Bullet Points: Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell

The third installment in the Deathstalker franchise also saw its third Deathstalker. John Allen Nelson of Killer Klowns from Outer Space fame took on the titular role and his performance was much more akin to John Terlesky’s turn in Deathstalker II than it was was Rick Hill’s take in the original film. The overall tone of Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell felt like a weird middle ground between its two predecessors. It didn’t lean into the camp the way Deathstalker II did, but also didn’t come across as a badass fantasy film like Deathstalker did. If it had picked a lane it probably would have ended up a better movie for it, now onto the Bullet Points…

• Off To See The Wizard: The movie begins at a festival filled with wine, women, song and even a wizard. Our hero Deathstalker is there having a friendly joust with a friend. Nicias the wizard is entertaining the villagers with his magic, when a young lady shows up desperately needing to speak to him… the woman is Princess Carissa (Carla Sands) and equipped with the magic stone her father left her when he passed on, she is on a mission to help her people and she believes Nicias can help her do just that. That’s when some soldiers representing the evil warlord Troxartas (Thom Christopher, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century) crash the festival, taking out the villagers with their battle axes and swords as they too are looking for the wizard too. Nicias has a quick conversation with Carissa about the magical stone, then he tells Deathstalker to protect Carissa before he transports himself out of danger. This puts the target on Carissa’s back as the soldiers turn their attention to her, but she gets away thanks to the help of Deathstalker. At least temporarily…
• The Mission: At this point it feels like things are going to be pretty straight forward, Deathstalker and Princess Carissa will search for the second magical stone that is the key to a city made of diamonds, crystal and gold and bring prosperity and good fortune to Carissa’s people! They even tease some sexual tension between Deathstalker and Carissa as they set up camp for the night. By the next morning however, Carissa is killed by Troxartas soldiers, Deathstalker now has the magic stone and because of that the soldiers are now after him. Now Deathstalker is on the move and he soon sees Carissa!?!?! No, it is not Carissa, but her twin sister Princess Elizena. At first Elizena helps hide Deathstalker, then quickly changes her tune… which forces Deathstalker to make a run for it. In professional wrestling terms, this was OVERBOOKED.

• The Two Horsewomen: Realizing he is not going to last long trying to evade the soldiers on foot, Deathstalker tries to “borrow” a horse, but the old woman who owns the horses doesn’t take kindly to him. Deathstalker does some smooth talking and ends up convincing the old woman to let him borrow a horse and when he returns he’ll bring her magical stones, just like the one he has. Deathstalker spends the night in the barn… and not alone, the old woman’s young daughter Marinda is more than a little curious about this strange hero who has shown up in her life and the two get to know one another that evening. The next morning they are awoken by the sounds of the soldiers interrogating Marinda’s mom… Marinda gets Deathstalker out of there and points him in the right direction.
• Romancing the Stone: It turns out that Troxartas has the second magical stone and that is why he is so interested in getting the other stone by any means necessary. That is why he had his soldiers go after Carissa and Nicias and that is also why he also agreed to an arranged marriage with Princess Elizena! That last part does not sit well with his lady Camisarde, who doesn’t trust that her warlord lover won’t ditch her for a younger model, no matter what he says. Camisarde’s worries don’t phase Troxartas in the lease, Neither does the news that the fabled Deathstalker now has the other stone, because Troxartas has an army of the dead at his disposal (aka Warriors from Hell).

• At Least It Is Only 86 Minutes Long: It always amazes me how a bad movie, even with a short runtime and a lot of things happening in it can still feel like an eternity. Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell resembles that remark. Deathstalker is captured, uses his charm and Camisarde’s own insecurities to allow him to escape, runs into the Warriors from Hell, hatches a plan to have them turn on Troxartas which includes faking his own death, Nicias the wizard returns, we find out that there are actually 3 magical stones, Elizena switches sides again and Marinda proves her love for Deathstalker is real all in rapid succession and I still found myself watching the clock.

I had heard bad things about Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell and after watching for myself they were not exaggerations from movie elitists. As I said early on, the movie has a bit of an identity crisis trying to be a bit of both of its predecessors. John Allen Nelson has to shoulder some of the blame here too. I don’t think this was the role for him, his performance felt very forced at times and he comes off as a bit of try hard.

I try hard to provide Bonus Bullet Points at the end of my reviews, including this one…

• MST3K: Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell received the Mystery Science Theater 3000 treatment as part of the show’s eighth season. I probably should have watched this version.
• AKA: Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell was also released under the Deathstalker III: The Warriors from Hell title.
• Familiar Face: Miguel Ángel Fuentes played one of Princess Elizena’s bodyguards. I’ll always remember Miguel form his work in The Evil That Men Do, Firewalker and Puma Man.
• One and Done: Much like John Terlesky before him, John Allen Nelson would not return for the next Deathstalker movie. The original Deathstalker himself, Rick Hill would be back in Deathstalker IV: Match of the Titans.