Death Spa (1988)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Lack of good storyline.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

After a near miss at the Starbody Health Spa, the police investigate. Things escalate until there is a body count with all the evidence pointing at David (Merritt Butrick). At 52 minutes into the film we know the culprit as the film changes gears.The film is very 80's from the cars to the hairdos. It is a blast from the past with the green script computer screens. No sex or swearing, but plenty of nudity (Brenda Bakke of Hot Shots Part 2, Tane McClure of Vice Academy 5, Chelsea Field of Prison, Vanessa Bell Calloway)

Holy crap, this was put on late at night in drunken good fun and somehow this is a late 80's camp gem. The colors, music, and cinematography are crazy good fun. The premise is solidly ridiculous - a murder spree at an LA fitness club seemingly caused by a malfunctioning computer. There's a playfulness to the whole enterprise, from the lighting, cinematography and lighting, to the overall high camp feel of it all. It's slightly surreal but in an offhand kind of way. The opening scene is pretty spectacular - a long take set to some sweet 80's synth with a great title "card". And the kills ramp up nicely - ending with a head exploding in a gale force wind and some killer flying fish.

Michael's health club is besieged with a series of terrible murders involving killer saunas and other grisly devices. Michael's wife killed herself a while before and her brother holds Michael responsible. Michael needs to stop the bloodshed before he loses all of his clients.The film started in 1984 or 1985, and was filmed in 1986 (despite not seeing release until 1989). In the beginning, it was meant to just be a haunted health spa and the script went through multiple revisions. After completion, the editing and post-production dragged on for years.The film was something of a "family affair", as many of those involved not only made this film but had a part in producer Jamie Beardsley's wedding. Executive producer Waleed B. Ali (the man who launched John McNaughton's career) walked Beardsley down the aisle. Incidentally, Beardsley was later first assistant director on Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs".Director Michael Fischa burst on to the scene all at once, releasing his first three films almost simultaneously. Besides this one, he also unleashed "Crack House" and "My Mom's a Werewolf" (starring John Saxon) on to the world. Co-writers James Bartruff and Mitch Paradise have less than a handful of credits between them."Death Spa" went under the radar for most of us, just now getting some home video love almost thirty years after it was made. Gorgon Video has a new Blu-Ray transfer that looks beautiful and is loaded with extras -- so a film you never heard of a year ago can be one you know everything about next year. There is a solid cast. Karyn Parsons went on to play Hilary Banks on "Fresh Prince of Bel Air". Joseph Whipp (Dr. Lido Moray) had previously appeared in two Wes Craven films: "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Chiller". Mysteriously, Ken Foree's name is absent on the box credits despite being the biggest horror star in the film ("Dawn of the Dead", "From Beyond").The film itself is a bit slow, and not the best edited at times. One is left with the impression that one goal was simply to see how many women they could get naked on camera (and the count is at least a half dozen if you are wondering). If this was a non-horror film, it would be a complete waste of time.Luckily, it happens to be a horror film, and its shortcomings are made up for by some of the nastiest, goriest effects to come out of the screen. For what was likely a very low budget, no expense was spared to have people melt, burn, spray blood... the death count is quite high, and every death is gloriously fun to watch. Some things are questionable and the basic plot never quite adds up, but maybe that was never the point.For the average viewer, this will not be something to see. For a fan of the blood and guts, it may just be that lost 80s classic you have been waiting for. Worth picking up. The Gorgon Blu-ray features audio commentary with director Michael Fischa (who happens to be Austrian), producer Jamie Beardsley and editor Michael Kewley (who is now best known as the producer of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent"). There is also a full-length making-of feature.

Witch Bitch… For the (alternative) title alone this movie should be considered a "classic" in the industry of silly-n-cheesy 80's horror! "Death Spa" delivers everything you can derive from the title and cool DVD-cover (mine actually displays a girl's bare ass): rancid sleaze, a retarded plot and loads of gooey make-up effects. Recent widower Michael Evans runs the fancy and hi-tech Starbody Health Spa, where all the gym devices are computer-driven and sexy young girls become a member if only to get close to hunky Michael. Business is great until peculiar 'accidents' begin to take place. Michael's girlfriend Laura is the first victim when she gets heavily burned after using the spa. The next incidents are even worse, resulting in the death of several guests. Michael suspects his brother-in-law to sabotage the place, as he never got over his sister's tragic suicide, but it's more likely that Catherine's vengeful spirit returned from the grave herself. "Death Spa" is wacky nonsense, completely without tension or atmosphere, but the gory murders are tremendously fun to watch! Some of the cheese-highlights include a girl literally blown to pieces by an exploding mirror and another hottie melts down to the bones! An elderly guy (a cop investigating the case) even has his throat bitten open by a deep-frozen fish!!! How many times have you seen that before? Everything in this gym center is bewitched, even the cocktail blender and the bathroom tiles. The dialogs & acting performances are horrible, the typical 80's music is atrocious and all the characters are so dumb they really deserve to die. Ken Foree ('Dawn of the Dead') briefly appears as the gym center's caretaker, but his share in the plot is hardly worth mentioning. "Death Spa" is insignificant and brainless 80's trash, and I enjoyed it A LOT!