Deathstalker – Movie Review | Shudder (3/5)

DEATHSTALKER (2025) on Shudder is a remake of the classic Roger Corman film from 1983. This remake still focuses on having gorgeous practical effects, and the overall vibe involves characters wearing significantly more clothes. Both are huge pluses, in my opinion. Read our full 2025 Deathstalker movie review here!

DEATHSTALKER (2025) is coming to Shudder and AMC+, which is a huge treat for fans of that iconic Roger Corman style. I am not someone who grew up with the original, so I checked out the trailer for the 1983 movie before watching this 2025 version. This is how you pay tribute to something you love without breaking its spirit. What an upgrade!

Sure, this still isn’t the kind of genre-hybrid everyone will love. You’re either into this crude style or you’re not. For the most part, I am not. However, I can still recognize that it is extremely well-made for fans of this. It’s an homage to the B-movie action adventure fantasy hybrids of the 1980s. Complete with a sword-wielding hero sent on a quest, where he meets all kinds of creatures.

Continue reading our 2025 Deathstalker movie review below. Find it on Shudder and AMC+ from April 3, 2026.

Keep the good, forget the bad

In this Deathstalker remake, we meet the title character of Deathstalker (Daniel Bernhardt of the John Wick franchise) as he gets his hands on a cursed amulet. He finds this on a corpse-strewn battlefield, but should surely have left it behind as the not-yet-dead soldier told him.

He did not, and as a result, he is now marked by a dark curse and will be hunted by assassins. If he wants to survive, he will need to break the curse, which obviously isn’t an easy feat. Helping him on his journey is the wizard Doodad (voiced by Patton Oswalt).

I loved how this 2025 remake managed to maintain the style of practical effects and B-movie glory while updating it with a more contemporary story and character gallery. The women in this story are no longer forced to run around in a tiny bikini outfit while wielding a sword. Something that never made sense.

Much better to go towards the style of Xena: Warrior Princess.

Also, I liked how the title character looks more like Conan the Barbarian than He-Man. In the original 1983 movie, the women may have been in swimsuits, but the main character wasn’t dressed in much more clothing. I think this new look allows for the quirky and kitsch vibe of B-movies and creature feature adventure to keep shining, while also delivering a solid (if small) story.

Watch the remake of Deathstalker on AMC+ and Shudder

Deathstalker in this 2025 version was directed by Steven Kostanski, who also wrote the screenplay. Honestly, Steven Kostanski as a filmmaker is the reason why I can’t say I don’t like B-movies without making a small disclaimer. The fact is, I do like these movies when they’re made by someone with talent and passion. And I really did enjoy his 2020 movie Psycho Goreman.

WANT MORE FROM STEVEN KONSTANSKI?

He also co-directed the 2016 genre-mix The Void, which is closer to my prefered style >

With Deathstalker, I adored the use of practical effects, which is the only way you could ever do a remake of this movie. Once again, I should mention that while I did not grow up loving Deathstalker, I did (and do) adore a movie like Labyrinth. A movie full of practical effects and monsters of various puppet kinds. With Deathstalker, I found myself reminded of that movie as well, so it grew on me.

Deathstalker (2025) has already played at film festivals worldwide and is currently at a much higher IMDb rating than the 1983 original. The 1983 movie sits at a 4.6 rating while the 2025 remake is currently at an impressive 5.7 on IMDb. I suspect fans of the original will like this remake (though may not prefer it), and those who did not love the original may find this one quite entertaining.

Deathstalker is out on Shudder and AMC+ from April 3, 2026.

Details

Director: Steven Kostanski
Writer: Steven Kostanski
Cast: Daniel Bernhardt, Christina Orjalo, Paul Lazenby, Nicholas Rice, Patton Oswalt