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4 out of 5 people found the following review useful: That Babysitter DESERVED IT!, 24 October 2004 Author: Freya(sableOnBlond) the-real-roobeemoon from orbiting around Marz
Yep - I like this film. I am also happy to finally see a promotional photo for this film , thank you a lot IMDb! I have a copy of this film. I find this film a one-of-a-kind. I like it cause it's early 80s. And I LOVE what happens to the eat-too-much babysitter! LOL I never see this for rental at the video store - I had actually seen it on TV.... Not that this is a marvelous film , but I have definitely sat through more boring , supposed-to-scare-me films. Not exactly gore , not exactly a slasher - Hard to pinpoint this one exactly , but I'll call this a thriller - with a touch of mystery....with a completely 80s-style view. PEACE
4 out of 5 people found the following review useful: Gina Christian is the reason tube tops were invented!, 24 January 2000 Author: gein from Seattle, Washington
This film is not as bad as many people would have you believe. Peter "The Dirt Bike Kid" Billingsley, in his first starring role, plays Billy, a boy who is forced to vacation with his mother and her boyfriend in the middle of the hot California desert. During a desert outing, a bored Billy decides to do a little exploration and comes across a seemingly abandoned RV. Unbeknownst to Billy the RV contains the freshly butchered bodies of three teenagers who are stuffed into the forward compartment. Billy nearly opens the forward compartment's door when he's pulled out and reprimanded by his mother's boyfriend. Billy doesn't leave empty handed though; he has stolen a necklace that he found on the RV's floor.Later the necklace becomes a clue that is handed over with much guilt and tears to the town's sheriff played by Wilford Brimley. Soon after, the sheriff has a mining pick stuck in his chest after stupidly going over to the killer's house with clue in hand and basically asking, "Hey, look what I found at a murder scene," and knowing full well that the necklace belongs to the killer. Oops!The killer believes Billy knows too much and needs to be eliminated. From this point on the film becomes a tense cat-and-mouse game that ends with more than a few dead.Death Valley was released in 1982 without much fanfare or promotion and was quickly lost among the glut of slasher films being churned out by Hollywood at that time. That is unfortunate because the film features everything horror fans love: breasts, gore and excitement. This film also features a tense Henry Manfredini-like musical score by Dana Kaproff and excellent cinematography by Stephen Burum. Billy's mother is played by the beautiful Katherine Hicks (spelled Catherine on the video box) who played Marilyn Monroe in the television movie, Marilyn: The Untold Story.Another reason to watch this film is for the brief appearance of Gina Christian, in her only film role, as R.V. Girl. Gina Christian is the reason tube tops were invented. Wow!
4 out of 5 people found the following review useful: Like a plane without an engine..., 11 November 1999 Author: Jay Stuler (stuler.1@osu.edu) from Ohio
...a movie without a script totally bombs. From the writer of "Universal Soldier" (1 & 2) and "Hard to Hold", it's a wonder this movie is even as good as it is. The actors and director do a remarkable job despite the drivel they are forced to work with. If they did a total rewrite of this movie, it would probably be pretty good, but as it is, it is somewhat boring and just BLAH. It has some moments but I wouldn't bother unless it is on TV and you are bored anyways.
Ralphie Parker Versus the Death Valley Slasher, 9 November 2009 Author: Coventry from the Draconian Swamp of Unholy Souls
I've been on the lookout for this obscure early 80's slasher since many moons, for the same old reason why I often track down films I don't know anything about … Because the poster/cover image here on the IMDb, showing a killer with a knife in the reflection of a little kid's glasses, looks tremendously cool. That's all. So, of course, in too many of these cases the films turn out to be big disappointments, but luckily "Death Valley" is a worthwhile little hidden gem. It's a modest and reasonably stylish slasher/thriller with a marvelous setting (why there aren't any more horror flicks taking place in Death Valley, California is beyond me), an admirably creepy atmosphere, likable characters (no hormone driven teenagers out camping this time), a handful of unexpected brutal killings and a surprisingly well-written screenplay (sometimes). The film begins with a father in New York explaining to his intelligent and eloquent young son Billy – that Ralphie kid from "A Christmas Story" with the big glasses – that he has to spend his vacation with his mother and her new lover down in a touristy cowboy village near Death Valley, California. Once there, and in between the difficult acceptance of new parent process of little Billy, he spots a vicious looking old car following them around. There's a serial killer on the loose in Death Valley and he/she just butchered three people in a motor home. Billy wanders around the area and finds the killer's necklace. From then onwards he's the killer's prime target. "Death Valley" distinguishes itself from the other contemporary slasher flicks because of its dramatic and identifiable sub plot of parental divorce and the children's slow process of accepting mummy/daddy's new life partner. Many (too many even?) sequences revolve on conversations between Billy and his mother, begging him to give the new boyfriend a proper chance. The identity of the killer isn't exactly kept secret and the "twist" near the end is very predictable as well, still director Dick Richards attempts to bring more depth and tension-building than we are used to see in early 80's horror movies. The handful of murders are, as said, fairly gruesome with some slit throats and a lovely axe in the chest moment. There's also a hilarious comical interlude when Billy has to remain at home with the babysitter. She's a corpulent eating machine who munches all of the kid's chocolate, crisps and ice cream.
