Just when I thought the Deathstalker series couldn't get any worse the third incarnation proves me oh so wrong.  Deathstalker And The Warriors From Hell introduces yet another actor, John Allen Nelson, into the role of the film's title hero.  Much like Deathstalker II this version of Deathstalker is still a sharp turn from the original Rick Hill portrayal and proceeds with the wise, cracking pretty boy albeit a little more toned down.

Once again Deathstalker finds himself tangled up in more "princess drama" when he and his sorcerer friend are ambushed in a small village during a raid by the henchmen of an evil wizard named Troxartes.  They are looking for the second of half of a crystal which when reassembled will lead to a lost city of wealth and power.  Turns out one piece is in the possession of an under cover princess, played by Carla Sands, but she only lives long enough to get Deathstalker roped into her quest.  Not to worry though she's got a twin sister whose betrothed to the evil wizard!

Production value of this outing is the lowest thus far in the franchise, filmed in Mexico on a shoestring budget it definitely shows, even the soundtrack is equivalent to something out of an 8 bit RPG Nintendo game, and the story is a reheating of plot points from the first two films.  The casting is no better, while I like John Allen Nelson better than John Terlesky in the role of Deathstalker I still don't like this frat boy version in comparison to the hardcore Conan type portrayed by Rick Hill.  The main villain Troxartes, played by Thom Christopher, ranks as the worst in the series so far and is reminiscent of an over-the-top off Broadway performance. 

Then the women... the only consistent aspect this franchise has had is great eye candy, something even the horrible Deathstalker II excelled the original film in, this one gets it all wrong.  Aside from Claudia Inchaurregui, as Marin with her stereotypical poofy 80's hair, the two main actresses are simply bland and unimpressive in comparison to their past counterparts.  And don't expect nearly the level of skin shown in this outing either.

Interesting tidbit, the lead actress who played the dual princess roles, Carla Sands (then Carla Herd), seemingly as found more success as a business woman and now as a politician, she was Trump's US ambassador to Denmark and in 2022 is running for Senate in Pennsylvania.  That's probably the most interesting factoid regarding anything or anyone in this film.

Overall, Deathstalker And The Warriors From Hell comes off as a very dull remix of the first two films with nothing at all that excels it above the other two entries.  Granted it's not unwatchable, but neither is paint drying.  I will concede that the one thing this film does better than the last is it takes itself more seriously, it's no where near the level of slapstick comedy as the previous one.  A couple scenes were even actually a little unexpectedly somber.  Unfortunately this is probably the film that might have warranted hamming it up a bit to at least keep the reheated plot interesting.  If you want to watch this train wreck I'd suggest watching the MST3K version, at least you'll get some entertainment from the commentary.  Below is a highlight video as a couldn't find any trailer for the film itself, probably another expense they couldn't afford. 

2/10