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The Deathmaster | Year: 1972 Classification: Horror Directed: - Ray Danton Eyes Like Hot Coals...Fangs Like Razors! After great success in the title roles of the AIP films Count Yorga, Vampire (1970), and The Return of Count Yorga (1971), Robert Quarry appeared yet again as a vampire in a non-AIP film, as Khorda, in Deathmaster (1972), which didn't sit well with AIP as they thought it too closely resembled the Count Yorga character, and they eventually secured the rights to the film, giving it a very limited release, subsequently banishing it to late night television limbo...until now... The film, directed by actor, later turned director, Ray Danton, seems to attempt to capitalize on the success of the Yorga films, along with the notoriety stemming from the Manson family crimes of a few years earlier. As the film's credits begin, displaying the title 'eathmaste' (obviously the film was originally released in wide screen format, but is presented in full screen format here), we see an odd looking fellow (we later learn his name is Barbado) in the dunes on a beach, as he begins playing a flute (I think the movie is supposed to take place in California). After a few moments of this, a coffin floats towards the beach, and is found by a surfer walking along the beach (leave it be, dude). He pulls it further on shore, opens it (good idea), and gets attacked by Barbado, who snuck up behind him, which I thought was a pretty good trick as the guy's wearing a lot of jingly jangly jewelry around his neck, which tends to make a lot of noise. Barbado dispatches the surfer, hoists the coffin, and lugs it back to his pick-up truck. Cut to what appears to be some sort of hippie festival in its' final days. Here we meet Pico (Bill Ewing), Rona (Brenda Dickson), and Pop, played by popular character actor John Fielder, who, among other roles, does the voice for Piglet on the Winnie the Pooh cartoons). They have a run-in with a just arrived biker, Monk (William Jordan) and his old lady, Esslin (Betty Ann Rees). Pico uses kung fu on Monk (which is the only time he uses it...I was looking forward to a kung fu fight with a vampire), but as the heat show up (a policeman), all four book it for a funky mansion in the hills where a whole group of hippies seem to have taken up residence. It's peace, love, and a whole lot of smokin' of things probably not legal. Around this time Khorda (Quarry) makes his appearance, and proceeds to blow these young bloods' minds, spewing a bunch of metaphysical mumbo-jumbo, but coming from Quarry, in his rich, aristocratic tones, it's pretty sweet to the ears, and he quickly enthralls the doped up hippies. He soon departs, despite the young hippies pleas (always leave 'em wanting more), but he'll be back, as we get a sense that he was just priming them for the big show. And he does come back, encouraging them to clean the mansion, and clean their souls (whatever that means). Monk, not buying into any of what he calls a 'freak show', decides to go off to town for 'whiskey and a steak', leaving his old lady Esslin in Khorda's clutches, which he soo Buy The Deathmaster at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on The Deathmaster Search with the Priority Search Engine on The Deathmaster This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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