Death Spa

Killer workout in Los Angeles

A string of strange accidents suddenly occurs at a state-of-the-art health spa in sunny SoCal, which dismays the owner (William Bumiller) and provokes a police investigation. Is the instigator his antagonistic ex-brother-in-law (Merritt Butrick), disloyal employees or… the mad ghost of his dead wife?

"Death Spa” (1988) is superior to “Killer Workout” from the previous year and should be appreciated by fans of “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984) and “Trick or Treat” (1986), although not as good as either. Still, it’s not far off. It could be categorized as a slasher, but not in the stereotypical sense of a masked killer walking around with a butcher knife or machete.

Being made in 1987, it naturally reflects the colorful 80s—the music, the hairstyles, the outfits, the aerobics and the fun spirit (as opposed to the grungy 90s). The female cast is quite good and Bumiller effectively carries the movie with his masculine mojo. There’s a little bit o’ nudity.

Butrick is of course best known for playing Captain Kirk’s son in “Star Trek II” and “Star Trek III.” This would be his final film before his premature death from AIDs at the age of 29. He plays the half-crazy in-law quite well.

The film runs 1 hour, 28 minutes, and was shot in the Los Angeles area: Sunset Boulevard, Newhall and Simi Valley.

GRADE: B-