‘Heads are gonna roll’
Death Rink is a 2019 American horror film about the staff of a roller skating rink being stalked and killed. Formerly known as Skateway Massacre
Written and directed by Daniel Zubiate (Last Call; Hack-Man; Dead Drunk), the Braker Lane production stars Amanda Courtney, Caedmon Holland (Dr Acid Face), Alan Humphrey (Last Call) and Kim Johnson.
Plot:
The closing up staff of a local roller skating rink are being stalked, slashed and killed by a mysterious figure in their midst…
Reviews:
” …the fake blood looks like orange Hi-C, except even more watery. Mercifully, we don’t see much of it. That’s because we don’t see much of anything at all. Although a security guard gets clunked off-camera at the 13-minute mark, the first murder doesn’t occur until 45 minutes into a 75-minute runtime. The rest of the movie is literally, and I’m using the word “literally” correctly, a roller rink staff talking.” Culture Crypt
” …on average, once every twenty minutes, “menacing” synthesizers are pounded from the speakers, and at the end you can only hear the howl of the viewer, begging for a faster finish. Almost nothing works in Death Rink, even the rarely seen gore on the screen. The murder weapons are blunt and artificial, and the orange, watery liquid – the victims’ blood, by implication – will not impress anyone.” His Name Is Death [translated from Polish]
“There are signs throughout Death Rink that writer and director Daniel Zubiate is truly paying homage to the slasher movies of the 80s; including the use of synthesisers in a string fashion, mimicking that classic “stabbing” sound heard on loads of 80s horrors; and a brilliant denouement that recalls the original Sleepaway Camp…” Nerdly
Release:
Death Rink will be available On-Demand via Wild Eye Releasing on May 11, 2021.
Cast and characters:
Amanda Courtney … Alicia
Caedmon Holland … French
Alan Humphrey … Mike
Kim Johnson … Cara
Katheryn McCune … Rachel
Robert Posey … Daley
Meg Smith … Wendy
Ian Troy … Spaz
Technical details:
74 minutes
Trailer:
MOVIES and MANIA comment:
Production values on the obviously low-budget Death Rink are ok, the acting is fine – these seem like real small-town folks stuck in a dead-end job – and the setting could have made for a decent slasher. Unfortunately, the set-up, the plot, the kills, the special effects and the reveal are all lamentably lame. It’s a passable time-waster at best.
