Pesadelo no Vale da Morte

If you'd heard nothing about 'Death Valley' and never seen the poster, you'd get about a quarter through the film still thinking it was an overly angsty kid's movie about dealing with divorce. To your surprise, you'd find that the film is one of the most gussied-up, glitzy actor'd, low-brow slasher flicks every made.

Despite an impressive cast, it's really no surprise if you haven't heard of this one – I hadn't and I'm a child of the 80's. In 1982, with slasher films reaching their apex of interest, and audiences demanding more and more outlandish scenarios, director Dick Richards (better known for westerns and noir) set out to make a serious suspense thriller told from a young boy's perspective. Fortunately (or otherwise), he succeeded only in finding a bizarre new genre-limbo somewhere between 'Kramer vs. Kramer' and 'Slumber Party Massacre'; 'Death Valley' is a bit of an awkward fit.

Billy, played by Peter Billingsley ('A Christmas Story'), is as sublime a 'natural' as ever there was in the role of the young boy in question. He lives in Manhattan with his father, a rather sophisticated businessman played by Edward Herrmann ('The Lost Boys') and is about to take a vacation out west with his mother (Catherine Hicks – 'Child's Play') and her corn-fed boyfriend (Paul Le Mat – 'American Graffiti'). There's no question that Billy is none too pleased at the prospect but he's immediately shown to be both mature and intelligent enough to cope.

Aside from Billy's misplaced distrust of his mother's new beau, the newly-formed family unit begins a trek across the deserts of Arizona with only the mildest of dysfunction in tow. Our first hint that the story will dive into dread comes when Billy notices an ominous old Cadillac passing on the highway; the scene recalls Spielberg's 'Duel' or Carpenter's 'Christine'. From here the film spirals down into a bloody-red murder mystery with Billingsley as the hunted witness and Wilford Brimley ('The Thing') as the bumbling highway cop without any hope of protecting this unsuspecting family from a mysterious killer.

There really is a punch about a third of the way into the film (around the time we see a completely obligatory topless vixen and tomato-soup-red blood pouring from the neck of a victim – whose killing has no motivation by the way) that the whole tone turns on its head. 'Death Valley' feels a bit like 2 movies with 2 different directors - who have vastly different goals - just collaged together without much care or purpose. It's no wonder that Universal didn't really know what to do with this one; it sat in a can for over a year before it was released. Purpose aside, I sat down and tried to figure out why this film doesn't work and, in doing so, I found myself with a list of all the reasons it does: big names, epic cinematography (filmed almost entirely on location), Wilford Brimley, 1980's nostalgia (see 'SIMON'), unapologetic child-in-peril scenario, and neon-orange blood splattered across half of the movie. What's not to like?

...a movie without a script totally bombs. From the writer of "Universal Soldier" (1 & 2) and "Hard to Hold", it's a wonder this movie is even as good as it is. The actors and director do a remarkable job despite the drivel they are forced to work with. If they did a total rewrite of this movie, it would probably be pretty good, but as it is, it is somewhat boring and just BLAH. It has some moments but I wouldn't bother unless it is on TV and you are bored anyways.

If the readers may permit a little intro about this movie, I'd already lost my hope to find this rarest movie that watched in far off 1988 around my teenager years, in fact I've just remember some small fragments, out of the blue in a quick research at my old friend Youtube appears it on dubbed version, well I can't believe in my own eyes, all this in fine print near DVD, well it sent me back on late eighties for one hour and a half.

The plot is quite simple the little boy Billy (Peter Billingsley) living in New York with her divorced mother Sally (Catherine Hicks) flying into California to meet her new boyfriend Mike (Paul Le Mat) for a vacation on Death Valley aiming for easy the feelings of Bill over a forthcoming engagement between his mother and Bill, an annoyed Billy is afraid that it could ward off his father, however the worst is coming when they reach in a old mine at Death Valley, Billy walking around find a necklace at empty motor-home, where moments early someone slashed tree occupiers, later it was found burning in a ravine nearby.

Turns out that Billy got the necklace and on the restaurant saw the waiter Hal (Stephen McHattie) wearing the same one, reaching at crash area seeing the motor-home in flame, Billy decides told the truth to local Sheriff (Wilford Brimley) about the strange object, it raises suspicions of the Sheriff due in such in past year had an akin murder on same patten, all victims were slashed, thus this necklace belongs to two local brothers that living on a desert area and could be the key to clarify those murders, not so fast the old Sheriff exposes to Hal all about over the necklace found by young Billy, henceforth he becomes a target to be slash.

A kind of B-flick mixing slash and thriller, many gorgeous girls, nude scenes with beauty Gina Christian, having the great landscape of the marvelous Death Valley as backdrop, also great casting as well and the undeniable eye candy Catherine Hicks in fine shape, without forget the strong performance of McHattie and Paul Le Mat and the veteran actor Wilford Brimley not despicable that some reviewers want implied.

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First watch: 1988 / How many: 1 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 6.5.

I've been on the lookout for this obscure early 80's slasher since many moons, for the same old reason why I often track down films I don't know anything about … Because the poster/cover image here on the IMDb, showing a killer with a knife in the reflection of a little kid's glasses, looks tremendously cool. That's all. So, of course, in too many of these cases the films turn out to be big disappointments, but luckily "Death Valley" is a worthwhile little hidden gem. It's a modest and reasonably stylish slasher/thriller with a marvelous setting (why there aren't any more horror flicks taking place in Death Valley, California is beyond me), an admirably creepy atmosphere, likable characters (no hormone driven teenagers out camping this time), a handful of unexpected brutal killings and a surprisingly well-written screenplay (sometimes). The film begins with a father in New York explaining to his intelligent and eloquent young son Billy – that Ralphie kid from "A Christmas Story" with the big glasses – that he has to spend his vacation with his mother and her new lover down in a touristy cowboy village near Death Valley, California. Once there, and in between the difficult acceptance of new parent process of little Billy, he spots a vicious looking old car following them around. There's a serial killer on the loose in Death Valley and he/she just butchered three people in a motor home. Billy wanders around the area and finds the killer's necklace. From then onwards he's the killer's prime target. "Death Valley" distinguishes itself from the other contemporary slasher flicks because of its dramatic and identifiable sub plot of parental divorce and the children's slow process of accepting mummy/daddy's new life partner. Many (too many even?) sequences revolve on conversations between Billy and his mother, begging him to give the new boyfriend a proper chance. The identity of the killer isn't exactly kept secret and the "twist" near the end is very predictable as well, still director Dick Richards attempts to bring more depth and tension-building than we are used to see in early 80's horror movies. The handful of murders are, as said, fairly gruesome with some slit throats and a lovely axe in the chest moment. There's also a hilarious comical interlude when Billy has to remain at home with the babysitter. She's a corpulent eating machine who munches all of the kid's chocolate, crisps and ice cream.

Yep - I like this film. I am also happy to finally see a promotional photo for this film , thank you a lot IMDb! I have a copy of this film. I find this film a one-of-a-kind. I like it cause it's early 80s. And I LOVE what happens to the eat-too-much babysitter! LOL I never see this for rental at the video store - I had actually seen it on TV.... Not that this is a marvelous film , but I have definitely sat through more boring , supposed-to-scare-me films. Not exactly gore , not exactly a slasher - Hard to pinpoint this one exactly , but I'll call this a thriller - with a touch of mystery....with a completely 80s-style view. PEACE