Camp der verlorenen Teufel

SURVIVAL QUEST was Don Coscarelli's exploitation of my Merc School. I had advised on one of his earlier films, and he was interested in doing a film about paramilitaries chasing some tourists out west.

I have him actual info on my school, and his writers split our one school into two, a "good" survival course, and a "bad" paramilitary training course, in order to have a conflict between them.

Coscarelli even went so far as to recreate scenes of our training taken from "60 Minutes" videotape.

If you combine the good and bad schools of the movie, you have an idea of what Merc School was really like.

For Merc School grads, SURVIVAL QUEST is both tribute and comedy.

Frank Camper

I know its a cult classic so most people haven't even heard of it. But I like this movie been watching this flick since I fixed it while working at a video store. It has little story and mediocre acting so don't look for an award winning performances. Lance plays a wilderness guide and he does a good job, most other characters are just there. The exact same story is on an episode of Macguyver and there is a part of a far superior movie hidden in it. Oh yeah the premise is based on some kind of an Indian rite or some such. That is just filler there is no substance just turn your brain of and enjoy. Oh yeah assuming this ever got put on DVD or instant.

Survival Quest is one of the few Lance Henriksen starrers that happened during the eighties. This time he gives a great unexpected performance as a good guy, who runs a survival school and leads a group of assorted city people through the wilderness. Eventually they cross paths with a military man played by Mark Rolston who leads a survival class of his own. Don Coscarelli pulls out fine performances from everybody and the script is so well done that every character that's supposed to matter does. Aside from the acting, the film relies on such inexpensive things as breathtaking vistas and avoiding clichés (for the most part). The only thing that downplays the whole experience is the music one'd expect from a Hallmark family movie. Definitely the strongest Coscarelli effort outside of Phantasm and Bubba Ho-Tep.

Cult filmmaker Don Coscarelli has brought us such films as the "Phantasm" Tetralogy, "The Beastmaster" and "Bubba Ho-Tep" but a film he did in the last 80s seemed to go by mostly unnoticed… and maybe it was thought to be the usual routine woodland survival outing. In some regards this survival adventurer is, but what makes this one work is the fighting character dynamics, a thoughtful script and the always dependable Lance Henriksen. "Survival Quest" follows a group of strangers (one just happening to be an ex-convict played by Dermont Mulroney) from the city battling the wilderness in the North Rockies Survival Quest School led by their resourceful instructor Frank (Henriksen). However nearby is another group (paramilitary), lead by an aggressively hard-nose and demanding instructor (played by Mark Rolston with cynically great ticker). These two schools / groups are at total opposites (extremely so -- one relying on trust while the other sees fit to only look after one's own self) to each other in what they teach (one to embrace your surrounding while the other to dominate in its forceful actions) and from that an encounter occurs where it becomes a struggle to stay alive for Frank's group against an armed, unstable squad (Steve Antin is good as the instigator). The plot slowly hangs off its characters --- building up relationships, developing mindsets (cementing self-confidence) so when it gradually builds up to its explosive confrontations and then the trek becomes a bloody survival course it really pulls you in as you put some much time into the characters that you want to see them get through it. What starts of as a battle against mother nature (what looks beautiful can just be as dangerous), becomes something much more. As their training comes into play, as their team morale to not leave anybody behind which drives them home. Its good to have strength and stamina, but it's nothing without spirit… and that's the difference between the two groups. "… it's a matter of heart. Not hardware." To use and respect the power of your surroundings/the wilderness to adapt. Writer / director Coscarelli's resiliently tight direction commendably balances out the character developing staples and the excitingly tension-fuelled cat and mouse exchanges. Some witty scenes are a nice cover too. Another striking attraction would be that of the rugged, but eye-catching locations which is always scenically shot. The performances can feel a little awkward, but it's a likable bunch with Catherine Keener, Traci Lind, Dominic Hoffman, Paul Provenza and a special guest appearance by Reggie Bannister. A fine, under-seen terrain adventure caper.

A group of people who have signed up for a wilderness survival course get terrorized by a more militant group. Of all the Coscarelli movies I've seen, I liked this the least. The film had none of the originality of Phantasm, nor the sheer awesomeness of Bubba Ho-tep, not even the dumb fun of Beastmaster. Instead we get a rather pedestrian ho-hum action movie in the cookie cutter mold of a million other 'group stuck in the wilderness against baddies' genre films complete with stock characters that don't really have memorable personalities or any likability. The great Lance Henriksen is the only actor who gets through this one with his dignity intact. Perhaps i'm being a bit too hearse with the film, it's not that bad and makes a merely watchable diversion, I just can't help but hold Don to a higher esteem as the rest of his output is rather marvelous.

My Grade: C-

Eye Candy: Traci Lind goes skinny dipping, but only her top is exposed

DVD Extras: Behind the scenes featurette; 2 U.S. and 1 International trailer for the film; and trailers for "Phantasm" "Phantasm 3", "Kenny & Company", "the Garden" & "Near Dark"