Surprisingly incoherent and boring

A Major Disappointment

A Disappointing Continuation

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

Good horror flick. No movie can be overlooked that has wimpy John Fielder as a fearless vampire stalker. Seems a hippie clan up LA's Topanga Canyon is enticed by ethereal stranger (Quarry) into coming to his canyon mansion. Of course, he has dire motives for enticing them. But he's a smooth talker, with what sounds like a profound message about life and eternity. I couldn't help thinking Charles Manson given the general context of hippies following a charismatic leader. But the mansion turns out to be something of a labyrinth of horror, as the care-free kids soon find out.I like the way Pico (Ewing) is shown early on as possessing what was then an unusual knowledge of Asian martial arts. That way, we know he's more than his rather slight appearance. He'll need that when he defies the imperious Khorda. Then too, the exotic looking Barbado (Hilton) makes a scary zombie-like enforcer. That opening scene with him at the beach amounts to a real grabber. Also, there're a couple of good twists that break with genre clichés. Anyway, pitting hippies against a vampire is an imaginative premise that plays out in pretty effective fashion. So ignore establishment critic Roger Ebert who hated the movie (IMDB), probably because the title smacked of lowly drive-in fare. And kudos to leading-man actor Ray Danton who shows talent in his first directorial outing. Meanwhile, as an LA resident, I guess I won't be going up Topanga Canyon any time soon.

...that Pico and the gang fall victim to a vampire. I like hippies! I root for hippies to win the day! The first part seems less like a horror film (aside from the opening scenes) and more like a 'hippies- find-their-spiritual-path' movie...call me a sentimental old fool if you will, I was rooting for Pico and the gang to find a more satisfying outlook on life. Quarry is masterful, of course, even in Manson drag... and I really liked Bill Ewing as Pico. It's also always a treat to find a movie with John Fiedler. Main criticism: Pico SHOULD have used his Kung Fu against Barbado, he would have come off better. It was almost like the filmmakers forgot that Pico had that particular training in the second half. I love this movie! Music and all.

When I was a kid I'd stay up late and watch creature features. I think that was a major influence on my tastes. This movie terrified me when I was 7 yrs old. Now I'm 30 and I love it! I couldn't remember the name or find it. About a yr and a half ago I got this one on DVD. YES!!! Not quite as scary but just some good fun. This is a rare, good treat if your a horror geek. If you like Blackula, Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, or Carpenter and Romero, then I definitely recommend this one. Also the DVD has a decent commentary.This one's more for nostalgia, but also for collectors too. The 70's are alive and well in Deathmaster!

Great early 70's clothing, a philosophizing folk song (wow, man is like a river, that's like, so deep), not so subtle drug references, and the undead! What more could you possibly ask for? Deathmaster really is Quarry's movie with his Mansonesque portrayal of Khorda infiltrating and taking over a commune of lost hippies. The movie's effectiveness really lies in the context that people can be so easily controlled and fall victim to cults, rather than the fact that Khorda possesses their minds because he is a vampire. That Quarry is made up to look like Charles Manson is a not-so-subtle hint to the movie's theme, the resemblance being especially relevant at the time the movie was made.Look for character actor and voice-over artist John Fiedler as the owner of a hippie bead shop!The movie slows down and becomes a little dull about 2/3 of the way through, and yes, it's terribly dated, but this obscure little gem is an 8/10 for 60's and 70's horror movie freaks like myself. It's certainly a guilty pleasure. I found it at a convention, and watching it brought back a lot fond memories of the Saturday afternoon Chiller Theater flicks like Deathmaster, Lemora, Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, as well as a ton of bizarre British horror movies, and even some old giallo that independent stations like Channels 5, 9, and 11 out of NYC used to run constantly in the late 70's through the mid 80's. If you're a fan of such things, you'll want to own this movie.