Horror

Thriller

Fatal Games

Impact Films

United States of America

English

Sally Kirkland

Lynn Banashek

Sean Masterson

Michael O'Leary

Teal Roberts

Spice Williams-Crosby

Melissa Prophet

Angela Bennett

Nicholas Love

Lauretta Murphy

Michael Elliot

Christopher Mankiewicz

Ed Call

Mel Klein

Alan Waite

Miguel Elac

Jim Peppers

William G. Sipos

Beverly Schaeffer

Shari Smith

Steve Malis

Nancye Ferguson

James W. Broderick

Linnea Quigley

Deanna Shapiro

Brinke Stevens

Rafael Buñuel

Jonathon Braun

William Kroes

Shuki Levy

Alfred Taylor

Jacov Bresler

Jay Burkhart

Kurt Bryant

**_Olympic wannabes slain by a javelin_**

Athletes at an American farming school for the Olympics go missing, which leaves the staff and other students puzzled.

“Fatal Games” (1984) is one of the many slashers that came out in the wake of the success of “Halloween” and “Friday the 13th.” The formula and tropes are simply transferred to a different milieu; in this case, an athletics school.

I like the genre and this one includes all the ingredients necessary for a quality slasher, but drops the ball with boring characters/dramatics, too much filler, and an annoyingly dated score (the scores of “Halloween” and “Friday the 13th” are fresh by comparison). Then there’s the constant switches to the front of the school, which is supposed to be in Massachusetts, but it’s glaringly Los Angeles. 
 
Nevertheless, there’s enough good here if you’re in the mood for an 80’s slasher and don’t mind prosaic filmmaking. For instance, the revelation of the javelin-wielding killer is creative and well-done. It wouldn’t work today, however, due to eye-rolling political correctness. 

The movie runs 1 hour, 24 minutes, and was shot in the Los Angeles area at Redondo Beach (for the interiors done in Aviation High School, which is now demolished) and, for the exteriors, University High School in West Los Angeles.

GRADE: C+

Fatal Games (1984) Original Trailer [HD]

Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray Promo Trailer

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Fatal Games

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Cast

Sally Kirkland

Lynn Banashek

Sean Masterson

Michael O'Leary

Teal Roberts

Spice Williams-Crosby

Melissa Prophet

Angela Bennett

Nicholas Love

Lauretta Murphy

Box office

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