Deathrow Gameshow

Deathrow Gameshow (1987)

1/2 (out of 4)

Chuck Toedan (Mohn McCafferty) is the host of a gameshow, which has deathrow inmates playing for money or an instant death. The game is set up like Let's Make a Deal where they are given options. One could end their life while the other might win their loved ones some money.

DEATHROW GAMESHOW, for some reason, gained a cult following but it's hard to see why. I mean, it did come out the same year as THE RUNNING MAN so perhaps VHS hounds just got excited to see something with a familiar storyline but done without much of a budget. The film could have been much better had it stuck to its main storyline but sadly the games end rather early and then we're left with a really awful and boring subplot dealing with the host coming under attack.

The film plays the majority of its games for laughs but they're just not very funny. The gore level of the games is also rather low due to the budget but I will at least give the filmmakers credit for at least trying to do something different. You've got the humor of the games but there are also fake commercials in the picture, which, again, aren't funny but at least it was something different. DEATHROW GAMESHOW gave it a shot but still came up with very little.

Mark Pirro's "Deathrow Gameshow" of 1987 is a black comedy that is extremely cheesy in many parts, but occasionally very funny nevertheless. This movie could certainly have been a lot better, the acting is terrible, and some extremely cheesy scenes make it hard to watch at times, but the concept is funny, and it has some hilarious moments.

In the near future (the year 1991), game shows have changed. Chuck Todean (John Mc Cafferty) hosts a game show called "Live Or Die", in which convicted death row inmates have the chance to play for their lives, and for money. Candidates who fail, get executed on the air using many different methods, such as guillotines, electric chairs, and other, more bizarre devices of execution, followed by applause from the cheering studio audience. The show is, of course, more than controversial, and Chuck has made lots of enemies...

"Deathrow Gameshow" is incredibly cheesy and crappy in many aspects, and the acting is terrible, but it is without doubt fun in many parts, especially if you're a fan of dark humor. You haven't missed anything if you haven't seen it, but it is definitely funny and a good time waster. 4/10

Deathrow Gameshow will never win any awards, it will never reach a mainstream audience, and probably in the great scheme of things, it will be forgotten.

But in a way, it doesn't deserve its fate. Deathrow Gameshow is a funny movie. Granted, it isn't constantly hilarious, and it is downright stupid, but if you want to watch a movie just to have a good time, this is the movie for you. This film was made way before its time, with its style of humor more adjacent to There's Something About Mary or Kingpin then anything out of the 80's nice-nice comedies. Deathrow Gameshow for this reason will always be a classic. There is no other movie that I have ever seen that you can have more fun watching in a group setting.

The Plot deals with Chuck Toedan, the host of Live or Die, a show where death-row inmates are allowed to compete for their lives ***And some fabulous prizes!!!*** It seems that Chuck has finally had enough of hosting the show and dealing with death threats(he once killed a mob boss in a "very disrespectful manner.") The story is filled with hilarious dialogue both intentional and unintentional, and some inspired acting. Watch it if only for the dream sequence, which is one of the most hilarious and memorable scenes that I have ever seen. It gets 1/10 stars for intelligence, but 10/10 for humor, which is all that really matters. Enjoy, I always do.

My review was written in December 1987 after a screening at Cine 42 on Manhattan's 42nd Street.

The generic concept behind "The Running Man" is recyclec to ill effect in "Deathrow Gameshow", an exercise in vulgar humor reminiscent but inferior to 1970s drive-in comedies.

John McCafferty is well cast (he supervised casting) as Chuck Toedan, toothy, ever-smiling host of the tv game show "Live or Die", in which, a la "Running Man", condemned convicts are given a chance to get a reprieve or gifts for their families. Executions are conducted on the taped show if they lose.

Filmmaker Mark Pirro knows talk is cheap, so there's plenty of it and not enough game show segments to keep the film lively. Mostly it's Toedan's private life, dealing with unruly fans or people who hate him and the show, particularly feminist Gloria Sternvirgin (Robin Blythe) and Mafia hit man Luig Pappalardo (the height in hissable vulgarity as played by Beano). Attempts at black humor are mainly silly, the film's only successful running gag being Debra Lamb's non-stop posing as the sexy prize presenter on the show.

Production values are on the level of a home movie and the cast is instructed to overact throughout. The one-joke premise is padded endlessly with a pointless dream sequence and very slowly rolling end credits.

"Deathrow Gameshow" is an effort from writer and director Mark Pirro, a director known for making independent movies on extremely small budgets. It was the first movie of his that I saw, and after seeing it I have no desire to see any of his other movies. Oh, the movie is not totally devoid of laughs - there are four or five gags that I admit made me chuckle. But the rest of the movie is pretty painful to sit through. The obvious low budget is ridiculous, giving us shabby sets and production goofs like seeing the reflection of a member of the crew. But what really bothered me more than the shabby look of the enterprise was the screenplay. The idea of the movie is one that's best used as a skit, not a full length movie. It's clear that Pirro had a problem stretching things out, which means the movie moves extremely slowly. But worst of all, almost all the attempted humor falls flat. The movie is so lame and unfunny in its sense of humor that it's no wonder Crown-International Pictures barely released the movie to theaters.