10 Things You Didn’t Know About Deathstalker II
Deathstalker II was released on November 11, 1987… four plus years after the original Deathstalker was released in 1983 to capitalize on the success of the Arnold Schwarzenegger starring Conan the Barbarian.
Deathstalker II (or Deathstalker II: Duel of the Titans as it is also known) was originally conceived as another straight forward sword and sorcery flick, much like its predecessor in the franchise. But with an extremely low budget (reportedly in the $400,000 range), Director Jim Wynorski and the star of the film John Terlesky (replacing Rick Hill as the titular character from the first Deathstalker) basically threw out the original script for Deathstalker II and created a much different movie than the original. Deathstalker II never takes itself seriously. This comedic approach gave the movie an undeniable charm and helped it achieve cult status with movie lovers around the world.
Recently I sat down and watched Shout Factory’s DVD release of the film that included a commentary track with Jim Wynorski, John Terlesky and actress Toni Naples (she played the evil but sexy Sultana). The commentary proved to be as entertaining as it was informative. I picked up a genuine love for the film from all three commentators and I also picked up a ton of trivia tidbits some of which I will share with you now as I present…
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Deathstalker II
1. The film was primarily shot in Argentina as part of a deal Roger Corman made to produce several sword and sorcery films in that country. Some additional scenes were later shot in Los Angeles, most notably the shots of the topless dancers from the bar scene at the beginning of the film. This was done after Roger Corman told director Jim Wynorski that the film needed more nudity.
2. Some of the cave sets used in the film were originally built for the first Deathstalker movie in 1983. They were repurposed several times for other Roger Corman productions made between Deathstalker and Deathstalker II, but the sets were ultimately destroyed after filming wrapped on Deathstalker II.
3. Due to budget constraints, all of the swords used in the movie were made of wood and painted silver to give them a metallic appearance. The crystal ball that Reena the Seer (Monique Gabrielle) uses was actually a glass door knob.
4. Much of the film was shot at night and fog machines were used to hide the houses and highway that surrounded the studio. Despite their best efforts to hide the modern world, a shot of a Volvo did end up making the final cut of the movie.
5. Many of the extras in Deathstalker II were actually professional wrestlers from Argentina.
6. Speaking of professional wrestling, John Terlesky points to the scene where Deathstalker is forced to wrestle the Amazonian wrestling champion Gorgo (Dee Boher aka Queen Kong aka Matilda the Hun of Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling fame) as the scene that really captured the tone of the entire movie. As a side note, Terlesky did almost all of his own stunts in that scene with the exception of the flips.
7. To stretch the talent budget further, masked characters were used so the same actors could play multiple characters without it being obvious to the audience. John Terlesky and Jim Wynorski even got in on the masked man action… John Terlesky is the masked man that John La Zar’s Jarek the Sorcerer defeats in a swordfight when we are first introduced to the Jarek… Jim Wynorski played one of the masked men who unsuccessfully try to rape Reena the Seer.
8. Jim Wynorski and John Terlesky borrowed lines from Abbott & Costello, the classic Warner Brothers cartoons, Laugh In and Hawaii Five-O, as they were rewriting the script, often the night before the scenes were scheduled to be shot.
9. Stunt boobs were used in the scene where Jarek the Sorcerer uses his mystical powers to bring Sultana (Toni Naples) back from the dead. In other words, those weren’t Naples’ nipples.
10. John Terlesky actually choreographed the final sword fight between Deathstalker and Jarek the Sorcerer. The scene includes a John Terlesky homage to 1972’s Five Fingers of Death. A portion of the scene was actually directed by John Terlesky. This was Terlesky’s first taste of directing, but not his last. John would go on to direct several movies (Judgment Day and Supreme Sanction) and television shows (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and The Brave).