The years following the release of John Milius’s Conan the Barbarian were a real golden age for schlocky Sword & Sorcery enthusiasts. From Ator, the Flying Eagle to The Beastmaster, there were plenty of options available if you didn’t mind questionable production value and frequently reused tropes. However, one producer was trying exceptionally hard to extract every last possible cent from fans of this trend, and that was legendary filmmaker Roger Corman.
As we covered in a previous article about the 1983 cult classic Deathstalker, Corman’s personal grudge against Dino De Laurentiis (who had snatched up the rights to Conan before Corman) led to his financing of an original movie about a morally grey hero fighting against mystical threats in a primitive world. And with the first Deathstalker becoming an unexpected hit, it’s only natural that Corman would follow it up with cheaply produced sequel. And yet, this obvious cash-grab would go on to be remembered as the most entertaining entry in the Deathstalker franchise (so far), which is why we’d like to invite you to join us as we look back on the beloved sequel.
The final entry in Corman’s international co-production deal with Argentina’s Aries Cinematográfica, Deathstalker II: Duel of the Titans was a fresh start for the series. Instead of tracking down the team that made the first film, Corman decided to make the sequel with a completely new cast and crew, with the only returning elements being brief snippets of recycled footage meant to capitalize on the first film’s memorable goons and tavern brawls.
Corman enlisted the help of Chopping Mall director Jim Wynorski to bring a script written by Neil Ruttenberg to life. However, Wynorski disliked the overly-serious story that Ruttenberg had originally planned for the sequel, so the director ended up rewriting the screenplay alongside actor John Lazar (who plays Jarek in the film) – with further additions made during filming. The director then hired John Terlesky (who he had worked with in Chopping Mall) to replace Rick Hill as our titular hero. This change wouldn’t just be aesthetic, as Wynorski decided to completely recharacterize Deathstalker as more of a dashing rogue with a dry sense of humor rather than an off-brand Conan. Terlesky’s then-girlfriend and Penthouse Pet Monique Gabrielle was also brought onboard in a dual role as both Reena the Seer and her evil double Princess Evie, with the actress later claiming that this was her all-time favorite role.
In the finished film, we follow Deathstalker (Terlesky) as he’s tricked by a princess-turned-seer (Gabrielle) into joining her quest to take down the supernatural doppelganger who usurped her throne as well as the evil sorcerer (Lazar) who conjured her. Along the way, the duo faces a series of escalating threats ranging from vengeful assassins to Amazon Warriors wanting to punish Deathstalker for his womanizing ways.
Right off the bat, Duel of the Titans benefits from a refreshingly self-aware tone, with the film poking fun at all the common tropes that plague the Conan knock-off genre – as well as the less savory elements present in the first film. From Reena’s introduction where she asks if “Deathstalker” is our hero’s first or last name to the hilarious introduction of Sultana’s hired goons, you can tell that Wynorski knew exactly what kind of movie he wanted to make.
While the sequel is just as janky and shoddily produced as the first film, it benefits from more attention to detail in both writing and cinematography. It’s not exactly Shakespeare, but I appreciate how the supporting cast has been elevated to more than an amorphous collection of nameless goons and one-note allies. And while Terlesky lacks some of the Hill’s physical presence, I’d argue that his incarnation of Deathstalker is just as entertaining as the original due to his mischievous charms.
Of course, Gabrielle’s dual performance is just as entertaining, with the actress bringing a surprising amount of personality to opposing roles. I also enjoyed seeing both María Socas and Toni Naples (another Chopping Mall veteran and Terlesky’s ex girlfriend) in memorable roles that didn’t exclusively rely on their skimpy outfits. It’s refreshing to see female characters put in the spotlight after all the questionable gender politics of the previous Deathstalker, and I have a feeling that Wynorski was intentionally trying to make up for that film’s faults. After all, Duel of the Titans features an entire sequence dedicated to making the titular character pay for his crimes against womankind by participating in an impromptu wrestling match against “Gorgo” (played by real-life wrestler Queen Kong/Dee Booher).
This is still a sleazy Corman production meant to capitalize on adolescent titillation, so you can bet that Wynorski’s previous experience with softcore pornography didn’t go to waste, but we’re at least spared the constant non-consensual sexuality of the original movie. And the fact that Terlesky and Monique were dating in real life during filming makes their weirdly extended love scene a little less uncomfortable to watch.
Unfortunately, one area where Deathstalker 2 is outshined by the original is the action. Not only did Hill provide us with a more intimidating hero the first time around, but gone are the original film’s shocking moments of practical gore and horror-adjacent monstrosities. The sequel’s frequent duels are mostly bloodless, and while we do get to see an impressive large-scale battle towards the end of the flick, the main villain’s demise is nowhere near as entertaining as that of Munkar back in ’83.
There are barely any monsters here either, which is especially disappointing given how the incredible poster hints at supernatural abominations. Even the series’ iconic Pig-Men just barely make a cameo (with much of their involvement happening through recycled footage). Lazar’s evil sorcerer doesn’t own any freaky eldritch pets either, and his magic feels decidedly less spooky than Munkar’s. While this is obviously a budgetary issue, it’s still a shame that we didn’t get to see more handmade puppets and buff performers in animal masks roaming the mystical land of 1980s Argentina. That being said, the film does briefly turn into a zombie movie during a graverobbing sequence, so there’s still some horror influence to be found here.
Deathstalker II: Duel of the Titans may not rank among the best of the ’80s Conan Rip-Offs, but it’s still one of my personal favorite entries in the genre despite its overall lack of bloody thrills. Wynorski and his team did the best they could with the material that they were given, and the end result is a messy yet entertaining movie that feels like everyone involved was having a lot of fun. Whether it’s the memorable characters or the fact that the movie plays out like a hilarious porn parody without (most of) the porn, there are plenty of reasons to revisit this sleazy classic in 2025.
And if Steven Kostanski’s Deathstalker remake is half as fun as Duel of the Titans, we should be in for a memorable ride!
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