Director: Peter S. Traynor
Screenplay: Anthony Overman, Michael Ronald Ross and Jo Heims
Starring: Sondra Locke, Seymour Cassel and Colleen Camp
Country: United States
Running Time: 87 min
Year: 1977
Most people’s first introduction to Death Game was likely the 2015 Eli Roth remake Knock Knock, a film that Eli has described as a reason to make people seek out the original film that inspired it. The thing is, for the longest time, Death Game was a tricky film to get a hold of. Outside of some poor DVD and VHS releases in the States, most in the incorrect aspect ratio, the best you could find was a rip on YouTube. Funnily enough, YouTube is where I saw my first clip of the film, the notorious ending that I won’t give away here, but had me intrigued enough to want to see the full film.
Thankfully, a few years back, Grindhouse Releasing restored Death Game in 4K and released a jam-packed two disc Blu-ray release, which is making its UK debut courtesy of Radiance Films. Beyond stoked to check out the film, I requested a screener to find out the age-old question, was it as good as Roth and all of its fans suggested?
Death Game’s one of the most impressive exploitation features I’ve seen in quite some time, because similar to most low-budget horror/thrillers of the 70s, it’s so artfully directed. Thanks to the stunning cinematography by David Worth, who also edited the film, every frame of Death Game is a joy to look at. Whether it’s the grand views of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge or a psychedelic ‘courtroom’ scene late into the film’s runtime, there’s never a moment where Death Game feels lazily put together.
The film follows rich man George (Seymour Cassel) who’s home alone for a few days after his wife’s called in for a medical emergency. While relaxing at home on his 40th birthday, two girls knock on his door asking to use the telephone. He lets them in and before he knows it, the two girls are taking advantage of him in a multitude of ways. If you’ve seen Eli Roth’s remake, you know what you’re in for plot-wise, as that film copies this film almost beat-for-beat and despite knowing how most of the film was going to play out because of that, I found myself so captivated throughout the 87 minute runtime.
The two girls, Jackson and Donna (played by Sondra Locke and Colleen Camp respectively) are so well-performed, you believe every single thing that’s happening. Both actresses were popular at the time, which made the decision to star in something that seemed so sleazy and smutty shocking at the time. And shocking, the film is. Without giving away everything, the film is full of sex, nudity, violence, dark comedy, social commentary and it never lets up once it begins. It’s incredibly intense and blew me away.
It might not be for everybody, especially those into the more classier films released under the Radiance Films catalogue, but if you’re a fan of exploitation cinema and want to see one of the truly underrated gems of the 70s, Death Game is absolutely worth your time.
Film: 
Death Game releases on Blu-ray 22nd September courtesy of Radiance Films and Grindhouse Releasing. This is a port of Grindhouse Releasing’s Region A Blu-ray from 2022, making its UK home media debut. The film is presented in a brand new 4K restoration, exclusive to this release and it looks stunning. Given how psychedelic the film becomes in the latter half, there’s a grand range of colours on display and although a UHD release would have been even better, this Blu-ray presentation is so good that I can’t complain. One audio track is included, a DTS HD M.A 2.0 Mono track which sounds fantastic and I assume is fairly accurate to what the theatrical mix would have sounded like. Optional English subtitles are included too. The following extras are included:
Spectacular new 4K restoration created from the original camera negative
Provocative, in-depth interviews with cult movie legend Colleen Camp (GAME OF DEATH, APOCALYPSE NOW) and director Peter Traynor, conducted by Eli Roth
Additional interviews with co-star Sondra Locke, producer Larry Spiegel, cinematographer/editor David Worth, and screenwriter Michael Ronald Ross
Audio commentaries by Colleen Camp & Eli Roth, and Larry Spiegel & David Worth
24-page full-color booklet with rare photos and liner notes
Extensive still galleries
AND OTHER SURPRISES!
To say that there’s a lot of bonus features on this release would be the understatement of the century. For those who don’t want the ‘other surprises’ mentioned above spoiled, feel free to skip this part of the review but trust me when I say, Grindhouse Releasing/Radiance went above and beyond with this release. Note: there’s a handful of easter eggs also featured across the two discs which I won’t be spoiling but they include a bunch of great bonus features that are absolutely worth hunting down.