Death Valley. A must see., 14 August 2008 Author: raven_producciones from Argentina
Death Valley is a perfect thriller containing all the suspense and terror without entering in the gore area. Maybe is a little old fashion and the story have some holes in it, but that goes to a second plane. The photography and the score are top notch. Also we have a very frightening performance by the great and only Stephen McHattie. The film also shows scenes and situations rarely seen on today features (like the one in the bathroom, the pool and car sequence, the dancing on the roof, the last revelation about the killer(s), and a few more). It's a very well crafted movie. The plot, for me, was just average. It doesn't matter. The movie has an unique style and that's what I love about it. Hoping a DVD release soon. Bye.
* * out of 4, 31 December 2007 Author: Bleeding-Skull from Review Land
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Getting a divorce, Hal, (Stephen McHattie) talks his son Billy, (Peter Billingsley) into going with ex-wife Sally, (Catherine Hicks) while she goes to California. Meeting with old friend Mike, (Paul Le Mat) upon arriving, they decide to visit Death Valley together. As they spend more and more time together, upsetting him more, they start to believe that a serial killer is loose in the area after a series of accidents along the way. The local Sheriff, (Wilford Brimley) feels that a notorious madman is still loose and offers them safety in a nearby Wild West novelty town. Taking a while to realize that the killer has followed them back to their hotel and has targeted them, they race to save him and stop the murderer before it's too late.This one isn't all that spectacular a slasher film, and by most standards is hard pressed to be called as such. Really only recommended to the curious or the most die-hard fanatic, while more casual ones can skip this and get requirements elsewhere.Rated R for Extreme Violence and Profanity.
Unbelievably Awful!!!, 11 December 2007 Author: mcgirr from United States
It's hard to believe that a movie this bad could actually be released. The dialog was unnatural. Especially poor was the portrayal of the relationship between the boy and his future step-father. I guess you could say that they succeeded in producing awkward dialog, but what was said seemed false and artificial. The suspense just wasn't there. The music was about as bad as it gets. The only reason I watched this movie was because I live in the Death Valley area and was curious about what locations would show up on the screen. Fortunately the movie was on TV and so I didn't waste any money renting this sorry excuse for a film! I honestly believe that most amateurs could put together a more captivating plot than was presented here. It's too bad that the time of an entire film crew was wasted on such trash! I guess the only positive thing I can say about the movie is that some of the scenery was good.
Kid in peril - you won't see that today, 25 October 2007 Author: udar55 from Williamsburg, VA
Billy (Peter Billingsley) heads from New York to Arizona with his recently divorced mom (Catherine Hicks) so she can hook up with old high school boyfriend Mike (Paul Le Mat). Along the way, the makeshift family stumbles upon the handiwork of a local serial killer. When they report it to the sheriff (Wilford Brimley), word gets out and the killer comes looking for quasi-witness Billy. This hard-to-find early 80s horror offering is unique in that the person being stalked is a 9-year-old. I doubt you would ever see a major studio film today with a kid being in the line of fire from two killers. Unfortunately, the film has little else going for it.The identity of the killer is given away almost immediately, with a "shock" ending added on that won't surprise you. Stephen McHattie, who was the robber in Cronenberg's A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, plays the set of evil twins and is good. It isn't really a shock because you know right off the bat that his character Hal has a brother. Their motive for killing (keeping people away from Pa's worthless goldmine) is straight outta SCOOBY DOO.Watching the film and its desert locations and creepy set ups, I wondered if Eric Red saw it and thought to himself, "Man, I wonder what this would be like if done right?" before writing THE HITCHER. Edward Herrmann has a completely thankless role as Billingsley's father in one scene. Since he is in it so little, I suspect he might be the killer. I guess not.
