Olimpiada de la muerte

Yet another slasher movie from the 80's. This one is set in a sports academy and has the novelty of the killer using a somewhat unorthodox weapon - a javelin. But that novelty wears off after a while. There is not much suspense, no real clues to the "mystery" part, and the ending - especially the motivation of the killer - is absurd. There is also a rather laughable scene where the killer enters a pool in full scuba gear, javelin in hand, and his/her soon-to-be-victim fails to notice anything and keeps on swimming! On the plus side, there is ample nudity, a few well-done gore effects, the two main girls are cute, and most of the character interactions sound genuine. Enough good points to get this movie 4 stars out of 10.

Fatal Games is a pretty standard slasher that held my attention throughout and didn't get boring. It's nothing spectacular or unique, but it's quite fun and also gives a nice insight into the life of an athlete. There are plenty of slasher clichés present such as plenty of T&A. There is a moment at the beginning that made me laugh out loud: the athletes are all joking around and throwing food. They throw a sausage at a girl and it lands on top of her skirt. The deaths are OK, but nothing particularly gory. There is one death that looks surprisingly realistic. You are also kept guessing as to who the killer is throughout - I didn't guess and I'm usually good at figuring these things out. When the killer is revealed we get a nice little twist, but I won't spoil it for you.

Watch this if you're a fan of slashers - it's not the best, but it's worth a look. Also recommended if you like this is a similarly themed slasher film called Aerobicide.

"Fatal Games" is standard slasher fluff only with a lower-than-usual production value. It's about a killer wielding a javelin who begins picking off the athletes at the Falcon Academy of Athletics one by one.

Unfortunately, the low budget shines through on most occasions. The supposed "Academy" is obviously just some high school, and the acting is truly terrible. Slasher movies aren't known to have good scripts and excellent acting, but contrary to popular belief most of them were actually very well made with healthy budgets. "Fatal Games" obviously was not, which is probably the reason it never got a theatrical release. Of course the only exception is Sally Kirkland, an underrated actress who was nominated for an Oscar in 1987 but here has little to do.

Another thing that sets "Fatal Games" apart from the other slashers in terms of quality is the sleaziness. The film has little gore, but TONS of nudity. I think almost every female cast member strips down to the bare at one point. (Though somewhat hilariously, in a desperate attempt not to show ANY male nudity, the guys wear jock straps while taking their showers!)

That said and done, "Fatal Games" is actually minor fun if you catch it in the right mood. It's certainly better than junk like "Graduation Day" (which this film is often compared to since both slasher films have sports themes) There are plenty of cheesy moments -- most of the highlights occurring during the last twenty minutes when the killer is revealed. Obviously I wouldn't dream of giving it away but I will say that he/she has one of the dumbest, most unbelievable motives EVER!!!

Oh, and there's also a cool theme song! :)

Tough training is suddenly the least of the problems for seven Olympic hopefuls at the Falcon Academy of Athletics. Seems a masked killer is running around an impaling folks with a javelin, a weapon so cumbersome it truly shows the killer's dedication to their rage. I'm a pretty good student of the slasher films, but this one always escaped me. This was the only directorial feature for co-writer/director Michael Elliot and you can see why given how bland everything is. There is some fun to be had by bad acting, poor dialogue and an amazing "Eye of the TIger"-esque theme song (sample lyrics: "Winning isn't everything, winning is the only thing!" and "Remember this and you'll never fall, the winner always takes all!"). You'll probably guess the killer early on, but there is a funny reveal towards the end. The last 20 minutes is pretty fast paced (even with one character having his leg in a cast) and the end fight on a scaffold is good (you'll laugh at how they shoehorned in setting up the scaffold earlier). The script was co-written by Rafael Buñuel, son of Luis. According to Variety, this went into production in the spring of '83 and Luis died in July. Coincidence?

Athletes at an American farming school for the Olympics go missing, which leaves the staff and other students puzzled.

"Fatal Games" (1984) is one of the many slashers that came out in the wake of the success of "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th." The formula and tropes are simply transferred to a different milieu; in this case, an athletics school.

I like the genre and this one includes all the ingredients necessary for a quality slasher, but drops the ball with boring characters/dramatics, too much filler, and an annoyingly dated score (the scores of "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th" are fresh by comparison). Then there's the constant switches to the front of the school, which is supposed to be in Massachusetts, but it's glaringly Los Angeles.

Nevertheless, there's enough good here if you're in the mood for an 80's slasher and don't mind prosaic filmmaking. For instance, the revelation of the javelin-wielding killer is creative and well-done. It wouldn't work today, however, due to eye-rolling political correctness.

The movie runs 1 hour, 24 minutes, and was shot in the Los Angeles area at Redondo Beach (for the interiors done in Aviation High School, which is now demolished) and, for the exteriors, University High School in West Los Angeles.

GRADE: C+