Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Death Spa Blu-ray Movie Review

Exercise Really IS Bad for You

Reviewed by Michael Reuben May 26, 2014

MPI Media Group is relaunching the Gorgon Video label, and their first offering is the campy 1987 cult classic Death Spa, a cheap but cheerful schlock-fest that has been unavailable in a legitimate edition for some years. Made by a cast and crew brimming with youthful excitement, Death Spa is certainly no cheesier than the John Travolta bomb Perfect (1985), which was based on the same series of Rolling Stone articles about health clubs that also inspired first-time producer Jamie Beardsley to set a horror film in the upscale world of Nautilus machines, juice bars and nubile flesh just begging to be punished for its sinful ways. If Death Spa had received more effective distribution, it would be much better known today.

MPI/Gorgon is releasing the film in a dual format package that offers the film on both Blu-ray and DVD with a newly recorded commentary and an original 50-minute documentary tracing the film's production and subsequent slide into obscurity. Even with a transfer from the original camera negative, the film can't escape its low-budget origins, but it certainly looks better than anything that has been previously available. Most importantly, this version is billed as complete and uncut, which has not always been the case with previous video releases. Just as Eighties horror films were as much about sex as mayhem, the era's fascination with health clubs had as much to do with animal attraction as with fitness. Director Michael Fischa exploited this connection as overtly as possible, including hiring female extras from a casting agency for porn films. For fans of Death Spa, old and new, it would be a crime to frustrate Fisha's intent by cutting back his lingering explicit shots. (Unfortunately, Blu-ray.com's rules preclude me from including any screen captures.)

The Starbody Health Spa operated by Michael Evans (William Bumiller) has quickly risen to the pinnacle of L.A.'s fitness clubs, thanks to its proprietary computer system that customizes the exercise machines to each client's needs. The software was designed by David Avery (Merrit Butrick, Captain Kirk's son in The Wrath of Khan and The Search for Spock), the brother of Michael's late wife, who died a year before the film opens under disturbing circumstances that are only gradually revealed. Recently, Michael has found new love with Laura Danvers (Brenda Bakke, who played Lana Turner in L.A. Confidential ).

But lately there seems to be an unfriendly ghost in David Avery's machine. Its first victim is Michael's girlfriend, Laura, who is injured late one night while taking a steam bath, suffering chlorine burns to her skin and eyes. The incident is serious enough to attract the attention of two police investigators, Lt. Fletcher (Frank McCarthy, Action Jackson) and Sgt. Stone (Rosalind Cash, The Omega Man). They suspect David of a vendetta against his former brother-in-law.

While maintaining the sunny exterior that is required for the owner of a successful health club, Michael is privately wrestling with demons. He suffers from recurring, vivid nightmares in which his deceased wife, Catherine (Shari Shattuck), calls to him to join her in death. When messages purportedly from Catherine begin to appear on his computer terminal, he suspects that it's David playing a prank but part of him wonders whether his nightmares are real. Then again, it could all be a plot by his business partners, including his co-manager, Priscilla Wayne (Alexa Hamilton), to force him out of a successful enterprise at a bargain price.

While everyone plays detective, including a paranormal researcher whom Michael consults with the memorable name of Dr. Lido Moray (Joseph Whipp), deadly incidents multiply. An exercise machine becomes a rack, tiles fly off the walls in the women's locker room, an assignation in the basement becomes a chemical ambush, and Dr. Moray's ghostbusting turns up more than he bargained for. Whoever or whatever is attacking and killing Starbody's patrons is also neatly removing the evidence, so that the other patrons don't panic. Everyone still shows up for the club's signature annual event, a costumed Mardi Gras night of dancing, loud music and hookups—which is apparently the very event that the malevolent presence has been waiting for. No one specifically mentions Brian De Palma's Carrie in the extras, but the creative team must have watched it a dozen times.

Death Spa predates the CG revolution in filmmaking, so that all of its makeup effects are gooey and practical. While many are obviously fake and cartoonish, that doesn't make them any less gross and effective. Like most films in this genre, Death Spa requires the viewer to play along with a story notion that is ridiculous from the outset. If a viewer is willing to buy into a laughable premise, why get picky about such details as the effects? Death Spa is cleverly shot, crisply edited and, by the end, turns out to have an internal consistency that not all genre films can claim. Both on its own terms and as a time capsule of its era, it's a hoot. The only thing missing is the Olivia Newton-John video, "Physical".

