FatalGames

Fatal Games (1984)

This 80s slasher has a group of Olympic hopefuls training together at a special high school that allows them to focus on their sport as well as their studies. But this ultra competitive environment is also a breeding ground for jealousy and cheating. The doctor and trainers at the school have the students hopped up on steroids to enhance their training regimen. They continue to do this in spite of the aggressive behavior that some of the students start to show. Though they manage not to connect it when student athletes start to disappear, that is until they start to find bodies. But who is killing the students? Is it the pressure to succeed or the drugs that they are taking? Could there be something else going on entirely different?

Fatal Game is kind of a strange movie. There are a lot of things that it has going for it. First of all there is an incredible amount of nudity in this movie. Really most all of the female members of the cast get naked at one time or the other and stay that way for a while. Really it is a surprising amount of nudity, even for a slasher movie. There is also the required cheesy 80s music, which I really got a kick out of. But at the same time after starting off with some promise (though it does take 18 minutes for the first kill) the movie really slows down and drags. The story had some promise, but is filled with far too many subplots and red herrings that it becomes a chore to try and keep track of everything. And then when you finally get to the end and the killer is revealed it is something completely out of left field that had nothing to do with the rest of the movie. I suppose the filmmakers thought this could be fun, but I just found it annoying. The acting isn’t too bad, for a slasher movie. Lets be honest most of these movies were written quickly to cash in on the phenomenon and because of that never really give the cast much to work with. I think that Fatal Games is another example of that. That said most of the actresses were probably cast for their looks and willingness to get naked.

Can’t talk slasher movies without discussing the killer and the kills. The killer spends the movie running around in a tracksuit offing the students with a javelin. While the killer’s look was fairly uninspired the javelin was sort of a fun choice as a weapon. Though seeing him try to stalk his victims with it is sort of funny. I mean really sneaking up on someone with a 12 foot long pointed stick? I’m also not sure if it is the choice of weapon but the kills are also uninspired and boring. How many times can you see someone speared before it gets boring? Add to that a fairly low body count (5) and you have a fairly tame and forgettable slasher movie.

Really this is only for those that have to see every slasher movie ever made. For the rest of you that don’t want to waste your time on a run of the mill entry into the genre you might want to skip Fatal Games.

1 ½ out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer