Fatal Games (1984)

   
Directed by: Michael Elliott

Written by: Rafael Bunuel, Michael Elliott & Christopher Mankiewicz


Starring:


Sally Kirkland .... Diane Paine
Lynn Banashek .... Annie Rivers
Sean Masterson .... Phil Dandridge
Michael O'Leary .... Frank Agee
Teal Roberts .... Lynn Fox
Spice Williams .... Coach Drew (as Marcelyn Ann Williams)
Melissa Prophet .... Nancy Wilson
Angela Bennett .... Sue Allen Baines
Nicholas Love .... Joe Ward
Michael Elliott .... Dr. Jordine
Christopher Mankiewicz .... Coach Jack Webber

Release Date: Direct-to-Video: 1984

 
Rating:

 

A bunch of students are practicing for their highschool olympics as they are all hopeful of becoming top athletes.
One of the students named Annie Rivers (Lynne Banashek) has her main focus on the games that her grades are failing and her parents are almost tempted to pull her out of the games but she convinces him to keep her in.
However, she has more to worry about as a mysterious killer in a hooded raincoat and sportswear outfit is watching the athlete's and ends up killing them one after another at the school with a javelin thrower.
The school tries to find out why these students are missing and not realising that they are being hacked away but Annie suddenly becomes a prime target.

 

The film seems to have an impressive beginning giving it a total 80's cheesy feel with students practisng their sports and stuff like that which almost makes it a promising fun type of slasher flick.
However after that it falls flat big time as we have manyh pointless discussions with the students taking a shower or changing in a change room which somehwat looked very Slumber Party Massacre like.
We also spot many corny discussions between two horny types of teenagers Frank Agee and Lynn Fox in which alot of this looked way too silly and over the top and unnatural too. Looked too goofily done.
There's a famous rub down scene that involves the school nurse Diane Paine with the student Annie Rivers with nice focsing moments on this and offering plenty of skin with this one as well as a good moment on Diane really getting into her massaging too making things mysterious.
A very stiff scene with Coach Jack Webber being arrogant towards his student Joe Ward while pratising throwing some javelin throwers which was laughable and not in a good way as it looked forced and unbelieveable as well as it was supposed to draw in to wondering if this student will kill him but this even falls flat with the mysterious moments.
There's a situation with a student doing some warm ups and then the mysterious killer stabbing her with the javelin thrower as it was supposed to look shocking but this looked phony to watch.
There's some mildly amusing but yet corny moment with a naked teen trying to escape from a killer but yet a nice light up shot on the killer in a deadly uniform about to do their thing to put away this beautiful athlete in a steam room with her running away but this seems to be a little longing and not to the point yet. However when she gets killed it's nicely shot in the dark looking unpleasant.
Also we have a moment with a student looking like he's banging someone from behind a bed but he's doing push ups while talking to his girlfriend which was supposed to make you laugh but this was incredibly lame to watch.
We do spot a very memorable slashing moment when Joe is practising and then a good sharp slaying shot on a javelin thrower impaling into him with a cheesy close up shot on him lying there dead as well as a dark distance shot on the killer in the distance spotting this. It was my favourite killing scene and I'm sure for many others too who saw this one.
We spot a brief argumentive discussion between Annie and her boyfriend Phil Dandridge as this was sloppily done and non effective as it was supposed to have been. However their discussions later on when he asks for forgiveness looked convingingly uplifting.
A perfect dark setting on someone swimming in the pool and the killer going underneath to do the next slaying which was impressive to watch as it was nicely shot and choreographed.
Nce dark shots on Frank in his crutches trying to look around the dakr highschool as well as getting scared on situations but this took way too long and should've been edited out in certain parts on the cutting room floor and became a drag.
A nice moment with Annie trying to recover a sickness and some nice drawn in moments with Diane taking care of her as well as discussing a pic she spots on a family member. This was of course done in a low budget type of feel but it was well put in.
Things heat up a bit when the killer is revealed and Annie trying to struggle away but this became a bit of a drag as well as it looking a bit too cheesily done. However when the killer is revealed by having a twisted secret is also very memorable almost borrowed from the 1983 cheesy cult classic Sleepaway Camp.
Bottom line is that I found this one to be a ripoff on other early 80's highschool slasher flicks like Prom Night and Graduation Day. It shows alot of interesting dark moments like the killer chasing after a victim in a highschool hallway at night and athletes being killed elsewhere like in the field but other than that this one was terribly trashy typical 80's cheese but not at it's worst. I can see this one possibly inspiring other low grade T & A trashy golden turkey slasher flicks though.

