The Sport Killer (1976) / Fatal Games (1984)

Last night’s Tubi double feature started with this: a mid seventies crime thriller about a serial killer stalking the San Francisco Bay Area, loosely based on the crimes of Ted Bundy

Sgt. Vince De Carlo (James Luisi), is frustrated when the body of a young female hitchhiker is found. It seems she’s the latest victim in a string of murders that have been plaguing the area. He’s getting heat from his boss to solve the case fast, and is also paranoid about letting his young daughter go out by herself until the killer is caught. He eventually figures out that all the victims frequented a local public swimming pool, so he begins to stake it out, determined to identify and catch the killer before he strikes again.

The movie was pretty decent, showing the killer stalking his victims in a van, wearing a series of disguises to hide his identity. It plays like a typical 70’s crime thriller, slightly gritty, with various characters introduced throughout the film. It reminded me a bit of the mid seventies thriller based in New York called Massage Parlor Murders, though this one is less sleazy. It’s not overly gory, but does feature some brutal killings. It’s also known under the titles Killer’s Delight (listed on Tubi under this name) and The Dark Ride.

The next one was a mid eighties slasher called Fatal Games (aka The Killing Touch / Olympic Nightmare), about a group of young gymnastic students who are being stalked by a mysterious killer who uses a javelin as their weapon of death.

Various characters are introduced, including the seven members of the gymnastics team, as well as the Academy’s coaches and staff. One of the students, Annie, is worried about keeping up with her grades so she can stay in the program and make it to the Nationals competition. What she doesn’t realize is that she and the others on her team are being stalked by an assailant in a black tracksuit, who uses a javelin to impale his victims. When several of the team members go missing (all victims of the killer), Annie and the staff begin to worry that something is amiss.

This movie was a fun, campy slasher. None of the characters nor their stories are all that memorable, but the murders are fun and creative, with the victims getting impaled by a flying javelin of death. It’s a relatively cheap production, with the typical eighties synth score to convey suspense, and bad acting. The revelation of the killer and their motive is both ridiculous and hilarious. The only recognizable star in this was Sally Kirkland, who was later nominated for a best actress Oscar for her work in 1987’s Anna. I wonder if she’s embarrassed to have starred in this cheesy, bloody affair? If you’re a lover of eighties slashers, you may enjoy this one.

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