Deathstalker 3: Os Guerreiros do Inferno

Ah.....did my ears deceive me or was that the same score from 'Battle Beyond The Stars' AND 'Wizards Of The Lost Kingdom'? Oh yes it was! - which told me right from the start that this movies budget was presumably marginally smaller than a dead dogs IQ.

Still....there is the saying 'cheap and cheerful' so I sat and watched the film with low (but quietly hopeful) expectations.

Now I should point out here that having seen all of the Deathstalker movies, I've only really liked number 2 which took the refreshing step of introducing a highly comedic element into what is intrinsically a very stoic and humourless genre.

However, it was evident within a few minutes, and I was pleased to find that this sequel too, continued the tongue in cheek trend, although it is far more subtle here.

John Allen Nelson assumes the role of the eponymous hero this time around and he does an amiable job, delivering some witty one liners to help the action along.

So far not too bad then.....so why the relatively low rating I have awarded this film?

Well you see, nothing of any interest actually happens!

Sure there is some glorious overacting (especially from Thom Christopher), some atrociously choreographed sword fights, enough daft scenes to sink a Frigate and some exceptionally stupid dialogue....all the things in fact that any self respecting B-Movie should boast, however, it all feels strangely flat here.

Even the usual nudity quotient is ominously low in this instalment! (Shock, Horror!!!!)

To summarise then, whilst this is certainly not a particularly unwatchable movie, it certainly fails to enthral and will probably only be of any real interest to people wishing to view the whole Deathstalker series.

I only saw this from Mst3000, and this movie is a perfect candidate. Bad acting, bad effects, stupid story. John Allen Nelson (or relson, your choice) loses his English accent within 5 minutes of this movie, and the guy playing Truxardis is wearing the shortest skirt even worn on a man before. from what I understand there are 4 of these films, I think MST should have done all of them, but hey we'll take this one. Potatoes are what we eat!!

My review was written in May 1989 after watching the film on Vestron video cassette.

Third edition in Concorde's "Deathstalker" series is a bland, made-in-Mexico affair constituting little more than a title and pretty package for undiscriminating video retailers.

Soap opera thesp John Allen Nelson is miscast in title role, smirking his way through a non-adventure in a mythical medieval land searching for the secret treasure city of Erendor. He accompanies Princess Carissa (Carla Herd) and her big diamond in quest for a matching stone. She's killed and he finds her twin Princess Elezena (also Herd) and eventually to matching gems, for chintzy visual effects when the powerful diamonds are joined.

Herd is upstaged by a pretty Amazonian warrior played by Claudia Inchaurregui, as well as Concorde regular Terri Treas as a villainess with arch dialog readings. Nelson's all-American approach is way out of place and supporting cast is weak. Previous pics in this series had some campy material but this one's a stiff.

Deathstalker meets twin princesses and goes on a quest for a magic diamond.

Along with the stilted Alfonso Corona's direction, Howard R. Cohen slack at best screenplay lacks logic. Silently produced by Roger Corman, Alejandro Rulfo Israel Torres medieval music borrows from The Raven, Battle Beyond the Stars and Brian Eno's prophecy theme from Dune. With arrow and sword action littered throughout the pacing is more plodding than its predecessors. That said, there's an impressive spectre and undead warriors thrown in for good measure. The exterior locations give it a little depth; but it's very set and stage like throughout.

The third of four Deathstalker movies, hero Deathstalker is replaced again now played by John Allen Nelson (best known for Killer Klowns from Outer Space). Nelson is more cocky than swashbuckling John Terlesky from II, and less Conan-like than Rick Hill in the original. Aarón Hernán hams it up as wizard Nicias, stunning Carla Sands can do no wrong in tone dual role. Terri Treas as Camisarde wrestles impressively with the laughable sparse script. Novel bald on top evil sorcerer Troxartes played by Thom Christopher (Hawk from Buck Rogers) along with the rest of the cast do their best with the clunky sword fights and dialogue.

Overall, a little tamer and less fun than the first two, that said worth watching for the leads.

This wouldn't have been as bad if they had a tighter script, better actors, a good director, ANY kind of lighting, a plot, etc... But for me, by far the worst offense is that a large group of the supporting actors stay in character "Who dares trespass the halls of mine castle!" then there are a few of the main characters who felt they had a good handle on how to portray their character, Deathstalkers reply to the above inquiry: "Hey, I'm lost, I'm just trying to grab some grub." This is mildly paraphrased, but you get the idea. Later, when speaking to a group of warriors that are supposed to be zombified and commanded to kill Deathstalker they suddenly start a conversation. When DS asks them to switch sides and fight for him (since their master is an evil jerk) one warrior from hell says "We cannot turn uponst our master, he controls our very souls!" Not a bad reply, then the next zombie ads "yeah, he's got 'em in a jar back at the castle" in much the manner of a bored co-worker telling you about their weekend. This stinking movie is all over the place. It's pretty fun with MST3K, otherwise, get plastered before you attempt this.