower kills teenagers in the school. All promising athletes are executed most brutally. Especially naked girls in dressing rooms or saunas.

This movie is very ridiculous with a killer who only uses one weapon and it’s a javelin, which I guess goes with the theme as all of the victims want to be Olympic college athletes. It stays on theme throughout. 

There is actually a scene where they all are in favor of doping up all of the athletes with steroids and they’re being no Controversy

The film now has controversy when it comes to the third act as it shows a kind of outdated attitude that might insult some groups. Especially when it seems a bit borrowed from another classic horror film. So that The killer might be easy to guess the motive won’t be 

This film suffers from the usual problem with some horror films, where you don’t really get to know the characters enough to really care so realistically, they’re just like cows to the slaughter, though with this one you never grow close to any particular character, so they are beyond disposable because you truly don’t know who is going to be next and who is ultimately going to be or even amongst the survivors. Which usually leads to the film having creative kills to entertain the audience or what the audience demands. Here not so creative when the murder weapon is the same and goes about using it mostly in the same manner. 

Watching this film it made me wonder now that there are a lot of older horror movies that are considered classics for various reasons and have been called Classics by different critics as they help to serve up the eventual formula or cliché of the genre or certain genres like slasher no, I wonder as I watch some of these and at least for me, they come across as Bad films. When can we admit that maybe some of these so-called sacred or hidden jam movies that some people like to even talk about or actually if you really look at them for all their words or just acting some might say that’s part of its charm, but is it really I mean I guess it feels a need of entertainment and gives the audience the requirements but what if it’s not in the best fashion or even like creative as always it’s really up to the audience member, and what they thinking or how they interpreted and then once we finally get to the end, the film just literally ends and you know no follow-through. 

Even the soundtrack and theme music are more hilarious than I believe that it was trying to go with now. The film is definitely exploited as there is plenty of nudity and a little sex and what I mean is that there is a whole scene of a couple, taking a shower together, and literally only having a conversation no sexual overtures, or anything like that, and obviously the female is meant to be more the Candy, but it’s a conversation they could’ve also easily had closed or semi doing some more constructive

There is another scene where a character literally runs through the hallways, naked scary movie spoof this with Anna Farris only Ana in that movie, but the same ridiculous run, wailing, screaming, arms, waving, calling more attention to herself understandable to maybe get the attention of how but all it really does is the killer track her down a lot easier 

Some might like it for its ending that they don’t see coming in for willing to as they might say go there. Also, the sole black cast member doesn’t die first but comes a close second.

It’s a film you might find yourself laughing at actually having a fear or really any care for what you’re watching. The film at times tries to be humorous. Unfortunately, it is not campy though may feel that way unintentionally. 

This might be one of those films that Some will think it so bad that it’s good, or at least entertaining, as there seem to be an attempt to make a genuine, horror film.

Grace: D