Two audio commentaries are included, one with actress Colleen Camp and Knock Knock director Eli Roth, and another with producer Larry Spiegel and cinematographer and editor David Worth.
The first audio commentary with Camp and Roth is a delight, which is no surprise given how much of a Death Game fan Roth is. While a lot of the information here gets repeated later on the standalone interview between the pair, their enthusiasm is infectious and it’s a jam-packed track with fun anecdotes and Roth’s gushing. Highly recommended!
The second audio commentary with Spiegel and Worth is another fun listen, with the pair having a similarly entertaining back-and-forth as they recount the production of Death Game and share fun pieces of trivia such as the reason why the opening credits are longer than you’d typically expect. It’s a good, informative track and compliments the prior commentary well. Worth checking out!
A theatrical trailer is included.
A bonus feature-length film is included, Little Miss Innocence that’s 72 minutes long and its inclusion makes sense, given how it came out a year prior and features a fairly similar premise to Death Game. It’s a sexploitation flick, which will make viewers either more or less interested, given their taste in films, but I thought it was a fine watch. I wasn’t a huge fan, it’s nothing on the level of Death Game, and it outstayed its welcome, even with the short runtime, but seeing some of the ideas that would be expanded on a couple of years later was fascinating. No English subtitles are included for the feature, but the restoration looks absolutely stunning.
If the extras on disc one didn’t satisfy you enough, six interviews are included on this disc.
Ruthless: The Peter Traynor Story is a brand new exclusive hour and 49 minutes long conversation and features Death Game director Peter Traynor and cult director Eli Roth sitting down to discuss his career. If you couldn’t tell by how lengthy the interview is, it covers everything one could ask for about Traynor, and Roth’s fanatic nature leads for a great interview between the two. There’s a hilarious segment at the start of the interview where Roth and Traynor realise they grew up around the same area as well as their eclectic film taste from an early age. The segment where the pair are talking about Steel Arena, which Traynor produced is one of the highlights. It’s a behemoth of an interview and it’s absolutely worth your time.
Colleen Camp: In the Moment is a brand new exclusive hour long conversation with actress Colleen Camp and cult director Eli Roth (once again) where, similar to the previous interview, they discuss all things Camp and Death Game. Roth and Camp have quite a history, which makes the interview a joy to watch. Camp goes through her early career and what led to her joining the production of Death Game. There’s also mentions of Roth’s Knock Knock, given that Camp had a cameo on that too. Hearing how Roth discovered the film on YouTube was pretty hilarious, considering how I discovered the ending on YouTube too. It’s a delightful, delightful interview and probably my favourite on the entire disc.
Two versions of an exclusive telephone interview with actress Sondra Locke are presented, a fifteen minute edit and an unedited 44 minute version. Interviewer Mike White asks a range of interesting questions and I chose to listen to the unedited version, which is a compelling and engaging listen!
Game Changers is a brand new exclusive 44 minute interview with producer Larry Spiegel and cinematographer/editor David Worth who are a fun pair to listen to. Whether it’s discussing the often chaotic production, with Worth being hired after a previous cinematographer was fired, as well as clashing between director Peter Traynor and the actors. Hearing how Worth didn’t even use a tripod and preferred to hold the camera while sitting down in a chair was wild. A great interview that’s worth watching!
A Tale of Two Scripts is a brand new 44 minute interview with writer Michael Ronald Ross and it’s an interesting time. He describes the two different screenplays for Death Game, the original inspiration behind the concept, including Roman Polanski’s Repulsion and Tod Browning’s Freaks, the latter of which would inspire the original titles Freak and Daddy’s Girls. It’s a solid interview that’s absolutely worth checking out, as Ross is an engaging listen.
Five still galleries are presented, including production stills, images of Peter Traynor, promotional materials, VHS releases and cover art.
Previews for twenty other Grindhouse Releasing titles are included, ranging from Cannibal Holocaust to The Beyond and I Drink Your Blood. These are amazing to sit down and watch and will certainly please genre fans.
I wasn’t provided with the slipcover or the 24 page booklet, unfortunately, so I’m unable to comment on those.
Overall, the Grindhouse Releasing/Radiance Films release of Death Game is nothing short of spectacular. The film is a revelation, the release is jam-packed with great supplemental material and it’s absolutely worth adding this one to your collection, it’s a must buy!
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