At the heart of Scott Mansfield’s 1982 slasher Deadly Games (not to be confused with the alternate titled film Dial Code Santa Claus) is a movie about smalltown ennui and infidelity in good but ultimately unfulfilling marriages. Mansfield’s plot revolves around a black-gloved killer who begins killing off the women of this close-knit town based on the whims of a horror board game he plays in his spare time. Drawn there by the death of her sister, Keegan (Jo Ann Harris) soon realizes the closeness of the suburb life is due in part to the large amount of swinging happening; yet she still falls in love with married man and lead cop Roger (Sam Groom) anyway.
Interestingly, the major appeal of Deadly Games is its approach to a more adult-oriented slasher; here, the victims aren’t older-looking teenagers but married, middle-aged men and women with careers and families that drag them away from the more exciting prospects they might have imagined their younger selves pursuing. There’s still the same amount of lustiness, but instead of teens experimenting in their courtships, these are men and women sleeping with their friends’ spouses. Deadly Games is all about that moment in life where the banality of existence inspires one to do some crazy, potentially life-altering things, and ultimately its killer’s motive revolves around this.
Deadly Games‘ most successful elements involve the board game its killer (and characters) play. Similar to Chutes & Ladders, the game includes a number of classic horror films and various action events that ultimately inspire the killer’s murders; unfortunately, there isn’t always a clear connection between the two, but the game itself provides an excellent visual element that should appeal to many horror fans. It also sets up a red herring as to the killer’s identity, though one would argue that Deadly Games‘ reveal is fairly uneventful; Mansfield uses Vietnam PTSD as an indicator of the killer’s madness, but in reality an expositional dump reveals that it truly is just boredom of small-town life that gave the killer a thrill.
Harris and Groom are quite good in the leading roles, with Harris in particular adding bubbly vitality to the film’s darker elements. Along the way Mansfield works in a questionable tonal deviation with a romantic montage, but for the most part Deadly Games strikes a good balance between darkness and light, hinting at the duality of its killer’s personality.
Ultimately Deadly Games is a compelling slasher, not just because of its creative board game and sinister killings but also thanks to its portrayal of midlife crises and the impact that an unfulfilling lifestyle can have on a community of individuals. This slasher doesn’t get much credit, but it has a lot more to offer than meets the eye; it’s worth dusting off this old game to have a play.
Blu-ray
Arrow Video has released Deadly Games for its debut on Blu-ray, giving it a new 2K scan from the original camera negative. The results are excellent; the new transfer manages to pull high levels of detail out with a moderate grain scale, and clothing and skin textures look particular strong. Low-light scenes do show more extensive grain but this is managed with a solid encode and no noticeable compression, with bitrates averaging around 35mbps (see scans at right). Color timing also brings out lush greenery and good lighting in club scenes. Overall, a very solid transfer for Deadly Games.
Audio is presented with an uncompressed DTS-HD MA 1.0 mono track, which sounds particularly strong with no noticeable audio drops besides a couple of muttered dialogue offerings. Soundtrack is robust. English subtitles are also included.
Extras include a new audio commentary from The Hysteria Continues collective, as well as two new interviews with Jere Rae-Mansfield (Sooty in the film) and special effects artist John Eggett. Both run just about 20 minutes in length and are fun watches; Rae-Mansfield discusses her poor casting call and subsequent experience on set, while Eggett relays anecdotes about filming some of the death scenes and his work on other projects including a season on The Office. Also included are galleries, a trailer, and the original screenplay (previously titled Who Fell Asleep before production forced the board game element) on the BD-ROM.
Also included is a new essay from Amanda Reyes documenting the film’s use of Vietnam PTSD and smalltown banality. New artwork including reversible cover and slipcover round out the packaging (see scans at right).
Extra Features
- NEW 2K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
- Original uncompressed mono audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- NEW audio commentary with The Hysteria Continues
- NEW Sooty’s a Sh*t – interview with actor Jere Rae-Mansfield (1080p; 24:15)
- NEW Practical Magic – interview with special effects and stunt co-ordinator John Eggett (1080p; 21:39)
- Promotional gallery (chapter breaks; 0:31)
- Behind the scenes gallery (chapter breaks; 1:04)
- Original Trailer (1080p; 1:58)
- Original screenplay under the title Who Fell Asleep
- NEW Reversible sleeve featuring original artwork by Ralf Krause
- NEW First pressing only: Fully-illustrated collector’s booklet featuring writing by film historian/author Amanda Reyes
Verdict
Deadly Games is a great underappreciated slasher and its inclusion on Blu-ray is welcome thanks to an excellent transfer from Arrow Video. A significant amount of bonus features make this a title worth adding to your collection.
