Filmed in Sudbury last year, the movie “Deathstalker” will debut at the Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival on Sept. 20.
The screening will take place at SilverCity Sudbury at 9 p.m., and general admission tickets are $15.
Although numerous movies will be featured during the annual film festival, “Deathstalker” will likely be among the most exciting to local cinephiles due to its local filming locations.
Filming wrapped in late May 2024, around which time film executive producer Slash, best known for his work as a guitarist with rock band Guns N’ Roses, stopped by to visit the film set.
It has since come out that Slash contributed to the film’s soundtrack.
The movie is being directed by Steven Kostanski, of “Psycho Goreman” fame, and is a reboot of the low-budget 1980s sword and sandals movie series. It's not a full reboot of the original, but a “a refreshed remake,” Cinéfest executive director Patrick O’Hearn said during a media event announcing the film lineup last month.
“I loved this film, really,” O’Hearn said. “Sudbury should be so proud: in terms of the fantasy element, the special effects are out of this world. Incredible. The acting is incredible — take a look at the cast list, it’s filled with people audiences wouldn't expect in a particular film like that.”
Since this media conference, Shout! Studios released a trailer for the film, which is slated for a general theatrical release on Oct. 10, but also the local Cinéfest screening on Sept. 20.
View the trailer here:
True to Kostanski’s past work and the era movies “Deathstalker” pays homage to, the trailer features detailed practical costumes for its many creatures.
It also appears to pay homage to the “Evil Dead” movies of the same era, with mention of “dreadite attacks” calling to mind the possessed demonic entities from “Evil Dead”, where they’re called “deadites.” It also mentions a sorcerer named “Nekromemnon,” which sounds close to the word “Necronomicon”, the fictional magical grimoire invented by author H. P. Lovecraft, which is featured in his stories as well as several other horror properties. It is front and centre in the Evil Dead movies, where it’s called the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis.
While filmed in Sudbury, it’s unclear from the trailer whether any landscapes will be recognizable, as it’s not set in the modern era or reality, so buildings and human-made infrastructure are unlikely to be seen on-screen.
The following is the Deathstalker movie description which was included on the Cinéfest website:
“The Kingdom of Abraxeon is under siege from The Dreadites, a mysterious horde of warriors, whose sudden appearance are rumoured to foretell the return of Nekromemnon, an ancient sorcerer long thought dead. Such times of chaos are times of fortune for men like Deathstalker, who, having broken ties with all guilds and banners, now ekes an existence from the spoils recovered in the wake of Dreadite attacks.”
The 102-minute-long movie features actors Daniel Bernhardt, Christina Orjalo, Nina Bergman, Paul Lazenby and Patton Oswalt.