FATAL GAMES (1984) **

Students sequestered at a New England sports academy are training to compete in the Olympics.  Even though the whole place is built around getting the athletes prepared for the Summer Games, it takes a while for the grown-ups to realize that so many of the teens are missing.  As it turns out, there is a Mad Javelin Thrower running amuck on campus who is hell-bent on turning the athletes into human shish kabobs. 

Fatal Games is frontloaded with a ton of nudity, which leads the viewer to believe this will be some sort of slasher movie classic.  There are sex scenes, sauna scenes, and lots of shower scenes.  We even get some implied lesbianism courtesy of a handsy masseuse (played by future Oscar nominee Sally Kirkland).  ‘80s B-movie fans will spot Brinke Stevens in the shower and probably be able to pick up on the fact that Linnea Quigley was used as a body double for the lead actress.  Too bad the skin gets so slim in the second half.

I will say that the filmmakers did a good job of making the actors look like legitimate athletes.  I don’t know if they actually went out and got real gymnasts, runners, and swimmers (which may be the case because they ain’t great actors), but they certainly look the part while they are participating in the sports-heavy sequences.  The opening montage set to a great ‘80s tune “Take It All the Way”, is pretty good too.

The first couple of javelin murders are well done.  However, they quickly wear out their welcome and become increasingly repetitive as the movie goes on.  I mean there is only so much you can do with such a clumsy weapon of choice.  They do at least TRY to spice things up courtesy of the hilarious UNDERWATER JAVELIN MURDER scene.  I just wish there was more of that nutty spirit throughout the rest of the film.

After that hilarious moment, the movie unfortunately goes on autopilot.  The final third is especially draggy.  Even the big plot twist falls a little flat and the eventual Final Girl confrontation goes on far too long.  The killer gets a fitting demise, but overall, Fatal Games falls short of slasher movie gold. 

AKA:  Olympic Nightmare.  AKA:  The Killing Touch.