The Deathmaster [DVD]

Who doesn't love Robert Quarry in Count Yorga? It was the ultimate, creepy, vampire flick! There was supposed to be a third sequel after Return of Count Yorga, but tragically it was never made. In the movie posters, Count Yorga is referred to as the "Deathmaster". Oddly, that's the title of Robert Quarry's unrelated vampire, hippie, kung-fu masterpiece, "THE DEATHMASTER". I really liked this movie. All possible faults aside, how can anyone not enjoy such a goofy film? A strange voodoo hippie named Barbados is seen dragging a large wooden box across the beach. Later, a charismatic Manson-like guru named Khorda is mesmerizing a group of young, drug addled hippies in an abandoned estate. He turns out to be a vampire intent on spreading his evil. The protagonist Pico is a "Billy Jack" like Native American who beats drunken biker bullies using kung-fu and is mentored by the local sage, played by squeaky voiced character actor John Fielder. Pico makes it his job to fight Khorda and save his girlfriend. I would definitely recommend this movie to all diehard horror aficionados. Its a fun, unique, horror film that's long been overlooked.

Great, albeit dated (& campy) horror/vampire film from around the Count Yorga/Blackula era of films...a must-see for all vampire fans...Robert Quarry plays the vampire in this film...much like the way he played the whitty, intellectual Count Yorga...!

This movie is so Hippie it could smoke itself! Hippie, hippie, hippie with a dash of vampire sauce. Imagine the gathering of the Manson cult except instead lead by a vampire Love Guru. As a horror movie, it is routine, as a Hippie movie, it is fan freakin-tastic!

My experience with Retromedia DVDs has been pretty spotty, and I had never seen Deathmaster before buying this, so I'm glad to say I'm very pleased on both counts. Deathmaster was concocted as an indie production by Quarry and actor/first-time director Ray Danton to cash in on the huge success of AIP's Count Yorga: Vampire and make a subtle comment on the then-recent Manson family murders. AIP chief Sam Arkoff, angered by Quarry's swift and bold move, threatened a lawsuit, eventually buying the picture and giving it a very limited release. After a run on TV in the '70s it disappeared, never available on video.The movie starts with a surfer finding the coffin of Khorda (Quarry) washed ashore, but he's soon dispatched by Khorda's creepy flute-playing henchman Barbado. We're then introduced to the main characters, a bunch of disaffected but 'lovable' guitar-strumming Hollywoodized 'hippies' squatting in a huge old mansion who smoke lots of weed, run from 'the heat,' sing dippy inspirational folk songs, and use lots of hilarious sixties jargon. (The main folksinging hippie is a nearly unrecognizable Bobby 'Boris' Pickett of Monster Mash fame.) Khorda just sort of shows up in their midst, spouting existentialist/cosmic mumbo-jumbo (some of it improvised by Quarry) that the simple-minded flower children instantly 'groove' to even though they have no idea what he's talking about. Only biker dude Monk (whose iron cross repels Khorda) is skeptical, and bolts in search of whiskey and steak, leaving girlfriend Esslin to be seduced/attacked later by the vampiric 'guru.' The other hippies are so inspired by Khorda's rhetoric that they clean up their pad and start digging lame muzak, co-written by Ray Conniff (!!) and Pickett. Despite their copious herbal consumption these hippies apparently don't believe in free love: the guys and gals retire to separate quarters at night! Monk returns, is promptly dispatched by Khorda, and, inexplicably, everyone except 'gung fu' practicing hero Pico (who's hair looks like a really fake wig but is apparently his own) and heroine Rona go into a mystical dance-trance while Barbado plays congas (unconvincingly) and Khorda mingles.Pico and Rona try to escape the house, but are captured by Barbado, though Pico eventually gets away to seek help from balding serape-wearing hippie entrepreneur Pop (John Fiedler, ubiquitous professional milquetoast character actor and voice of piglet in the Walt Disney Winnie the Pooh cartoons). Pop just happens to have one of those old occult books (in paperback!) that explains what's going on (with handy pictures of the amulets the newly-baptized vampire cult are wearing). They mount their assault on Khorda and his minions with mallets and broom-handle stakes, and the movie finishes with one of those typically '70s 'shock/twist' endings and the only moment of actual 'special effects' in the picture.Amazingly, despite being surrounded by some really bad acting and dated dialogue, Quarry acquits himself quite admirably, creating a fairly menacing, believable character (ignoring of course all the psychobabble he's given to mouth). He looks great in an assortment of groovy custom-made robes, is occasionally introduced by sitar licks on the soundtrack, and has the same multi-pointed fangs as in Count Yorga (although everyone else is stuck with obvious dime-store 'goofy teeth'). There is no real nudity and minimal gore, even for 1972 (though the leeches are a nice, if unexplained, touch). The plot has its holes, and the relentless hippie-ness gives the film a goofy, campy aura, but Danton keeps the camera and the story moving so its quite enjoyable, never boring, and worth it for Quarry's magnetic performance and a few effectively creepy sequences. A little-seen treat for all Yorga/Quarry fans or anyone who loves the old AIP drive-in sleaze in general.Fortunately, Fred Olen Ray/Retromedia have actually done a surprisingly decent job in rescuing this from rights-issues limbo. The print is very clean, with virtually no spotting or other damage, and matted to 1.85:1 (although it looks a little closer 1.75:1 or so to me). The color is not spectacular but quite serviceable, and isn't going to look any better since the transfer is from the original 35mm camera negative. The black level, brightness, contrast, and detail are all fine, and I didn't notice any artifacting or other weirdness that plagues other Retromedia discs I own (King Dinosaur, Faceless Monster). There are four still galleries: publicity, behind-the-scenes, Quarry portraits, Quarry on stage and screen; 30- and 60-second radio spots for Count Yorga; really scratchy TV promos for Count Yorga and Sugar Hill, a Lucky Strike commercial featuring Quarry, and a classic, funny Shasta orange soda commercial featuring Fiedler and Frankenstein's monster. While these extras are nice and generally well done, the real highlight of the set is Quarry's audio commentary (with Fred Olen Ray, who directed Quarry in dozens of low-budet indies in the 1980s and '90s), which is nearly as entertaining as the feature. Quarry is sophisticated and witty, as expected, providing much interesting behind-the-scenes production info and some amusing anecdotes, with little if any dead air. Finally a Retromedia disc worthy of my unqualified highest recommendation. Get it!

I saw this movie about 40 years ago and never saw or heard of it again, I remember it was pretty good. I think this DVD was either edited or maybe a reel was missing because it wasn't the way I remembered it. Or who knows what happened, but I was disappointed with this version.

strange kind of movie and i couldnt get into it. just not my taste at all. thanks alot though smile

Great little cult film from he 70's.

I enjoyed seeing this again. I remember seeing when I was young and it scared me then and it still scares me. It is a good addition to my horror collection. Thanks

After the quite good Count Yorga, Vampire (1970) and its sequel The Return of Count Yorga (1971), which are both available as a double bill on region 1 dvd, Robert Quarry dons his fangs again in this lame attempt to make vampires groovy. Quarry arrives via a floating coffin onto a Californian beach and infiltrates a hippy commune by posing as a mystic called Khorda. He spouts jibberish which the hippies, with the help of drugs, find fascinating and they soon fall under his spell, or in other words get bitten in the neck. There's a bit of cat and mouse with one couple who are suspicious of the mysterious Khorda, but that's it really.The disc I received was by a region 0 Hollywood dvd running at 81mins with no extras. It is in widescreen though, and is a decent print. I have seen this film quoted as having a running time of 88 mins so to be fair all the good bits could have been cut, or maybe not.