The acting is dated like most cheesy flicks like this but still is fine to watch them perform without griping but it's very average.
Sally Kirkland (Diane Paine) was fine in her role though with her kind but strange behavior, especially when her character reveals who she really is which is. She was probably the only familiar face in this film as most of the cast here remained virtual unknowns. Seemed to really concentrate well on a massaging table getting into it big time. She also seemed to be highly energetic when trying to be attentive on a situation. Also does a nice job with her deceivingly caring and warm attitude. Plus offers some great energy with her powerful attitude and struggling near the end of her performance too. SHe was a ball of energy I must say.
Lynne Banashek (Annie Rivers) has the right looks to be in other cheesy horror and other B-films but her acting isn't over the top. Not too terrible though but she's no Jamie Lee Curtis type material by any means.
Seemed to do failry okay while getting into a conversation but could've picked up the pace a little bit better. When she cries on set it is horribly amateurish. Yet when she acts forgiving with her sense of humor it has some nice timing. Does well reacting to getting sick or reacting to being in pain as well as freaking out which she shows some nice characteristics within this too.
Sean Masterson (Phil Dandridge) seemed a little too dorky in his role and was quite miscast as the boy next door popular jock in the flick in which he just doesn't cut it at all. He tries to pull of his character as you can tell but this part was not right for him by any means at all.
Michael O'Leary (Frank Agee) was incredibly wooden and annoying in his role as someone whom is supposed to be outgoing but is too over the top and doesn't offer much enthusiasm within this at all. He doesn't seem to know his stuff by being romantic or charming either. Also he doesn't react too well to his emotional attitude when he can't play in the olympics after being injured which is laughable and in a bad way. Yet seemed to have a good energetic worried reactions when trying to find someone. But when he finds out what has happened he doesn't seem to cut it well with his freaked out and upsetting reactions.
Teal Roberts (Lynn Fox) was another one who gets carried away in her performance as she's incredibly annoying with her bubbly and outgoing behavior. She really tries too hard as well but is over the top. She needed some lessons to make it look a little more natural within what she does. She wasn't over the top terrible though and had the nice lustful teenager girl next door looks which helped in the film.
Spice Williams (Coach Drew) was one of the best cast members in this flick as the lesbian strict but caring swimming coach as she really concentrated on how she was teaching her onscreen students and getting into it strongly. She shows a nice spunky type of behavior in other scene's of the film and doing a good job with her outgoing behavior. Plus adds a nice seriousness to situations when were necessary. She had the nice young lady beautiful looks and appeal too.
Nicholas Love (Joe Ward) seemed to have the disturbed looks as a frusterating wanna be in the olypmpics type as well as the brawny looks but however he couldn't pull off his part convincingly and was wooden like most of the cast here. He was very stiff in his performance. Yet could play a good suspect with his aggressive and emotionless attitude.
Christopher Mankiewicz (Coach Jack Webber) couldn't act his way out of a wet paper bag with his arrogant and aggressive bheavior when trying to teach his onscreen students. He was by all means the stiffest and most wooden of them all. Basically he was just saying his lines and not getting into character. He needed more energy and enthusiasm for what he had to do. He only had the masculine looks and that was it.

Lots of nudity.
A highschool jock takes off his girlfriends shirt totally bare breasted
A couple take a shower and the girlfriend is fully breasted
girls are fully nude taking showers and there's a few butt shots of the guys Taking a shower too
Theres a girl nude revealing her butt by having a body rub
There are two girls fully nude with towels in a sauna's and one of them is running away naked in the hallways trying to escape from the killer.

Many people are stabbed through the chest with a javelin and of course there's blood involved.

Shuki Levy is lame with her keyboard composing making it sound like that he ripped off music scores from a Friday the 13th film and playing it on his keyboard. He does have some nice dark echoey sounds when a teen is swimming in the school pool alone at night as he used it for other dark scenes too afterwards in the film as it has a sort of Texas Chainsaw Massacre type of feel to all of this. However we do hear some metal clanging which is a bit too much and soundiong quite annoying.

The music score titled "Take it all the Way" performed by Levy and Deborah Shelton which was played during the opening and ending of this film is excellent almost promising a good film but what a disappointment!!! It's also used in the ending credits too which is a nice touch.