Death Spa Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

According to MPI/Gorgon, its new 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray has been created from a 2K scan of the original camera negative (or "OCN") of Death Spa, which was shot by cinematographer Arledge "Ace" Armenaki (Howling V: The Rebirth ), one of the most experienced members of the young production crew. On the newly recorded commentary track, director Michael Fischa opines that, even with the latest refinements, none of today's digital cameras have yet achieved the look of film.

The Blu-ray image is a mixed bag. On the plus side, it features deep blacks and vivid, saturated colors, with rich primaries. The bright shades of spandex, the florid illumination and the overripe effects are all reproduced with the comic-book vividness that the material deserves. Also, for most of the running time, the elements are in acceptable shape with only minor damage (at least by my standards; others may be more sensitive). The major exception is the opening credits, which suffer from numerous major scratches and blotches, many of which are probably a function of the optically superimposed titles.

On the negative side, the image is unusually soft for a contemporary scan of a 35mm OCN. There's a lot of detail in the image, but long shots are blurrier than one would expect from a 35mm image, and fine detail tends to get lost. To my eye, this does not appears to be a result of any obvious filtering, but it may reflect the limitations of a 2K scan in an era when the best transfers of older films are routinely done at 4K or higher, regardless of whether or not they are advertised as such. Also, the average bitrate is an unusually low 17.997 Mbps. As several recent remasters have shown, most recently Blazing Saddles , the same image harvest can produce a sharper image in motion with better mastering and a higher bitrate. Having taken the trouble to produce a new scan, MPI should have gone the extra distance to use a BD-50 and author Death Spa with sufficient bandwidth to ensure the best possible image.

Death Spa Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Death Spa was released in mono and is presented on Blu-ray in a two-channel mono configuration in lossless DTS-HD MA. A good surround decoder can occasionally steer a specific sound effect to left or right, but overall the sound remains firmly anchored to the center.

In the new documentary, composer Peter Kaye (Born in East L.A.) says that, if he had it to do over, he would have scored more sparingly, but in fact Kaye's barrage of synthesizers works well with the subject matter, since health spas of the era always had music blaring. The film's sound mix reflects its low budget origins, but the dialogue is clear, and Kaye's score has a surprisingly wide dynamic range with deep bass extension that the Blu-ray's track is able to bring out probably better than any theatrical audience ever heard it.

Death Spa Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary with Director Michael Fischa, Producer Jamie Beardsley and Editor Michael Kewley: At the beginning of this newly recorded commentary (with Fischa joining by satellite from Austria), all three participants confess that they haven't seen the film in 25 years. At the end, they agree that, if they ever do another commentary, they'll first watch the film. As entertaining as their reunion is, the director, producer and editor are so struck by the experience of seeing Death Spa after a quarter of a century that they spend more time on personal reminiscence than discussion of the film. I suspect that a second commentary recorded the day after this one would have produced much better material.



• An Exercise in Terror: The Making of Death Spa (1080p; 1.78:1; 50:55): This is the highlight of the extras, because director Elijah Drenner (American Grindhouse) managed to interview an impressive list of participants, including Beardsley, Kewley, cinematographer Armenaki, composer Kaye, production designer Robert Shulenberg, co-writer Mitch Paradise, production coordinator David Reskin and actors William Bumiller, Hank Cheyne, Shari Shattuck and Elizabeth Ziegler. With the benefit of off-camera questions and judicious editing, Drenner has assembled a fascinating and informative overview of how Death Spa was conceived, developed and produced.



• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1.78:1; 1:38): "Welcome to the health club where you'll sweat blood."



• Video Trailer (480i; 1.33:1; 2:14): "The place for a killer workout!"

Death Spa Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Regardless of any question about its video quality, fans of Death Spa will want this release, because it trounces any video version previously available. Fans of Eighties horror will want to check it out as a lesser known but worthy entry in the genre. Anyone eager to encourage MPI's reentry into classic horror with the revival of the Gorgon Video label may also want to consider supporting those efforts by investing in this first title, which has more than enough good points to justify the expenditure. Recommended.