“DEADLY GAMES” (1982) BLU-RAY HORROR CLASSIC IS A MUST WATCH FOR VINTAGE HORROR LOVERS

The concept of horror movies and games involving a deadly plot has been a thing for many years. The victim is awakened in a dark room, confused, and not knowing how they got there, only to be presented with a presentation of the only way they can survive. Now of days it is a common trope, due to a large amount of the “Saw” series of movies. Granted we also have so many horror movies that either use this genre a lot, but sometimes just use a piece of it as a plot point in order to drive the story. In any case, it can be an added joy to the movie, but can also derail the whole movie. That rarely happens, but with any horror movie out there it can.

Horror is an easy genre, but it can sometimes be hard to grasp. There have been so many ideas out there that have been done already that it can sometimes be hard to create something new that can grasp the attention of any horror fan. The great movies that have come before the ones we have seen today are the ones that set the foundation for a good horror movie story that has paved the way for ones that have come later. The early movies of horror opened a whole new world to movie fans everywhere. From “Frankenstein” all the way to “Phantasm”, the horror movies of the early years are always a great way to see the start of the progression of horror on the mainstream horror fans we all are today.

Recently I got the chance to watch and review the updated Blu-Ray edition of the 1982 killer classic “Deadly Games” from Arrow Video. First off, the thing that caught my eye was the amazing art that was used to package the Blu-Ray. It gives the dark and eerie vibe to what is in store for the movie I was about to dive into by using some great ways to represent the original poster art. This movie stars Steve Railsback, Colleen Camp, June Lockhart, Dick Butkus, Jo Ann Harris, and Sam Groom.

This classic horror movie provides a tale of madness, murder, and a bit of adultery provided by writer/director Scott Mansfield. The movie revolves around a masked crazy man with a hunger for board games so much that he wants to play a twisted game of his own with the woman of a small town. The start of this movie really reflects that with the oddly terrifying beginning shot showing the killer playing a board game. Every time the camera panned over the board game it gave me chills and made me excited to see what would happen next.

The first few minutes of the movie were quite interesting. It sets up some of the classic horror movie scenarios where a woman (Linda Lawrence portrayed by Alexandra Morgan) is home alone at night, relaxing and enjoying the night while she goes about her night. There is a moment when the Linda character goes outside just to take her top off randomly. It was kind of random but also gave off the vibe of probably the best example of unnecessary nudity in a horror movie I have ever seen. I am all about people expressing their bodies or the exhibitionist lifestyle of being nude and not being ashamed of who sees them that way, but when it comes to horror movies a bit of subtext or reasoning is always needed in my opinion. 

Linda then goes back into her house and receives a phone call after putting a robe on. The creepy phone call she receives definitely gave off those scary vibes that “When a Stranger Calls” and the first few minutes of the original “Scream” movie. When the killer shows up to give action to the threats, he has been giving her for the few minutes of the movie, Linda provides some strange reasoning for the killer to keep her alive. It totally threw me off a bit but of course, with any horror movie, the killer cannot be reasoned with, and she gets tossed out of a window. We then cut to the victim’s sister Keegan (portrayed by Jo Ann Harris) at a bar with a bunch of friends, laughing and enjoying some drinks. The group of friends talking about intercourse laying down randomly got a laugh from me. It was an enjoyable couple of minutes.

We then get a possibly early look at the killer about 20 minutes in as he is feeding the cat he stole from Linda. We are also then introduced to Roger (portrayed by Sam Groom) and Billy (portrayed by Steve Railsback) hanging out at Billy’s work at a movie theater where he is a projectionist. They are smoking, playing board games, and end up having an odd conversation about people being unable to choke someone with one hand.

We then find out that Roger is also a cop. He gives off a bit of a crazy vibe, especially when he is describing the aftermath of the 2nd victim. He also ends up pranking a woman he is talking to with an unloaded gun, which makes you wonder a few things about him and what he is capable of.  We also then get a shot of the killer looking into the window of a woman. The way that he is entranced while looking into the window feels very realistic and scary. You can only imagine how terrifying that would be if you looked out your window and saw someone looking at you the way the killer looks at her.

The final few minutes of this movie are odd but also revealing with the movie theater scene involving Billy, Roger, and Keegan. There are moments they are hanging out that is quite funny and enjoyable due to how Jo Ann Harris is portraying her character’s silly nature. There is also a weird spinning music montage of the 3 of them playing a board game and having a great night before all hell breaks loose. There are a lot of twists to this movie that I won’t spoil for you but I highly recommend you give this movie a watch to enjoy your own experience.

Not only is the movie enjoyable, but so are the special features. This movie is available for the first time ever on Blu-Ray thanks to Arrow Video. Arrow Video is very proud that they get to present this long overlooked horror movie gem in its brand-new restoration from the recently unearthed camera negative. Some of these amazing special features include:

•          Brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative

•          Original uncompressed mono audio

•          Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

•          Brand new audio commentary with The Hysteria Continues

•          Sooty’s a Sh*t - a brand new interview with actor Jere Rae-Mansfield

•          Practical Magic - a brand new interview with special effects and stunt coordinator John Eggett

•          Extensive image gallery featuring never-before-seen production photos and promotional material

•          Original Trailer

•          Original screenplay under the title Who Fell Asleep [BD-ROM content]

•          Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ralf Krause

•          FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Fully illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by film historian/author Amanda Reyes

You can get your very own copy of “Deadly Games” on Blu-Ray now from MVD Entertainment Group by visiting their site here.