Tuesday, May 19

Skullduggery (1983)


Directed by Ota Richter
95 Minutes / Media Entertainment / Cropped from 1.85:1 to full screen

A young man brings a medieval board game to life as he begins reenacting the game's murderous situations in reality. Is he possessed by a centuries old warlock curse? Is he being driven by a goofy jester doll that looks purchased from Dollar Tree? Or is he just plain nuts?

I imagine only a choice few know the answers to the questions above. This is an awful piece of shit that's prime material for renters to stop midway through in annoyance, hastily rewind the next day for a speedy return to the video store, and forget forever. It manages to piss the viewer off as well, as one gets the feeling the writer and director probably thought they were the cleverest guys in the room.

There's just enough competence on display to make all the idiotic, time-wasting nonsense (i.e. - the entire film) seem created on purpose. The film never gets so bad to be charming, opting to firmly hover in a dull median that makes you longingly stare at the remote's STOP button. The persistent sense of comedy only a nursing home could love and the uninspired, nearly bloodless paper cut kills certainly don't help. Also a SWAT team shows up at the climax, fuck me.

Film: 1/10
VHS Picture: 5/10
VHS Sound: 5/10

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...do you dare tread upon the staircase?

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