Writer/Director Steven Kostanski’s 2025 reboot of the Roger Corman-produced Deathstalker sword and sorcery franchise starring Daniel Bernhardt won’t be for everyone, but it sure as hell is for me!
Highly intentional in tone and crafted for a particular and finite audience, Kostanski’s creative vision feels wholly uncompromised and unique. Based on his telling here at the North American premiere of the film at Fantastic Fest, production company Raven Banner gave him a list of Corman properties to look over to see if he might be interested in rebooting any, and Deathstalker was an instant pick, not necessarily due to his love of Deathstalker 1983 (a film I believe to be terrible, for what it’s worth), but rather simply to get to make a fantasy film his way. (Though Kostanski did give love to Deathstalker II). In Kostanski’s version, Daniel Bernhardt’s wandering adventurer with a sordid past is scavenging treasure from the corpses of those fallen in battle when he unwittingly becomes cursed by an ancient object that pulls him into a battle to save the kingdom of Abraxeon from the Dreadite soldiers of the evil wizard Necromemnon (Nicholas Rice). Along the way, he’ll encounter countless creatures and participate in various sidequests, picking up campaigners such as the wizard Doodad (voiced by Patton Oswalt and performed by Laurie Field), and the thief Brisbayne (Christina Orjalo).
Striking a tone that is equal parts reverential and comical, it’s clear that Kostanski adores the subgenre, the look and feel of the practical creatures and monster work of 1980s cinema, and also doesn’t take himself too seriously, keeping the audience laughing and cheering not AT the film, but right along with it. This Fantastic Fest audience was perhaps in the bag as Kostanski has brought previous films of his to the festival and enjoys a true cult following for his irreverent and practical-effects-laden opuses such as Manborg, Psycho Goreman, and Frankie Freako. The man has found his lane, with gorgeously handmade creatures, man-in-suit style monsters, and gloriously sticky-looking in-camera blood and gore effects being a regular presence in his films.
In my estimation, movies just simply looked and felt better back in the 1980s when they always featured practical creatures, props, and sets rather than much of today’s digitized and sanitized computer generated spectacle. Here Kostanski brings another host of gorgeously designed creatures and a rogues gallery of villains that celebrate an almost dying skill for practical effects, and I can’t help but enjoy every minute of it, perhaps as an old man yelling at the sky that this just looks better and more fun than many of today’s digital effects.
It’s not just a knowing wink of a film, however. Kostanski writes a genuine adventure, with a compelling quest. Deathstalker as a character has some growing up to do, a curse to break, and some friends to make along the way. Bernhardt is a bit of a cinematic hero of mine as a longtime action movie junkie, and his casting thrilled me, but also works brilliantly. Breaking out and starring in the sequels to JCVD’s Bloodsport, Bernhardt has since rarely been the leading man, though he’s worked steadily in action cinema most recently famously training folks like Bob Odenkirk in Nobody and Allison Janey in Lou to be believable action stars. He recently got to flex genuine acting chops with a cold and villainous turn in Hell Hath No Fury, and Deathstalker makes the case that he could be, and should be, the leading man more often. The action sequences are what were guaranteed with his casting. But the sense of humor and the collaborative approach he took with Kostanski to achieve his vision really stand out, not to mention that he’s about as easy on the eyes as human beings come.
But it’s Kostanski who’s the true visionary here. And as I’ve hinted at throughout my discussion thus far, it turns out his work can be a bit of an acquired taste. Frankly, I love that about him. Kostanski adores telling stories in and around ridiculous ghouls, puppets, and costuming in such a way that his films feel totally free. Sure, the budget on Deathstalker was likely quite tight. But Kostanski has developed a Canadian micro-version of Peter Jackson’s WETA workshop where artists and friends get to crank out genre films loaded with gags and gore and authentic human creativity. The lower budgets allow for the audiences to be perhaps targeted, but impassioned. And that shit matters these days, when movies are thought of as IP, and everything is getting further digitized and dehumanized.
I’ve been on a sword and sorcery kick of late, with M.J. Bassett’s take on Red Sonja being in the running for my favorite action film of 2025, a recent revisit of the GOAT, John Milius’ Conan The Barbarian, and a brand new 4K of Krull (which Kostanski mentioned as an inspiration) sitting under my tv waiting for me. So in a way, perhaps I was in the bag for Deathstalker. But upon revisit, I did genuinely find the original film to be terrible. A women-exploiting, mean-spirited slog. Kostanski’s take brings the gore and the gags, but also a knowing love for the spirit of adventure that these tales evoke. And when Deathstalker must summon the perfect sword, a quadruple bladed work of panel van art come to life, I laugh, and also cheer, that Kostanski gets us. And as the closing credits roll to an original song by Slash, who also executive produced this film, a small part of me hopes that if this kind of genuine love letter to action, fantasy, and metal can still be made, maybe there’s still hope that Abraxeon can be saved.
And I’m Out.
