Fantastic Fest XX Review: In DEATHSTALKER, Part Homage, Part Spoof, All Fantastic
On paper, Deathstalker, the new film from Psycho Goreman director, Steven Kostanski, is a winner – a sword and sorcery 80’s throwback with a tongue planted firmly in cheek. It should be superb. Well, I’m pleased to report that Deathstalker is not only a winner; it’s an absolute triumph, and one of the best films of 2025. Despite being one of my favorites of the year, Deathstalker is hard to review. The reason being that it walks this unbelievably thin line between respectful homage and absolute piss take. It’s silly – goofy even. But there’s a distinct sense of Kostanski really wanting to honor the original Deathstalker. And that’s where its beauty lies. This film is both daft as a brush and extremely clever. The plot is fairly simple, despite a cavalcade of hard to remember names like Nekromemnon, Jotak, and Despairon. We follow the titular Deathstalker (played by stuntman, […]