Someone wasn't paying attention when making a review..., 4 April 2007 Author: iiyuurikoii from United States
I remember someone saying that the killer was two people but clearly only listed one in the credits; thats because if you pay attention to the movie which that person clearly did not, or didn't even bother to watch the end; you'd realize in the beginning the sheriff and tow trucker were talking about 'twins'. which are played by the same actor!The movie is good for it's era'. It could have used a bit more work in where setting and plot was involved like going into more depth that the twins existed at all; but other than that if the movie was ever on big screen I wouldn't have paid to see it, renting it is a good choice, but I wouldn't buy it.
1 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Incorrectly classified as a slasher, 8 July 2007 Author: slayrrr666 (slayrrr666@yahoo.com) from Los Angeles, Ca
"Death Valley" is a really underwhelming slasher film with a few things going for it.**SPOILERS**Getting a divorce, Hal, (Stephen McHattie) talks his son Billy, (Peter Billingsley) into going with ex-wife Sally, (Catherine Hicks) while she goes to California. Meeting with old friend Mike, (Paul Le Mat) upon arriving, they decide to visit Death Valley together. As they spend more and more time together, upsetting him more, they start to believe that a serial killer is loose in the area after a series of accidents along the way. The local Sheriff, (Wilford Brimley) feels that a notorious madman is still loose and offers them safety in a nearby Wild West novelty town. Taking a while to realize that the killer has followed them back to their hotel and has targeted them, they race to save him and stop the murderer before it's too late.The Good News: There wasn't a whole lot here that actually worked. One of the few things it does do right is it's stalking scenes. They're wonderfully done, have an appreciable length, and at times are actually suspenseful. It's hard to pick which one's are the best, as there's lots of good ones. The big one in the hotel could be one, as there's a lot of interaction between the killer and intended victim that leads to a couple really nice confrontations between the two. A romp through a museum of Wild West memorabilia isn't that bad, and it also manages to really get in some unknown confrontations with the two early on than most. The most suspenseful is a pretty eerie walk-through of a supposed abandoned motor-home, that just has all sorts of vibes and atmosphere running through it. There's also a really big finale that is quite nice to see. A lot of action, all the pieces to the puzzle fall into place for every opportunity, and a lot happens that manages to really entertain to a big point. This is also when it goes into full overdrive and manages to showcase all it's slasher elements, including it's several confrontations and put in some really nice stalking scenes into the mix along with a couple of great confrontations and fights. These here are all the movie has in it's favor.The Bad News: This here doesn't have a whole lot wrong, but they are major flaws. The biggest one is the sheer minuscule body count. It's almost not even right to consider this a slasher as there's nearly no slashing going on. There's a half-dozen deaths in here, several are off-screen and never found out what happened, one is run over in a car, and the others are so cliché and uninteresting that they don't deserve mentioning. These methods really decry the fact that this is a slasher film with pretty much easy picking. Another really big flaw is the really slow pace on hand. This takes forever to get going, spending most of the early going concentrating on the developing romance between the friends and how the son reacts to them. It's almost from out of another film entirely and doesn't really seem to be indicative of a slasher at all, as there's almost forty-five minutes until the first kill takes place on-screen, and with it's puny death-count, that leaves a lot of boredom in the early sections of the film. The other really big flaw is that this offers up no motivation for anything that happens. We never know why the killer is going on the rampage, what the reason is or why the targets where selected. They were simply out-of-contact with everyone around and there were no witnesses around, leaving only a state of confusion as to why they were inflicted. All these reasons drag the film down considerably.The Final Verdict: This one isn't all that spectacular a slasher film, and by most standards is hard pressed to be called as such. Really only recommended to the curious or the most die-hard fanatic, while more casual ones can skip this and get requirements elsewhere.Rated R: Violence, Language and children in danger
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