Death Spa (1988)


This movie, from the title to the poster to the actual plot, has enough red flags to warn a viewer away from watching it.  There is no question it is not going to be a quality film, but the warning signs are there that I am in for 70 minutes of dull, dreary plot involving unlikeable people wandering around for the prize of a few minutes of something interesting at the beginning and end.  To my surprise, the dull viewing experience I was expecting never happened. 

Michael Evans (William Bumiller) is the owner of Starbody Health Spa, a popular L.A. fitness location with a state-of-the-art computer system controlling everything, courtesy of his brother-in-law David (Merritt Buttrick).  Evans's wife Catherine (Shari Shattuck) committed suicide just over a year ago, but Evans has moved on and started dating a woman named Laura (Brenda Bakke).  One night when enjoying a steam bath she is temporarily blinded and badly burned when chlorine starts coming out of the vents.

This attracts the attention Sgt. Stone (Rosalind Cash) and Lt. Fletcher (Francis X. McCarthy), who begin to suspect David might be up to something.  As more accidents happen Michael thinks the same, only he starts to suspect something else as well and hires a parapsychologist (Joseph Whipp) to check the place out.  As more and more people are found dead Michael begins receiving messages on the computer that appear to be coming from his dead wife, while the evidence also begins to show there may be some earthly shenanigans going on as well. 

The thing that surprised me right off was the opening credits, coming up with a creative way to show the title.  I also started to notice something in the directing, and later in some of the acting, that I didn't expect: competency.  Almost everyone here, save Ken Foree as the club's manager and a few recognizable character actors, are unknowns.  Director Michael Fischa is also a relative unknown, this being his feature debut.  Despite all that, and a few scenes that are obvious "do health spa things" establishing shots, this is well done.

Also well done are many of the kills.  Get the unrated version if possible - I think that's the version showing on Tubi, even though it says R - without the violence cut out.  There is quite a bit of nudity as well, most of it gratuitous, but that's to be expected.  The plot can be a bit of a mess and the conclusion is not done well, but I never expected a movie called Death Spa to be perfect. 

What I didn't expect was to like this so much.  It's got the right balance of campiness and '80s-style "anything goes" horror that it doesn't fail to entertain.  It slows down slightly in the middle, but never to where it hits that third-act wall many movies do.  Writers James Bartruff and Mitch Paradise had a ton of ideas for this film and Fischa pretty much made sure they got on the screen, albeit only to be removed once the MPAA got ahold of the movie. 

Death Spa (1988)
Time: 88 minutes
Starring: William Bumiller, Merritt Buttrick, Brenda Bakke, Ken Foree, Shari Shattuck
Director: Michael Fischa

 

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